Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-20
TABLES THE RESOLUTION
HOUSE REFUSES TO ASK PREsI
DENT FOR INFORMATION.
Mr.. Hardwick Criticised the Exc
utive for Not Transmitting
Data on Corporations.

BY vote Of 14S to 115. the House tbi:
afternoon laid on the ia BILE q resolution
calling upon the President TO supply the
information Oh corporations gathered by
the bureau of corporations.
President Roosevelt's failure to make
public certain information concerning cor.
porations gathered by the bureau wal
criticised today by Mr.. Hardwick OF. Geor
gia. He maintained that $500. 900 hal
been expended in gathering such infor-
nation and yet he said, Congress had
not been taken into the Presidents conf
dence.
I'VE ought to have this information al
first hand,r he declared land not at sec
ond hand; not by piecemeal and in drib-
lets according to the will Of any one man
whether ne be President of the United
States or anybody else" 1t was time he
asserted. that Congress should show its
manhood and say to the President, You
let us have this He did not believe in
the President having "a corner" on in
forma ton. He is no more entitled to the
exclusive possession Of information which
is to be used the basis OF iegis!a tion
than the House is declared Mr.. Hard
wick, and Congress would have no more
right to keep it from the public than the
President had to keep II from the House.
The President, Mr.. Hardwick continued
always had been the advocate of turning
on the light Let us ask him. he in
sisted. ITO turn on all the light and turn
it on at once.
The President Defended.
Although the resolution was reported
from the committee on interstate and
foreign commerce by MI. Mann, that
gentleman bitterly opposed it and vigor-
ously defended the President. He de-
cIared that the resolution had no other
object than a reflection on the honesty
of the motives of the President, who, he
said, had no information given to him
under the bureau or corporations act
which he had kept from the public. The
only purpose of this resolution ne said,
lis to make it out that the President is
endeavoring to conceal information from
the House and the public
Mr. Mann admitted that the bureau OF
corporations had acquired a large amount
of information which as yet had not been
made public.
Does the gentleman" he inquired with
some warmth. desire information before
the investigations are completed?' He
challenged Mr. Hardwck to say that the
President had withheld any of the re-
port on the beef trust and the Standard
Oil Company.
If he does so say he added: with in
ere aSEu E1gOr, tncn deny IT, l ne
Pre- sident. he declared, had acted with the
utmost good faith toward Congress. and
had given to the people such informa-
ton as he had rece >d.
The Resolution Tabled.
The de mocrats, he said, were making
a general assault on the President. Yes
terday," he said, Mr.. Harrison of New
York charged him with acting i'll viola
ton of law regarding the canal zone. To-
day the gentleman from Georgia makes
another charge
The President he continued, had been
the leader Of the reform move ment against
the trusts. He has been the man whom
we have been proud to follow on both
sides of this hall in his effort to make
COVE rnmental control supreme over these
Interstate organizations and corporations
And said he. Il do not propose, If l can
help it, in this House to cast any re-
fection upon his motives or his action, as
this resolution would do.
He then moved to lay the resolution on
tn, table and on that motion the demo-
Gratis forced a roll call. which resulted in