The Washington times., 1908-09-26
Insists He Did Nothing Not
at All Times Compatible
With Office He Held.
DeclaresNo One Could Have
ForeSeen Client. Would Be
Attacked by Congress.

affair. Senator Foraker last night re-
piled to the charges recently made by
William X. Hearst and the President
The statement, in part, is as follows:
Charges Not Investigated.
The President commences his state
ment with the publication OF Judge
Taft's letter, with a bitter CrTaignment
OF me because OF Mr.. Hearsts charges,
which he appears TO have accepted as
fully proven as soon as made. He does
not wait for proof or explanation, nor
accept the same when offered.
Mr.. Hearst's charges are not sim
ply that 1 was in the employment of
the Standard Oil Company and that 1
was paid for my services, but that l
was secretly in that employment for
llleSitimate purposes, and that the
mOney l received was paid in compen-
satlOn Tor improperly influencing leglS-
latiOn by Congress in conflict with and
in violation of my official duties.
He read a number OF letters and
made certain comments calculated, IL
unanswered or unexplained, TO create
That l was employed by the company
was never concealed or denied
Employment Was Known.
"On the contrary. such employment
was well known at the time to GE con-
ccrned. Only a few days ago eX-At-
torney General Monnett. who was pros
ecuting the proceedings against the
Standard Oil Company at the time.
stated in a public interview that I told
him at the time that had been re-
tanned by the company
In announcing, therefore, the mere
IN I r-
pauy ard showing that / received pay
menJs or that account, no Information
was impaired by Mr., Hearst, and no
offense was established. for IL remained
that such employment and payment
might he entirely proper and legitimate
Under all the circumstances an eN-
PLANTATION was required. and IN former
statements / made such explanation by
showing that my employment was con
fined to the affairs of the company IN
Ohio. and its reorganization after the
trust was dissolved by order Of our
Supreme Court
No Relation to Federal Work.
Further than that my employment
had no relation in the slightest degree
70 anything in which the Federal
Government was then interested, or
with respect to which tho CnnErsss wa
then legislating or at the time proposing
to legislate. and that the employment
was ended long before the company
was made subject 10 any special at
tentiOn in Congress, and longer still
before 1t was attacked IN the Federal
courts or proceeded against in any way
by the Federal Government.
Further, that the employment was
not 10 defend the company against
charges Of violation Of the laws OF Ohio
or tie United States. or the orders Of
any If the courts, but only 10 assist IN
so executing the orders Of the courts
and so reOrganiZinE as 10 conform TO all
laws. State and National. and TO fully
comply with all the orders OF the
court that had been against l.
Can See No Wrong.
If my statements in this behalf are
true. they make a complete defense
against Mr. Hearst's charges and all
deductions therefrom Of improper con-
duct. unles the ethics involved have
been radically changed from what they
have always heretofore been supposed
70 be.
From the beginning Of our Govern
ment Senators and Congressman who
were lawyers have been regarded as
free to continue the practice Of their
profession If they so desired during
their terms Of office. in so far as thew
might be able to do 50 without inter
fering with their public duties. and in
such practice free TO take any kind of
employment that was offered which did
not in any way conflict with their du-
ties as members Of Congress. Nobody
has ever before been criticised on such
account.
Could Not Foresee.
When I accepted the employment Of
the Standard OH Company in 1899 it
was not foreseen by me. and probs ply
not by anybody else, that Il would be
come the object Of Federal legislation
or Of Federal prosecution or action Of
any kind, and that employment ended
when the company decided to reorgan-
ize under the laws of New Jersey.
which was before anything Of that na-
ture occurred
That I was not in the employment
of the company after the services I
have mentioned were rendered, and
that such employment did not after
ward influence me to favor the COM
Bany in legislation, Is shown By the
part I took in the enactment of the FL
kins law. approved February 10. 1903.
Under this statute the Attorney Gen
eTal has brought and caused TO be
brought all the prosecutions against the
Standard OIL Company, Of which We
have read so much, including the case
in which Judge Lands imposed the
fine OF 500 24O, 600.
Helped Pass Bill.
Il was one of the subcommittee of
three, Senators Elkins and CIapp being
the other two members, who considered
that bill in the Interstate Commerce
Committee Of the Senate, and. after
making such amendments as. in our
judgment, made 1t more effective, re-
ported it favorably to the committee.
and then TO the Senate, where it. was
passed.
Under this Elkins law, for the first
time in interstate commerce legislation.
the shippers were made liable as VIC
latOrS Of law, and subjected to heavy
penalties for accepting or soliciting re-
bates or discrimination.
Until that time only the carriers
were liable for such offenses The buT'
was especially aimed at the large cor
porations, because they were supposed
by reason Of their large shipments, TO
be able to command and enforce re-
bates and determinations which could
not be secured by their weaker COM
petltOrs.
Put to the Test.
THAT statute has been put to the
severest test, and they have shown that
il is worth more in the regulation Of
interstate commerce than all the other
L