The Washington times., 1909-01-27
Roosevelt Takes Charge of
Papers in Tennessee Coal
and Iron Case.
STEPS IN WHEN
SMITH IS CALLED
Immune From Process Servers,
Executive Secretes Documents
Demanded By Senate.
By J. c. wELLIvER.


President Roosevelt has found one
more chance TO indicate to Congress
I the exact character Or his sentiments
| toward it, and he las made arrange
ments to give such a positive and uu-
mistakable indication that there viii bs
/ no error.
Congress is looking for information
about the absorption Of the Tennesses
/ Coal and Iron Company by the United
States Steel Corporation. It VIII not
get the information at least not from
+, the Bureau of Corporations, for the eX-
7 cellent reason that wnen the President
found out that demand was 20 be made
| for il, he sent Tor an the papers ia the
matter and took personal possession OF
them
/ 1t had been discovered that a sub.
committee Of the Judiciary Committee
/ Of the Senate was getting ready 10 IS
sue process, sUmmOuiug Herbert
4 Knox Smith. Commissioner OF Corpora
tions. 70 come and bring books and
papers. The President is one officer
/ wlf0ssn't subject to processes. Nobody
/ can come around with subpoenas or
/ papers and make him pay any attcn-
tion. Papers in his personal possession
are immune
In SaTe Place HOW,
So the President sent for the paperS<
in possession of Commissioner Smith.
+ and now has them-it isn't any diher-
+ ence exactly where-but in a safe place
/ where nobody with q summons OK 4
/ search warrant is sotns to get away
with them.
I IT all gEsH out<Cf the Cuiberson resO-
luton wanting to know about the Ten
nessee Coal and Iron stffaiF. Early in
the session a good deal of protest was
started on the Democratic side Of the
chamber with no insignificant echo on
! the Republican side, aboutthe absorption
/ Of the Tennessee company by the steel
/ Corporation At length senator Cu1ber-
! son introduced a resolution directing
/ the Committee Of Judiciary TO investi-
+ gate and determine whether IL its
/ opinion, there haG been any violation
/ of law in permitting The consolidation.
/ The charge had been freely made that
/ the President expressly consented TO
/ the deal.
! The Senate passed the resolution with
/ comparatively little opposition, and the
/ judiciary Committee SAT on tne natter
Committee Is Busy.
/ The result was that subcommittee
/ headed By Senator Clark Of Wyoming
/ was put on the matter, 10 conduct the
/ investigation
This subcommittee was reminded tEat
/ the Bureau of Corporations conducted,
/ two or three years ago. a very detailed
! investigation of the iron and steel busi-
! ness. Incident Il. that investigation, it
7 is well known. the Steel Corporation
! furnished the bur1au great amount of
/ information concerning its business AZ
[ fairs and arrangements. iltercOrpOr7te
/ arrangements, properties owned. etc
/ The Steel Corporation provided this vol
unfairly. as did one other big trust
4 the Harvester company Iaese concerns
/ came forward with OH the information
/ asked Of them. The Government. under
/ the law creating the Bureau OF Corpora
/ tiOns. had no power 10 compel this IN
/ formation to be furnished So i'm order
/ to get il, agreement was made thaC
/ these communications should be regard
/ ed as confidential and should not pe
/ published or otherwise used 10 the busl-
I ness disadvantage OF the steel company.
Will Keep Promise.
These conditions having been made,
the President proposes that they slall
not be violated He is just as much de-
terIuiued to keep faith with the steel
trust as with anybody else. When he
/ heard that the Judiciary Committee
was considering the issuance of a pro-
cess which might bring the whole mat
/ ter before it, hc promptly took the step
which has been described. He sent for
the entire mass OF these confidential
and private reports and communica~
tions, and now has them stacked up
/ somewhere with a big stick lying handy
for use IN case OF effort to dlspossess
him
The affair is expected to be made he
/ on the President Tor usurpdtiOu or
/ authority. The President as usual ism
at all concerned about these attacks
! either. He IS willing TO be- attacked.
/ and prepared TO defend himself. He
/ calculates that the real trouble is with
/ the law under which the Information
twas secured.
What President Thinks
Speaking TO a Senator about the mat
ter the President said i'm substance.
when Congress passed this Bureau
/ of Corporations law it didn't give me all
| I wanted. [ wanted a law under which
/ we should have power 20 call on corpor-
/ ations for information about their af-
/ fairs, and 10 enforce the demand il nee
| essary. Congress didn't give that sort
/ of law, and as a result, We have been
left In such position that We must ask
/ Information instead of demand IT, TIA
this case the corporation was willing
| 70 provide very complete Information.
! provided we would agree not TO make
! such use of il as would place the cor
pOratlOu at Disadvantage TO this We
| were compelled to agree and haViLs-
agreed 10 it, we are going 20 keep the
promise"
| The Presidents action has been the
| subject. naturally, of good deal OF
| comment in inner Senatorial circles
| which have been apprised of IL. bur
il is regarded as very doubtful whether
anything can be done effectively 10
dispute the Presidents position IN the
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