Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-11
Senator TiI|man's Defense
to Charges of President

Arising to a question of personal privi-
lege Senator Tillman began his defense
as follows:
For the first time in the history of
this government. as far as l have been
able to learn, a member of this body has
been brought to the bar of public opinion
before the Senate itself. to be judged
under indictment by no less person than
the President of the United States The
manner of the doing of 1t and the animus
and zeal displayed by the chief executive
are worthy of consideration.
1.-The papers in the case were sent to
Senator Hale as acting chairman Of the
committee on appropriations late on Tues
day last l had no intimation in regard
to it until after the Senate met on Thurs
day. BY that time the air was thick with
rumors, evidently coming from the White
House. direct or indirectly, that south
ern senator was in the tolls of the secret
service. and soon it was understood that
Senator Tillman was the man.
He then told how the papers In the case
against him were made public by the
President before they had been examined
by the Senate appropriations committee.
which, he said. was a gross breach of
propriety. He mentioned his belief that
the President is the best advertiser in the
land. and for that reason had rushed into
print first. and furthermore. explained
Mr.. Tillman, the President wanted to
throw the action of the House of the day
before. in laying a portion of his annual
message on the table. into the shade.
Epitome of Accusations.
AN examination of the Presidents let
ter to Mr.. Hale he continued, (which
might just as well have been special
message Of the type with which we are
so familiar. will show that the Presidents
charges, boiled down, amount to two in
number:
First he promotes me to membership
in the 'Ananias Club and charges, in
effect. that l have deliberately lied to the
Senate.
Second he charges that have exerted
my official influence and worked as a
Senator for my personal benefit alone to
secure the passage of resolution and to
press the Department of Justice to bring
suit against the corporations which hold
much of the public domain in the
west and will not sell it to settlers
under the terms of their grants from the
government.
He has prepared his indictment with
consummate ability and skill. He is even
cunning in the apparently innocent pre-
tense that In making search through
the secret service for one kind of male
factor he had run down another and the
case Of that one OF such serious impor-
lance that his sense of official obligation
compelled him to prompt action. Mark
you, he has been in the possession of all
the facts in this case since July last. and
men will be curious to know why. if his
zeal was honest, he. did not make them
known then.
.'The President announced in his special
message TO the House on January 4:
~ have made no charges of COR
ruption against Congress nor against
nreSanf
! had proof of such corruption affect
ing any member of the House in any
matter as to which the federal gov
eminent has jurisdiction. action would
at once be brought.
This would simply be doing my
duty In the execution and enforcement
of the laws without respect to per-
sons. But l do not regard 1t as within
the province or the duties of the
President to report TO the House
alleged delinauencies' of members,
or the supposed corrupt action of
a member in his official capacity
No Case for the Courts.
1t therefore follows that he has found
no grounds for indicting me in the courts,
which, no doubt, would have rejoiced
him overmuch, and all this fuss. fury and
fustian about the seriousness of the case
he charges me can be attributed to per-
Sonal malice alone.
ION January the President declared
what he conceived to be his relationship
to the House and that he would not do
certain things On January 5 he wrote
letter to Senator Hale. doing the very
thing in regard to a senator which he
had declined TO do toward member of
the House. Why this difference?
I'm my public work here I have not
hesitated to criticise and comment on the
official actions and utterances of Pres,
dent Roosevelt. and l have doubtless
given him good cause to- seek revenge.
I have at various times arraigned him in
the Senate for tyrannical invasion of the
rights of Congress. for usurpation of au-
thority not given him by the COnstitu-
ton, for disobedience of the law and
neglect of duty. and particularly in the
case Of Mrs. Morris for brutal and cruel
conduct toward helpless woman.
Il was not aware that these darts of
mine had quivered in the executive hide