Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-10
ROOSEVELT HAS
COLD, DULL DAY
ALONE AT DESK
C0NGRESSMEN AND SENATORS
CEASE TO VISIT HIM
TILLMAN'S DESK OPENED AND
LAND PAPERS TAKEN
Senator Says President Will Be "Hoist
by His Own Petard"-Detective
Bills of Executive Ordered
Probed
[By Associated Press.J

NV ASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-That the
wv house does not intend to flop
with it's action of yesterday in
febuklng the president, in connection
with his structures regarding the secret
service, was evidenced today when at
the instance of Mr.. Tawney of Mime
sofa and without a dissenting vote, it
adopted sweeping resolution of in
qulry into the amount Of moneys ap-
proprlated for the present fiscal year
for detecting frauds and the effort
made to bring to trial offenders of the
law
The resolution called for an appoint
ment OF a committee of five members
to conduct the investigation and to
send for persons and papers and to
administer oaths.
| The sum of $4,000 was appropriated.
1t is understood there will be nothing
further from the president on the mat
ter OF the detective resolution adopted
by the house yesterday.
The list of Saturday callers from
congress usually is large, but today
there were only four representatives
to see the president, two of these to
introduce friends
Senators Also Keep Away
The callers from the senate also were
few.
After providing that the committee
Snail ascertain the amount of money
appropriated for the present fiscal
year that could be used to prevent
frauds upon the several branches IF
the public service with particular ref
erence to the public lands the resolu-
tlOn lnStructS the committee to ascer-
tam what branches Of the public serv-
Ice paid for in whole or in part out of
the united States treasury are author
lHed or are In existence and supported
by appropriations made by compress,
whose principal duties are to detect
and prevent frauds or to apprehend
and bring to trial and punishment per-
sons charged with violating the laws
OF the United States; whether such
branches of the public service or any
persons employed therein have been or
are engaged in any duty not cOntem-
plated by the law or by the appropria-
ton establishing or providing for such
! service; the names of the persons en-
plOyed for any period in each branch
of such service during the current and
last fiscal year, the rates of cOmpen-
sation and allowances paid or being
paid to each of them. by whom they
were appointed and on whose recon-
mendat1On. and statement of the
specific duty performed or engaged
upon by each of such employees, each
day since the beginning Of the fiscal
year 1908"
Papers Taken from Desk
In the preparation of his report in
reply to the presidents charges, Sen
ator Tillman has failed to find num-
Der of papers bearing upon the Oregon
land cases, in connection with which
the present controversy arose.
These papers were incIosed in a
Il 'ge envelope and left in his private
desk in his committee room at the
C. DitOl when he left Washington last
March, on account of his illness, but
they cannot now be found
The senator does not charge that the
papers have been abstracted by a gov
ernment detective who may have been
shadOWing him, but does say that it
would be possible for such an official
to gain access to his room and to his
dask, both of which were fastened with
only ordinary locks, and the papers,
he says, are very important in the
preparation of his case and would go
far to substantiate his defense.
Notwithstanding the loss, Mr.. Till
man expresses confidence in his abil-
ity to make satisfactory reply to the
president.
"Hoist by His Own Petard"
HE will be hoist by his own pc
tard," declared TiIlman.
Senator Tillman is affording an il
lustration of the old adage that "Trou-
BILE never comes singly.'
the Oregon lands, Postmaster Barnes of
Washington is trying to collect from
him bill of $16 for carrying through
the mails a government typewriter
which the senator had franked from
his home in South Carolina to Wash
ington
Mr.. Barnes insists the senator should
pay postage in letter rates.
The poStmaster's notification to Mr.
Tillman was contained in a letter in
which he said:
"Inasmuch as a matter of this char
acter is not entitled to transmission
through the mail under frank provis-
ions it is being held for the postage
The box weighs fifty pounds, and as it
is sealed it is chargeable with postage
at the first class rate, which amounts
to $16
Kindly remit the amount due and
have the package removed at your ear
liest convenience"
Is Government Property
AS the typewriter is government
property Senator Tillman replied to Mr.
Barnes by saying in effect that he col
lect from its owner.
Following is the full text of his letter:
II have your letter notifying me that
the typewriter mailed at Trenton, S. c.,
under my frank and addressed to me
here, is held for postage.
| During my service in the senate
typewriters have been franked to and
from the same place as public docu-
ments, and L was not aware Of any law
or ruling on the subject.
''The typewriter belongs to the senate
and not to me, and has been used in
my public correspondence.
/ Under the circumstances I decline
to pay the SIG demanded because it is
not justly mine.
''You may sell the typewriter or de-
| liver it to the sergeant-at-armS of the
senate, as you see fit.
Had known that it was not frank
able could have shipped 1t by express
or freight, but in this case it would be
one department of the government
sending the property of another part Of
| the government for the collection of
| postage on matter that has always
| been franked heretofore"
/ Senator Tillnan devoted the entire
| Continued on Page Two)