The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-11
TILLMAN MAKES A STINGLNG
REPLY TO ACCUSATIONS
OF THE PRESIDENT
Says Attack of Chief Executive Prompted by Malice and Revenge and
Tells What Gave His Assaan Opportunity to Make the False Charges
Senate Chamber Crowded With Those Eager Hear THman

Watkins Of Marshfeld, Ore, Mr.. Till.
man said:
TT Will be noted that | accused
Dorr IN the senate of being swind-
Ter, and asked the postoff1ce depart
ment to issue fraud order against
him. Dorr declared In his circula:
SO sure Is Senator Tillman Of our sue
cess that he has subscribed and paid
the necessary fees for a quarter Sec
tion for himself and ten other sections
for ten OF his nearest relatives II
was this bold and outrageous false
hood mainly that caused me to de-
nounce Dorr as a swindler as well as
to declare In the senate that he ha (,
no warrant for the assertion. Tho
s!euths, whom the President put upon
INV trail have made their report, and
a Perusal of II Will show to any fair-
minded porson that, SO far from er-
deavoring TO justify the fraud
order against Dorr. they were
really put 10 work to investigate me,
and endeavor, II possible, to discover
something to my discredit, while the
President directed the investigation.
! say this because 1t Is hardly possible
that postofice inspector would set
about getting Photographic copies Of
the letters OF a United States senator
and trying to convict him OF lying If
the orders did not come from a high
source.
Let us suppose for a moment that
/ was guilty OF a falSehood In declar-
ing that 1 had not undertaken to pur-
chase any land. What did that have
to do with DORIS transparent and
open use Of the mails to induce men to
send him money 10 purchase land?
DORIS declaration that had paid tho
fees is an absolute falsehood, and the
postofIice inspectors, while they
searched the records for entries at
Coquille, noted that Reeder and Wat
lins had filed several hundred appli-
cations, but nowhere mentioned thai
any had been fled in my name or for
me. Therefore, the falsehood is
proved on Dorr and yet the President
declared the assault which Senator
Tillman made on Mt. Dorr was, accord
ing to report of the inspector, wanton
assault made to cover up Senator TILL
mans own transactions.
No such statement was made by the
inspector. In fact, so earnestly intent
on convicting Senator Tillman is the
President, he actually committed nim-
self TO this proposition, TO wit:
"Tillman, voluntarily and without
any compulsion from any source and
with nothing to conceal, brought up
matter in the senate, which he need
not have done. TO cover up transac-
tions which were absolutely unknown
to anyone except himself and his cor
respondents, Reeder and, Watkins and
were entirely honorable and clean.
Much exposure closed on the swind.
lers. Dorr. when his mall was not de-
| livered, retired from the land business
and became fruit grower as reported
by the inspectors. The swindlers had
secured good many thousands OF dol
lars before the exposure in the senate
stopped people from being duped, and
yet Theodore Roosevelt who poses as
, the only remaining honest man in pub
lie life, in the face of these facts, has
felt called upon 10 attack the charac-
ter of a man whose integrity has new
er before been questioned. and whose
official position is second only TO his
own.
laration, for the inspectors nowhere
say any such thing as above quoted,
which can be proven by an examlna-
tlon Of their report
Now. about the lying: My letter of
February Is. OF which the Presiden,
has secured Photographic copy, ante
dated by four days my statement In
the senate that | had not bought any
land or undertaken TO buy an and the
President considers this positive proof
OF falsehood i did not say | had not
considered the purchase OF land: did
not say had not contemplated the
purchase Of land, because i had done
both
I'm my conversation with the attor-
ney general In regard TO tne resou-
ton which ] introduced, and which he
himself prepared after We had talked
over the whole land situation. ! dis
unctly remember telling him that my
interest In the matters had been first
aroused by my desire to purchase some
OF the timber land and that my coming
10 him was due TO the fact that dis
covered, upon investigation, that
could not buy II through any agency
whatsoever, that i could not buy IL
even by lawsuit. because | was ad-
yised by very able lawyers In the
West. among them the Hon. George
Turner OF Washington. that In attack
Ing the holders OF those land grants no
one would have any standing In court
except the grantor, the government It,
self. was perhaps disingenuous. but
a moments thought will convince any
honest-mincd man that as / had not
signed any papers, had not paid any
money. had taken nobody's receipt.
th5 usual processes by which one un-
dertakes TO buy land, was speaking
accurately and not falsely. Every
thing hinges on the meaning of the
word undertakes and my use Of it.
Did mean 70 conceal the fact that I
was anxious 10 buy some Of the land?
Not at all. Did / mean to attack Dorr
as a swlndler wnen ! myself was en-
gagged In dishonest and dishonorable
transaction: That is what the Presi-
dent would have people believe Can
/ bo Justly charged with falschood
when II had told the senate OF the
entire transaction II would haze made