Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1909-01-14

WY, II LIS Acdl was nOncSC, ne QlQ not
make them known then.n
AS to the Oregon land affair the
Senator says: "It will be noted that
I accused Dorr in the Senate Of being
swindler, and asked the Posto1fce
Department to issue fraud order
against him.. Dorr declared in his
circular: So sure is Senator Tillman
of our success that he has subscribed
and paid the necessary fees for a.
quarter section for himself and ten
other quarter section for ten Of his
nearest relatives DORIS declaration
that I had paid the fees is an abso-
lutte falsehoed and the postofice IN
spectors, while they searched the re-
cords for entries at Coquille and not
ed that Reeder & Watkins had fled
several hundred applications no
where mentioned that any had been
filed in my name or for me. There
fore, the falsehood is proven on Dorr,
and yet the President declared tthe
assault which Senator Tillman made
upon Mr.. Dorr was, according to the
report of the Inspector, waAton as
sault made to cover up Senator Till
mans own transactions.
"Now about the lying: Ny letter
Of February 18th, Of which the Presi-
dent secured a Photographic copy,
antedates by four days my statement
in the Senate that / had not bought
any land or undertaken to buy any,.
and the President considers this posi-
tive proof Of falsel,cod. / did not say
| had not considered the purchase CT
land; did not say had not con-.
templated the purchase of land, be-
cause I had done both. In my con-
versation with the Attorney General
in regard to the resolution which,
introduced, and which he himself pre-.
pared after we had talked over the
whole situation, distinctly remember
telling him that my interest in The
matter had been first aroused by my
desire to purchase some Of the timber
land and that my coming to him was
due to the fact that I discovered, up
on investigation, that could not buy
it, through any agency whatsoever; !;
that [ tould not buy it even by law
suit, because I was advised by very
able lawyers in the West, among them
the Hon. George Turner, Of Washing
ton, that in attacking the holders Of
those land grants no one would have
any standing In court except the
grantor, the government itself. I was
perhaps dlsingenuous, but moment s
thought will convince any honest
minded man that as I had not signed
any papers, had not paid any money,
had taken nobody's receipt, the usual
processes by which one undertakes
to buy land; I was speaking accurate
ly and not falsely. Everything hinges
on the meaning Of the word under
taken ami 9ufy use Of it. Did l mean
to conceII the fact that I was anxious
to buy some of the land? Not at all
Did I mean to attack Dorr as swim
dler when / myself was engaged in q
dishonest and dishonorable transac-
ton? That is what the President
would have people believe. Can I be
justly charged with falsehood when II
| I had told the Senate Of the entire
transaction it would have made nc
difference whatever while I WOULD
have been charged with intruding my
private affairs into a public discus.
sion? Just what law did / break
| What wrong did I do or contemplate
I never expected, and could not un
der the terms Of the law, as I con
strued it, get more than seven quar-
ter sections for myself and family
one for nay private secretary and on'
for Mr.. Lee, making nine in all. This
in the aggregate, would mean that ).
would obtain through my activit,
here, as the President IS charge is
nine quarter sections, Of LAO acres
at cost of $4,000. Will the Presi
dent undertake to say that have los
my right to buy land because I am ;
Senator? Can the President den.
that my activity secured the passag
J Of the resolution instructing the At
: torney General to bring suit for tn
: recovery of this land for the use o
! actual settlers? If Hartman an
: others like him are made TO disgorg
by reason of these suits shall the fac
that I was endeavoring to buy Ittl
pittance Of the land be used as tn
! basis of a charge Of being a liar an
:, corrupt Senator to be disgraced 2,
, After relating long drawn on
= consideration Of certain men connect
= ed with the situation through whic
I he abandoned the hope Of obtainin
+ The land he said:
4 .sDorr, Of whom I had never hear
X before,'' he said, twas evidentl
f pushing his scheme Of getting sucker