Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-01-08
Suspected Him Of Be-.
ing Concerned in Land
!. III Grabbing Scheme
s'elale ] I A. A Toll n u Over
This News AM, ,Tilllnlal
Will Speut

Washington, D.. c., Jan. by di-
rection of President Roosevelt secret
service men shadowed Senator Tillman
of South Carolina, on the theory that
he possibly was interested in an Ore
gon land grab," and the result Of that
investigation is now before the senate
The information was contained in
communication from the president sent
in response to request made by SEN
ator Hale to the heads of the executive
departments for statement of the ac-
tivity of secret service operatives. 4
Exhaustive replies were made by the
various departments and all of these
were forwarded to Senator Hale by the
president. They have not been made
public and Senator Hale announced that
they would not be given out until after
they had been considered. -
A Subcommittee OF the committee OH
appropriations which will be charged
with the duty of acting upon that por
ton of the presidents annual message
relating to the secret service and criti-
cising members of the congress for their.
restriction of its use.
Soon after President Roosevelt's
communication to Senator Hale was re-
ceived at the capitol yesterday it be-
came noised about that it contained
reflection upon senator from south
ern state. The name of the senator in
question was not divulged for a time
and as result the atmosphere of the
senate was surcharged with curiosity
and much speculation. Wen it finally
became known that Senator Tillman
was the member named, further efforts
to procure information concerning the
character of the charges we're made, but
they were without avail
Through the fact that several SEN
ators had advance information of the
character of the report which was to
be sent to til esenate it was learned
that the investigation of Senator Till
man followed an attack which he made
in the senate nearly year ago upon
an Oregon land company which used
his name as one of the persons inter-
ested in the concern.
To that attack Senator Tillman had
introduced a resolution directing the at
torney general to prosecute suits against
the Oregon railroad corporation which
had received land grants in the late six
ties for line from a California point
to Portland, Oregon. Mr. Tillman had
said that the use of his name was with-
out authority and as a result, it is de-
clared, that several persons interested i'll
the land grants became angered.
Some of the interested parties are re.
ported to have sent to President Roose-
welt copies of letters alleged to have
been written by Senator Tillman in
dicating that he had an interest in one
of the land companies which would be
benefited through the land companies
obtaining possession of the grants in
question.
After receiving this information it
was said secret service operative was
directed to investigate the part Senator
Tillman was alleged to have taken in
the land cases.
The report sent to the senate is un-
derstood to contain an account of the
investigation of Senator Tillman. 1t is
know,, that the secret service prepared
copies of Senator TIE
mans correspondence, but whether
thhee exhibits were sent to Senator
Hale is not known. Il, 2$1 $ss Ess
Senator Tillman was not aware Of the
fact that his name figured in the reports \
until late in the day. He then hook
pains TO assure himself that the reports
concerning the mention of himself were
well founded but he refused To COM
rnent npon the fact further than 10 say
thar he would not make any statement
until the fact Of the use Of his I,an,e
had been officially promnlg gated when
Ne would address himself 10 the s,sb-
jed from HIS seat IN the seaste
c16tiass1 q 80 41