Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-12
Continued from Page One).


reason Of these suits shall the fact
that l was endeavoring to buy little
pittance of the land be used as the
basis of a charge of being liar and
corrupt Senator to be disgraced?'
Senator Tillman then told how his
attention had been brought to this land
while at Spokane, Washington, IN
october. 1907. He wrote to Reeder and
Watkins asking for information and
telling them of his desire to purchase
some of the land If possible. Desiring
to find out if the conditions of the
grant to the state of oregon maze II
posible for purchases and not "ac-
t1aI settlers" to buy at $50 per acre,
he wired to the librarian Of the Senate
for a copy Of the act He net air.
Lee ut Moscow, Idaho, and talked with
him on the subject. arranging that ne
; would go to Marshfield and lnVest-
/ gate in person. He authorized Lee 70
draw on him if he found that the iandS
were " hat they were represented TO be
+ Lees authority as my agent never
1 went beyond an examination OF lNe
! land and, if the application was fi,'d
to see that I got good tlnoered iahoS
! instead of rocks and marshes.
H.. went into detail in explaining his
4 effort to learn the exact status or the
lands and got an opinion from Senator
| Turner of Washington. After re-
! turning to Washington. d. G., in Dc
I. cember he let the matter drop, he be-
Loving it to he very doubt1oi
4 proposition until Mr.. Lee showed MN
1 q letter from Feeder &, Watkins which
Mr. Gilman said had been stolen from
the desk in his committee room along
with other papers in this case and de-
c!are1 that the theft was probably by
/ some of the Secret Service slcuths.
|, When Reeder & Watkins he said,
! indicated their desire that | should exert
! letter of Feb. 10, Of which the Pfe5l-
/ dent obtained Photographic copy In the
! meantime, and before that letter was
I written, from my Investigations ana az
4 ter a conference with the attorney gem
: eral, | introduced the two resolutions OF
! Jan. 81, one calling on the attornry
i general for information ana the otl-
7 er. which became q law. instructlng nm
I to institute suits. Ny official activity IS
T shown to have taken form in the senate
i before | knew anything about Reedef anu
1 Watkins attitude on expectations, and !
i was in no way influenced by them.
II was stil anxions to 6 OBTAIN 1es seine
I and wrote Reeder e. Watkins to that ef-
! feet. but my faith in them, and in ire
|; whole scheme, died when / received the
i circulars of Dorr which came to me
+ on Feb. II and IS from three differ,
/ ent directions showing the wide spread
Z circulation of them. ~,
!. Mr.. Lees report to him. he sad; nag
t,also led him to believe that Reeder d
" Watkins were not "of the calibre and
|, character to be employed in matter 81
J, DOR Of whom I had never heard be-
! fore" he said was evidently pushing his
}, scheme of getting suckers to invest ana 9
i without authority: because l had not paid
/ any fees to him or written to nm or
= filed any applications. | therefore feit II
in the Senate which / did on Feb.
10 and asked the postoftice authorities
to issue fraud order ! pressed the pas
sage of the Joint resolution in the Sentfe
and on April 80, II became a lazy: March
Is. was taken i'll and on May 16 after a
partial recuperation 1 sailed for Europe;
returning October 2l.
..,rhc Presidents sleuths, set to do the
dirty work of spying on a Senator, when
that Senator had exposed fraud, which
was being perpetrated1 on the po a6 notS-
| ing to do with the change in the law 81
!. which the President complains IN regard
( to the Secret Service. So the President
anmus is not against me on the, same
ground for which he attacked Messrs.
Tawney. Smith and others in the H"uSH,
! but one of personal malice engenuereu oS
| hatred because of ny course in the SEN
ate during the last seven years
. tod to a.
u nave mo' att', taId an, 10 fnlsehoods:
BODY nave hot tnlu I 1. hnI,a moi
, nave nov piuken "'f ,,,'or.al conduct /
beeh Sulty -. f"n rntasa Tho land if I
4 nave the tlsnt 70 p '', to11 mo if was
cou!u: w. ti,S ;;m,.ostn,ant ! would like
uisale a. ~ ~ ~ ~ ,ot and If fine attorney
10 W So SUI, m, lie e;,cceseors shall not die
Ec"eI5' an" 49,, ,,,9 onvthiny is done. it
Oh oti AK Not MAJ. have the or
! may pt po5s,'' ,, rr, some Of those
H; ~. tn,.i, I1s ~ which he made mention
inner 3i in,,. n, VI ,rhrorub my action at
IN , i,ln t, hoo, dirccted in n compelling
ra,. 80 Nc mood Of nroupt action by the
way -. nf iue,ire Whether 7 ever
w ~. &c Ma Lard or moi does not mat
x. az" i.S ~ ana others of that
H. No ,,raha to disrorce the large hold
i ins al u,binh tbev have stolen and are
~ nt;nr To- mold
: ..,rna ''I presi,Iant said MI Tilln7an.
,,',;nizos thr words AS we'll as myself
.,' thomgb If were unlawful. immoral and
i,S for = senator 10 buy any land
~ 80 ~ In tbis chamber on any question
u, e, =" ~, ~ Iii. nersonal interest fail
-. eco INV, sense of reason in this position
h,t must submit that to the judsmon,
of the Senate and the countlT. haa
not become party to any litigation; l
was not interested except as a private
, individual wanting to purchase, and as
a senator desiring to enable others 70
have the opportunity to do so. OF course.
the President is sure that | nave zone
, ,,li f.,I, and