Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-12

III
ground for which he has attacked
Messrs Tawney. Smith and others i'll
the house, but one of personal malice
engendered by hatred because of my
course in the senate during the last
seven years.
Il have not attempted to deceive
anybody: I have not told any false
hoods; / have not broken any law; ]
have not been guilty of any immoral
conduct. | had the right to purchase
the land if / could but my judgement
told me it was unsafe as an invest
nent. l would like to get some of it
Vet and if the attorney general and
his successors shall not die of old age
before anything is done, it. may be
possible that ] may have the oppor-
tunity to purchase some of these TIM
Der lands of which he made mention
in his report. Through my action at
tention lTas been directed in a COM
polling way to the need of prompt ac-
ton by the department of justice.
Whether ever got any of the land or
not does not matter if Hartman and
tho others Of that ilk are made to dis
gorge the large holdings which they
have stolen and are attempting to
hold
Tho president said Mr.. Tilman
'italicises the words ''as we'll as my
self as though ii We're unlawful i'm
moral or improper for a senator to buy
land or to act in this chamber on any
question affecting his personal in
terest, fail to see any sense or reas-
or in this position but I must submit
that to the judgement of the senate
and the countrr ] had not become a
party to any litigation: I was not in
terestea exceptsas q private individual
wanting to purchase, and as a senator
desiring to enable others to have the
opportunity to do so. OF course the
president is sure that I have done
something very discreditable and out
| rageous. He hates me and would
destroy ME if he could,
The president gloats over the fact
| that my letter was written lust four
| days before he announced in the SEN
ate that he D had not undertaken to
buy any land in the west as clinching
! his contention that / have lied to the
senate. The records show that in the
| interim the Dorr circular had been
sent to me for on February 10 when
made the exposure of Dorr. l said in
the senate in the last day or two
have had my attention called to a
scheme of swindling, etc. 1t is easy
for those who are themselves vulner-
able to convict others on the most
seems to work on that theory.
"on reading DORIS circular the
1 whole scheme and combination OF
swindlers, Reeder and Watkins il
Marshfeld, and Dorr in Portland. &
]! did not know anything about Conre
and Schaefer) flashed on my mind an6
remembering Lees somewhat dubious
report as to The character and quail.
fications of the firm of Reader anG
/ Watkins / decided at once to see to il
that my name should not be used tt
| inveigle others into their game. Hence
my action in the senate.
Says President is Theatre.
The president dismisses with {
wave of the hand any possibility o.
my honesty by saying it is unneces
sarv to comment on his proposal made
in this letter to use his influence as {
senator to force the government t
| institute a suit which would make i
easy for him personally to obtain SONS
of the land 1t might be well to in
quire whether or not the attorne!
general has been ordered not to ODE.
which I will call the Tillman- Bona
parte law ordering suit to be institute
ed for the recovery of these lands. M,
suitability is of such magnitude il
contemplating the purchase of LA
acres of land at $3.50 an acre in tn
eyes OF this Strfckler for official reciti
tude--in others--that it may be foun
that he is determined to block my so
7 called nefariouS transactions.
:: "The man who announces TO con
gress that he, Theodore Roosevelt as
sumed the right to permit the stee
1 trust to absorb it's greatest rival con
trary to law, would doubtless not hes
; itate to help his dear friend Harrima1
in holding two million acres of TIL
public domain because. Ben Tillma
has contemplated and wanted to blu
I i 400 acres. The president havin
, convinced Tillman proceeded to clea
Dorr in both cases contrary to tn
} facts and smilingly stares from tn
center of the state which it is hi
greatest delight to occupy and com
, pacently looks to have the America
> people and the senate give their ap
: prevail to his verdict. ] await. tina
J verdict calmly and without fear an
p will gladly abide by it,