Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-01-08
Y MORNING, JANUARY s, 19O9-TEN PAGES
SENATOR TILLMAN SHADOWED
Secret Service Men Look Into His
Connection with Land Deals.
EVIDENCE GOES TO SENATE
IL H. Now I'm Hands of COmmittee
ON ApprOpriatIons-SOu Caro-
Iinian Denies Any wrong
doing.

President Roosevelt secret service men
shadowed Senator Tillman of South Caro-
lima, on the theory that he possibly was
interested in an Oregon land grab" and
the result of that investigation is before
the senate. The information was contained
In a communication from President Roose-
welt in response to request made by Sena-
tor Hale for a statement of the activities
of secret service operatives. Exhaustive
replies were made by the various depart
ments and all these we're forwarded to
Senator Hale by the president, They have
not been made public and Senator Hale an
nounced that they would not be given out
until they had been considered by a sub
committee on appropriations. which will be
charged with the duty of acting on that
part OF the presidents annual message re-
latlng to the secret service and criticising
congressman for restricting it's use.
Soon after President Roosevelt's com
munication to Mr.. Hale was received at the
capital, it was said it contained a reflec-
ton on a senator from southern state.
The name of the senator was not divulged
for time and as a result the senate was
surcharged with curiosity and much specu-
lation When it finally became known that
Senator Tillman was the member named,
further efforts to procure information con-
cerning the character Of the charges were
made, but they were without avail
Origin of Charges.
Through the fact that several senators
had advance information of the character
of the report. II was learned that the in
vestigation Of Senator Tillman followed an
attack he made in the senate nearly a year
ago on an oregon land company, which
had used his name one of the persons
interested in the concern. Previous to that
attack Senator Tillman had introduced a
| resolution directing the attorney general
to prosecute suits against an Oregon rail-
road corporation, which had received land
grants for line from a California point to
Portland, Ore. Mr.. Tillman had said the
use of his name was without authority, and
as a result 1t is declared that several per-
sons interested in the land grants became
| angered.
Letters from Mr.. Til1man.
! Some of the interested parties are re-
ported to have sent to President Roosevelt
| copies of letters alleged to have been
| written by Senator Tillman, alleging that
| he had either an interest in one OF the
| land companies or would be benefited
| through land companies obtaining possess
| sion OF the grants I'm question. After re-
ceiving this Information, It is said, the
! president directed secret service opera
tive to investigate the part Senator Tillnlan
was alleged to have in the land cases.
/ rhe report is understood to contain an
account OF the investigation. 1t Is known
that the secret service prepared photo
graphic copies OF Senator Humans corre-
| spondence, but whether these exhibits were
sent to Senator Hale is not known.
| Senator Tillman was not aware Of the
! fact that his name figured in the reports
until late in the day. He then assured
himself that the reports were well founded,
but said he would not make any statement
until the fact Of the use of his name had
been officially promulgated, when he would
discuss the matter In the senate. 1t is
known, however that Mr. TiIlmsn regards
the mention of his name as an attack on
himself by the president and he has indi-
Gated to friends that he win not mince
matters in his reply. He also has declared
to those with whom he oonversed that he
would welcome the opportunity to express
his views and explain the situation. sena-
tor Hale probably will lay the entire matter
before the committee on appropriations
and in that event It is probable Mr.. Till
man will be heard on Monday.
On February ~, 1908, Senator Tillman
rose in the senate to a question of personal
privilege and said that his attention had
been called to scheme of swindling, in
which his name had been used rather un-
pleasantly and without the slightest war
rant The senator held In his hand a
circular headed: How to make 5000 out
of 500"
This circular called attention to certain
land grants In Oregon and to the activity
of Senator Tillman in having the senate
investigate them. II stated that Senator
Tillman takes eleven quarters and that
the lawsuits to be instituted in order to
recover these lands wero promised to he
pressed with great vigor because Senator
Tillman was behind them.
Commenting on this situation Senator
Tillman at that time said:
"As a matter OF fact have not bought
any lands anywhere in the west, nor
undertaken to buy any. I have made some
inquiries. as one naturally would, In roam
ing through the west. I simply want the
people of the country TO be put on notice
that this swindler at Portland has no war
rant whatever for endeavoring TO inveigIe
others into his game
Senator Tiiiman said here that he had
asked the Postoffice department 10 take
cognizance Of the circular. In the debate
that followed an order to print the cir
cular in the Congressional Record it was
brought out that the name OF the COM
pany issuing the circular was THE St
Paul and Pacific Timber Syndicate, 52S
Chamber OF Commerce building. Portland
: Ore"
Senator Fulton said he had read the
circular and that the scheme very evi-
; IDENTIFY is "for the company issuing the
circular TO accumulate a vast sum OF
money by dupes throughout the country
sending L to them"