The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-10
TILLMAN TO REPLY
TO ROOSEVELT
IN SENATE
MiScOhstructiOn Of a Single
Word Key to Charges
PLEA MADE FOR HIM BY HALE
Maine Senator Asked President to
Withdraw Charges Because Of
Tillman's M Health.

Washington, Jan. 11.-There is live
ly interest in Washington in the ex-
PLANTATION and defense of his action
concerning oregon timber lands,
, which Senator Tillman is announced
to make in the Senate this afternoon.
| Tillman has appeared in the Senate
many times i'm the role of the accuser
| of the president and he has delivered
a number OF scOrching speeches about
| Mr. Roosevelt This is the first time
| he has ever appeared to defend him
self from a direct personal attack by
| the president That lends a novelty
| to the situation which promises to
crowd the Senate galleries even more
than his sensational excavations of
the president
Speculation as to the nature OF the
explanation he will offer takes wide
range. He has not been inclined to
talk about the matter, although he did
defend himself to his friends on one
point. This was the feature OF the
disclosure most deplored by his col
leagues, the appearance of an effort
to hide the fact that he had asked
Deeder and Watkins to reserve nine
quarter sections of land for him.
In his statement in February last
the Senator said that he had not
bought any western land nor had he
= undertaken TO buy any.
The evidence submitted by the pres
, ident showed that prior TO this state
4 ment Mr.. Tillman had made his appli
! cation. Defending himself agains
/. the appearance of having made mis-
leading statement, Senator TillmaI
p told his friends today that he SHOULD
. have said on the floor that he had no
contracted to buy any land and tina
e the whole case against him had bee
. built upon the Interpretation place
q upon the word undertaken" which h
n had meant to use in that strict sens'
II was rumored at the Capitol toda
=, that the president had told a frien'
10 who repeated the remark, that an e
"A fort was made by Senators Hale an
~ Aldrich to suppress the facts abo'
a. Senator Tillman Undoubtedly tn
le impression was gained at the Viii
&c House by a visit TO the president
~ Senator Hale who suggested that q
% matter relating to Mr.. Tillman shou
Is be withdrawn
| II IL 6uiu AiAAA AllN lhhAhN oNA'NNA "
~ not base the request upon the groul
as that il was not properly a replyto q
ha demand for information about the
de cret service, although many senate
III hold to that opinion but because
.no the fact that Senator Tillman is
.er poor health and the charge was like
to rouse him to pitch OF exciteme
ba | dangerous to his life.
iso President Roosevelt declined
~ withdraw the reference, and VIII
~ Senator Hale would not make it pl
nn lie. decided to do so himself
ID AS il has been stated, 1t is har'
IA likely that the subcommittee of
an senate on appropriations will consi'
the charges against Tillman exc
oro as part of the general subject. If
',r,t investigation of Tillman's connect
"a | with the Oregon land deals is ma
ON which is improbable now it will
40 undertaken by a special committ6
nv, Meantime the slow-moving dep
har ment of justice is getting at the W
~ II was directed to undertake by
.,na Joint resolution which Tillman tini
ave succeeded in having passed. 1t
- nraparing to recover for the gov'
non | meut the OOOS nay NdhSy ioiiuo
PIT PIT which lies the cloud that the st. /
: ~ and Pacific Timber Syndicate sou
CO to dispel and in which Reeder
80 Watkins interested Tillman
bad It was pointed out by one Sci
"ii. lawyer that Tillman in his orig
the disclaimer had missed one p
VI" which If he had seen it, would
,,os made perfect defense for him. 1
IT, IT, is if the suits against the Soutl
tbe Oregon company by the departn
omd of justice should be successful the
one suit would not be to throw the Ian
"a 70 question open to individual pure
. he in 160-acre lots at $3.50 an acre,
been to bring it back into the contrc
ould the government for such dispos
The as Congress might then provide.
that In that event neither Tillman
are any other of the applicants thr
beue Reeder G. Watkins would succee
obtaining an acre of the timber
in the manner they thought
would
ICE II Tillman had seen this point
Senate lawyer pointed out 1t v
have enable him when he made
'one' personal explanation in the 81