The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-12

authorized Lee to draw on him if he found the lands were what they were rep- resented to be.
 Lees authority as my agent" he said,
 never went beyond an examination of the land, and if the application was filed, to see that I got good timbered land in- stead of rocks and marshes.
 MT. Tillman went into detail on ex- plaining his effort to learn the exact status of the lands and got an opinion from Senator Turner of Washington After returning to Washington, D. C., In December, he let the matter drop, i believing it to be a very doubtful prop osition" until -.-r Lee showed him let ter from Reeder & Watkins which Mr. I Tillman said had since been stolen from i the desk in his committee room, along with other papers in this case, and de- elared that the theft was probably by some of the secret service sleuths
 When Reeder & Watkins" he said, indicated their desire that I should exert l my influence in the Senate I wrote the l letter of February 15 of which the Presi- dent obtained photographic copy. In i the meantime and before that letter was written and after a conference with the l attorney general I introduced the two resolutions of January s1 one calling on the Attorney General for information and the other, which became a law. instruct 1 ing him to institute suits. My official activity then is shown to have taken form in the Senate before I knew any i thing about Reeder & Watkins attitude or expectations. and I was in no way influenced by them.
 Wanted the Land.
 "I was still anxious to obtain some of the land if 1t could be done legally and wrote Reeder Watkins to that effect, but my faith in them and in the whole
 -,1as lfDI 4raA flaa aiR i lars of Dorr, which came to me on 1 February 17 and 1S from three different l directions, showing the widespread circu- lation of them.'
 l MT. Lees report to him, he said, had l also led him to believe that Reeder & Watkins were not of the ealibre and character to be employed in a matter of l such magnitude.
 "Dorr, of whom I had never heard be- fore,' he said, was evidently pushing 1 his scheme of getting suckers to invest l and using my name. as I have indicated, l without authority, because had not paid l any fees to him or written to him or filed ] any applications l. therefore, felt 1t in- cumbent on me to expose the swindle in 1 the Senate, which I did on February 19, and asked the postoffiee department to i issue a fraud order. I pressed the passage of the joint resolution in the Senate. and 1 on April 90 it became a law. March IS l I was taken i'll and on May 16 after 1 partial recuperation I sailed for Europe, i returning on October 21.
 "The Presidents sleuths set to do the l dirty work of spying on a senator when l the senator had exposed fraud which was being perpetrated on the public, re- l ported to him on July 27 I had nothing to do with the change in the law of 1 which the President complains in regard l to the secret service So the Presidents mil fc 4Af ground for which he has attacked Messrs. Tawney, Smith and others In the House, but one of personal malice engendered by hatred because of my course in the Senate during the last seven years.
 Denies Any Guilt.
 "I have not attempted to deceive any ] body; 1 have not told any falsehoods; I have not broken any laws; I have not been guilty of any immoral conduct I 1 had the right to purchase the land if I could but my judgment told me 1t was unsafe as an investment I would like to get some of 1t yet, and if the Attor- ney General and his successors shall not die of old age before anything is done, l 1t may be possible that I may have the ! opportunity to purchase some of this tim l Der land of which he made mention in l his report. Through my action attention has been directed in a compelling way l department of justice. Whether ever l get any of the land or not does not mat l ter if Hartman and others of that ilk i are made to disgorge the large holdings which they have stolen and are attempt l ing to hold.
 "The President" said MT TiIlman, "italicises the words as we'll as my 1 self as though it were unlawful, immoral i or improper for a senator to buy land i or to act in this chamber on any ques- tion affecting his personal interest 1 fail to see any sense or reason in this position, but I must submit that to the i judgment of the Senate and the coun- try. had not become a party to any litigation; l was not interested except as a private individual wanting to pur- chase and as a senator, desiring to en- able others to have the opportunity to l do so. Of course, the President is sure l that l have done something very discred- 1 itable and outrageous He hates me and would destroy me if he could.
 '"The President gloats over the fact l that my letter was written just four days before he announced in the Sen- | ate that he CD had not undertaken to l buy any land in the west; as clinching his | contention that I have lied to the Sen- l ate. The records show that in the in- l terim the Dorr circular had been sent to l me, for on February 19, when l made 1 the exposure of Dorr I said in the Sen ate, '1n the last day or two I have had my attention called to scheme Of 1 Ewindling, etc. It is easy for those who arc themselves vulnerable to convict others on the most flimsy evidence and
 the President seems to work on that the ory.
 Discovers Scheme.
 "on reading Doris circular the whole l scheme and combination )f swindlers 1 Reeder ard Watkins in Marshfield, and l Dorr in Portland q did not know any thing about Conro and Schaefer) flashed
 on my mind, and remembering Lee s | somewhat dubious report as to the char acter and qualifications of the firm of
 Reeder and Watkins, l decided at once
 to see to it that my name should not
 be used to inveigle others into their game. l Hence, my action in the Senate.
 'srhe President dismisses with a wave | of the hand any possibility of my hon.
 esty by saying: It Is unnecessary to
 comment on his proposal made in this
 letter to use his influence as a senator
 to force the government to institute a
 suit which would make it easy for him
 personally to obtain some of the land
 It might he well to inquire whether or
 not the Attorney General has been or
 dered not to obey the law of Congress
 passed last April, which l will call the
 "Tillman- -Bonapare law, ordering suit to
 be instituted for the recovery of these
 lands. My culpaDilty is of such magni-
 tude in contemplating the purchase of
 1440 acres of land at $2.50 an acre in
 the eyes of a sticlzler for official recti-