Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-09
TILLMAN FACES
SERIOUS CHARGE
BY ROOSEVELT
ACCUSED OF ATTEMPT TO
'GRAB" OREGON LANDS
PRESIDENT MAKES ACCUSATIONS
IN REPORT TO SENATE
chief Executive Declares soIon Used
Influence in Conspiracy to OBJ.
tain Timber Grant for
Relatives
M AsHINGTON, Jan. s.-President
wv Roosevelt made public tonight

| M AsHINGTON, Jan. S.-President
wv Roosevelt made public tonight
details of an Investigation by
postofdce inspectors and secret service
agents Of Senator Tillman's connection
with an alleged land grab in Oregon.
| AS ne presents the evidence to Sena-
tor Hale, in response to the latter's re-
quest to the heads of the various ex-
ecutive departments for a statement of
the operations of the secret service, the
president undertakes to show:
| That Mr.. Tillman used his influence
as senator in an effort to force the
government to compel a railroad cor
poration to relinquish it's control of
land grants from the United States III
order that he and his family and his
| secretary, j. B. Knight, might profit
through the purchase of some of the
land, and also that the senator used his
government franking privilege in Du-
! merous instances for the conduct of
private business
Senator Tillman did not permit the
fact that President Roosevelt was Civ
ing out the charges against him to
alter his determination to make no
statement until Monday.
Does Not Deny Effort
No effort was made by him to con-
ceal that when he had learned the
facts concerning the railroad grant he
made an effort to obtain portions of the
land IN the names of his family and
himself, but he declared that, as at the
most he could have got possession of
only a few hundred acres, his efforts
were, after all, in behalf of the pubic
and not especially in his own interest
Immediately after the conclusion of
the chaplain's prayer Monday Mr.. Till
man will ask the recognition of the
chair on a question of personal priv
1lege. Departing from his custom Of
eXtemporaneous speaking he will read
his statement.
The communication to Senator Hale
Is nearly 5000 words long, and in addi-
ton there are appended numerous ex-
hlb1ts, including copies of letters writ
ten by Senator Tillman and his agent,
William E. Lee, showing that they did
make an effort to secure several quar-.
ter sections of the Oregon land, and the
report of the postoffice inspectors who
investigated the transa ction of the land
agents 1t was through this investiga-
ton that the alleged interest of Senator
T1llman was brought to light and
fatefully, it appears that it was at his
1nstigation that the inquiry was begun.
Substance of Charges
The substance of the presidents COM
munication to Senator Hale follows:
Il have requested the different de-
partments of the government to give
me all the information about the use of
special attorneys. special agents, in
spectors, ETC., in their departments
which will enable me to put before you
all the facts which, as I take it, your
committee desires to have.
Let me at the outset express my
cordial agreement with the view that
1t is not only the right but the duty Of
congress to investigate the workings
OF the secret service or detective agents
by which alone the government can
effectually safeguard itself against
| nTiT oy,5 hI~iV1 70,
justice criminals. I am we'll aware of
| the liability to abuse inherent in any
effective detective system or secret
service system.
1T nevertheless remains true that
| this system is absolutely indispensable
If the popular interest is to be ade-
quately safeguarded and wrogdoers
continue to fear the law.
''I would like to state here that verv
frequently accusations have been made
to me privately by members of the two
houses to the effect that the secret ser
| vice had been used as a police of NOR
| ais or to shadow senators, congress
men and other public officials.
Detectives BaffIed
Hitherto the effort to discover the
| basis for such allegations has always
| been fruitless.
information could be furnished me
| tending to show any instance where
| this has been done in times past.
"Of course, in the investigation of
specific frauds we sometimes come
| across wholly UNEXPECTED cases of mis-
conduct. The frauds in the postal de-
partment which were unearthed some
six years ago, for instance, offer a case
in point.
! my suspicious were first aroused by
a report made as to the very extrava-
| CANT and debauched manner of life OF
a certain postal employe, the report be-
! ing made by an official Of the secret
| service in connection with another
transaction at which he was at work.
$50 it was with the cases of the abuse
! of the franking privileges. The post
office never of sea purpose inspects any
printing sent through the mails by
! senator or congressman, but sometimes
| through the accidental breaking of such
| package the contents are exposed, and
| if they are of a character which makes
| their transmission by franking privilege
illegal steps are taken by the postoffice
authorities to collect the full postage.
ignorance or Carelessness
'Some Of these instances are due to
| carelessness or ignorance, and very Of
| ten doubtless are entirely unknown to
| the congressman themselves and no
good purpose would be served by any
publicity in the matter.
| "But a case has just arisen of diff
| ferent kind, which it seems to me I
should put before you as illustrating in
| striking fashion the way in which in
vestigation begun by any of these
agents in the line Of their duty may
develop facts of high Importance, which
the Investigators would not in the first
instance have SO gght to discover, and
which. when discovered, ought not to
| be hidden or suppressed, but the de-
! velopment of which may tend to create
an erroneous impression that the agents
in question were being used for pur-
poses not within the line &C their law
full duties.
"On the 10Th Of February, 1908, (see
exhibit Al Senator Tillman called the
attention Of the senate to a circular of
syndicate firm for the sale Of land in
Oregon, particularly in Coos and Doug
las counties, which had been granted
to corporations by the government, the
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