Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-07
IS INDIGNANT
ResentS Presidents MESSAGE
on Cu|berson Resolution.
QUESTIONS HIS ATTITUDE
Attorney General Directed Not to
Give Information Desired.
FACTS ABOUT STEEL COMPANY
Chief Executive Tells Why He Did
Not Oppose Absorption of Ten
nessee Coal and Iron Co.
QUESTIONS HIS ATTITUDE
FACTS ABOUT STEEL COMPANY

President Roosevelt has not lessened
the feeling against hip in the Senate by
the special message sent to that body
yesterday in response to the Culberson
resolution calling for information from
the Attorney General regarding the alb
sorption of the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company by the United States Steel
| Corporation. In no uncertain terms he
| told the Senate that he had approved
the absorption. and furthermore that the
Senate had no right to know Attorney
General Bonaparte's reasons for not pros
| ecuting the steel company, and he had in
structed Mr.. Bonaparte not to reply
| To say that the Senate is indignant is
putting 1t mildly. The latest action has
been oil to the flames that broke out
after the President said things .in his
annual message about the secret serv-
ice and Congress.
Looking Up the Precedents.
OF course while there is disposition
on the part of some of the statesmen at
the Capitol to cavil at the Presidents re-
fusal. there is yet the fear that he may be
supported by precedent. and that al
! though in their opinion he has slapped
/
| with it,
The principal loophole of escape which
these Senators fear the President will
find is in the fact that the resolution
| called for reasons distinguished
| from demand for official papers There
is little doubt that if the call were for
| the latter. and they were refused, the
Senate would come back with vigor.
| The latest clash between the executive
and Congress upon this subject occurred
| Il
! republican Senate had it out The issue
was demand for certain papers in this
| same Department of Justice in connection
with nomination the President had sent
refused to stand and deliver,
Senate committee Investigated and re-
| ported, the affair was the subject of pro-
longed discussion and was ended with a
condemnation of the action of the Attor-
ney General as lin violation of his Off
clal duty and subversive of the funda-
mental principles of the government and
of good administration thereof"
View of Senator Edmunds.
But in the report on that case which
was submitted to the Senate by Senator
Edmunds. chairman of the committee on
the judiciary. there occurred this signifi-
cant statement:
THE committee feels authorized tn state
after a somewhat careful research that
within the foregoing limits there is
scarcely In the history of this govern
ment until now any instance of the re-
fusal by the head of a department or
even OF the President himself to commu-
nlcate official facts and information as
distinguished from private and unofficial
papers, motions views, reasons and opin-
ions. to either house of Congress- when
Internationally demanded. indeed the
early journals of the Senate show great
NUMBERS or instances of directions to the
heads OF departments, as. of course, to
lurnish papers and reports upon all sorts
OF affairs both legislative and executive"
Reasons May Not Be Demanded.
1t will be noted that In this report ex-
ception is made where reasons" are
demanded. and this is likely to be cited
as precedent for the pending case.
In the same 7dmunds report this para
graph also occurred:
ut may be fully admitted that except
in respect of the Department of the
Treasury. there is no statute which COM
mands the head of any department to
transmit to either house of Congress on
its demand any information whatever
concerning the administration of his de-
partment but the committee believes it
to be clear that from the very nature of
the powers intrusted by the Constitution
to the two houses OF Congress it is a
necessary incident that either house must
have at all times the right to know all
that officially takes place or exists in
any of the departments of the govern
ment."
The Culberson Resolution.
The Culberson resolution was not direct
ed to the President. but to the Attorney
General, and it called upon him to an
nounce whether he had begun action
against the steel company, and if not,
I
! called it to the attention of Mr. Roosevelt,
stating:
AS you are aware no such proceedings
have been instituted"
The President in his special message
yesterday made the following comment on
Mr.. Bonaparte'S letter to him on the
subject:
LAS to the transaction in question. l
was personally cOgniZant Of and RESPONSE
BILE for its every detail. For the informa-
ton Of the Senate. | transmit copy of
letter sent by me to the Attorney Cen
eral on November 4. 1907, as follows:
Presidents Letter to Bonaparte.
Judge f. II, Gary and Mr. H. c.
Frick, on behalf of the steel corporation
have just called upon me. They state
that there is certain business firm
(the name of which l have not been
told but which is of real importance In
New YORK business ClIclcSy, WHICH Will
undoubtedly fail this week if help is not
given Among the assets are majority
of the securities of the Tennessee Coal
Company
Application has been urgently made
to the steel corporation TO purchase this
stock as the only means OF avoiding
| failure. Judge Gary and Mr. F'rick in
| formed me that a mere business trans
action they do not care to purchase the
stock: that under ordinary circumstances
| they would not consider purchasing the
| stock because but little benefit will
come to the steel corporation from the
| purchase; that they are aware that the
purchase will be used handle for
attack upon them, on the ground that
they are striving to secure monopoly
of the business and prevent competition
not that this would represent what could
honestly be said but what might reck-
lessly and untruthfully be said.
They inform that, matter
of fact the policy of the company has
been to decline to acquire more than 90
per cent of the steel properties, and
that this purpose has been persevered in
for several years past with the object of
preventing these accusations, and as
matter of fact their proportion of steel
properties has slightly decreased, so that
ii is below this 60 per cent, and the &C
QUESTION of the property in question will
not raise it above 30 per cent.
But they feel that it is immensely
to their interest, as to the interest OF
every responsible business man, to try