The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-01-20

II Hartman and others like him are
made to disgorge by reason Of these
suits, shall the fact that I was en-
deavoring to buy little pittance of
the land be used as the basis Of
charge of being liar and corrupt
Senator-to be digraced?
To sum up, this Isl brief re.
sumo Of the entira transaction:
While in Spokane, Wash, in Octo-
Der, 1907, / first heard that there |
were timber lands in Oregon which |
were being bought through Reeder
4 Watkins, Of Narsh1eld. On Oe
tober / wrote to Reeder & Wat
kins. asking for information, tell
ing them Of T., desire to purchase
some Of the LAID il possible. De
string to find out il the conditions
of the grant to the State Of 0regoa
made it possible tor purchasers
and not actual settlers" to buy ct
$3.50 per acre, wired the librarian
Of the Senate for copy Of the act.
Finding that that part Of the state
ment received from gentleman In
Spokane was correct, notified Reed
er & Watkins On October 20 thar
Mr.. Lee, whom I had seen at Mos
cow, Idaho, in the meantime and
talked with on the subject. would
go to Marshfeld and investigate in
person. I authorized Lee to draw
on me II he found that the lands
were what they were represented to
be. Lees authority as my ageR.
never went beyond an examination
of the land and, if the application
was filed, to see that I got good
timber lands instead Of rocks and
marshes. He wired me- not to be
in hurry, as there we're obstacles
in the way. In the meantime had
talked with lawyers who we're IA
miliar with the military road Land
grants, and they Informed me thai
under a decision of the circuit court
private parties we're rot permitted
to sue for these lands. Still doubt
| ing whether I could purchase th,
lands with any hope Of successful!
litigation, 7 wrote to Senator George
Turner, Of Washington, to get his
opinion and Incidentally 70 make
inquiry about lands ca the Colum-
bia river. in that State. He gave tn.
same opinion that I lad already re-
ceived from the other lawyer.
Realizing after got to Washing
ton, D. c., in December that it was a
very doubtful proposition, I let the
matter drop until Mir. Lee showed
me letter from Reeder & Watkins,
which has been stolen from my
desk in my committee room along
with other papers in this case, prob
| ably by some Of the Secret Service
sleuths, and when they indicated
their desire that I should exert my
influence in the Senate, I wrote the
letter OF February Is, OF which the
President obtained photograph:
copy. In the meantime and before
that letter was written, from N:
Investigations and after confer
ence with the Attorney-GeReral,
intrc5""od the two resolutions o;
Januars 2l. one calling on the At.
torney-Gen, Il for information, and
the other (the joint resolution)
which became g law, iRstructics hin
to institute suits.
My official activity then IS 2howr
to have taken form in the Senate be-
fore I knew anything about Reede'
q Watkins attitude or expectations
and I was IN no way Influenced by
them.
I was still anxious to obtain som:
Of the land if it could be done le
gally, and wrote Reeder & Watkini
to that effect, but my faith In then
and in the whole scheme died wher
I received the circular Of Dorr, which
came to me on February II and is
from three different directions. show.
ing the widespread distribution
made of them. Also Mr.. Lees re-
port to me had ied me to believe
that Feeder & Watkins were not Of
the caliber and character to be EN-.
ployed in matter Of such magni-
tude, except probably as to their
familiarity with the local conditions
and their ability to locate quarter
sections which were we'll timbered,
as they we're In the possession Of
cruisers map. Dorr. Of whom I had
never heard before, Was evidently
pushing his scheme Of getting suck
ers to invest and using my name, a.
I have indicated, without authority
because I had not paid any fees to
him or written to him or fled any
applications. therefore felt 1t in
cum bent on me to expose the swindle
in the Senate, which I did on the
18th Of February, and asked the
postoEflce authorities to issue fraud
| order.
pressed che passage OF the joist
resolution in the Senate, aDd on
April 80 it became Law. March IS
I was taken Ill, and on May 10. after
partial recupera.ion sailed for
Europe, returning October q.
The Presidents sleuths, set to do
the dirty work Of spring on sena-
tor when that Senator had exposed
a fraud which was being perpetrated
On the public, reported to him OF
July 27. I had nothing whatever
to do with the change in the law Of
which the President complains in
regard to the Secret Service.
So the Presidents animus is not
against me on the same ground for
which he has attacked Messrs. Taw-
ney, Smith and others in the House
but one of personal malice engender-
ed by hatred because of my course
in the Senate during the last seven
years.