The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-13
UNJUST TO TIILMAN.

The Advertiser has never been an admirer of Senator Ben Tillman. but because of the manifest injustice done him. our -sympathies are with him in his present quarrel with our Irresponsible President. The re- sources of the most powerful ofice in America, if not in the world. have been used untustiy in an effort to de- stroy the South Carolina Senator. In deploring the base use to which the ex- ecutive oface has been devoted we can not but feel c sense of chagrin that the man guilty of so great wrong against United States Senator is the President of the United States.
 Mir. Tiilman has been pursued and spied upon and no sensible man doubts that these inspectors were acting upon orders from the highest authority. Senator Till man charges that his desk in the Sem ate was riaed and valuable papers were stolen from 1t. This is believa- bie in view of other gross wrongs that have been perpetrated at wash-s ington.
 A carefully planned campaign has been worked to discredit, if not dis honor. the South Carolina Senator. When the President was asked by the Senate to give what information he possessed of the use of secret service officials. he responded not with this information but with a report from the. postofice inspectors, a different branch of government service, which sought to condemn Senator Tillman. Taking this report at its full value. and ignoring the spacious move of the President, what does 1t showf It shows that possibly Senator Tillman has acted with some impropriety. but 1t does not show anywhere that he acted with dishonor. As he claimed, he had a perfect right to purchase the oregon lands and the only ques- ton involved is whether it was proper for him to act in the matter while the lands were still in controversy before the Senate No matter how a man may view 1t the Senator has done no real wrong.
 But the pettiest thing that a gov ernment was ever guilty. of was stop ping Senator Tiiiman's typewriter in the Washington postoffice and sending him bill for s16 because he had franked the typewriter. No underling in the postofice did that on his own responsibility. Orders for 1t came from higher up." It has been the custom for years and years for Con- gressmen and Senators to frank books. papers, typewrfters and even larger objects. Not a word was said about it until a chance came to hu- initiate a Senator who had been un- friendly to President Roosevelt. The typewriter in question was the prop erty of the government assigned to Senator Tillman for his use If a law was DTOhen III IranklnB IL, IT was law that was violated many times . day in Washington. But Tillman's typewriter Is held up and he is pre- scented to the country as Senator who would break the laws of his country rather than pay express charges on a typewriter. It was petty piece of business-an act that was inconceivably small.
 And while we are considering the Senator's typewriter and debating whether he does or does not owe the sixteen dollars we might we'll remem. Der that the President of the United States converted a cruiser of the navy into private yacht for himself and his family and he could not plead even that such had been the custom. The government paid all bills.