New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-12
vB TJrLHAY's. EEPL4yATIOS.

Senator Tlmans speech yesterday explain
ing his intended purchase of certain LANDS III
Oregon. which were 10 be made aEallaoIe lor
purchase through a suit against the grantees III
stitI1ted by the government, dealt rather charn!
with the two main points at issue Inc oouIh
Carolina Senator was not very successful III
reconciling his statement in the Senate on en-
ruary 10, 19OS-"I have not bought al! Janus
in the West nor undertaken 10 buy any with
tho contents Of letters and kilograms which he
admits writing in October, 1907, and IN eoru
arv 1915 For instance he wrote TO the firm OF
Reeder & Watkins October 20:
wired YOU from Wausau. Wis as follows.
"a lite 70 confirm II: William e Lee, my
gent will SEQ you about land. want nm
"o1srters reserved VIII forward signed appL-
cations and money at once Members o. ~
.fe17{Z- arc entrymen. Letter follows Is. n
IT" I write TO say l wired MI -, ~
resides at Moscow, Ida, TO go at once - Iata
Aeld and see YOU about the land, 10 loc1te
Quarters for the seven members OF HlE 1aIit-,S
who are of age, and one for my pll.a'Ti ~ into
tary, J. B. Knight whom oesIie - him
the deal, and of course he wants aqua e' INN
self.
If was m the strength OF these directions thaI
Mr. 7 90 assumed that Mr.. Tilman was uhoeI-
taking TO buy lands and would De Willing u
fo,iIitate such action on the part OF the gov
or,r,pn+ "a would force their sale by the mold
ing CORPORATION. Mr. Lee inquired II OUT I'm.
the South Carolina Senator would ne tower Va
s+roncrtl in forcing nv federal action the par
tition Of the lands into small parCeis u ne 'HAs
mn hy individual entrymen. He therefore as
- pead 4 Watkins that Mr.. Tillman would
..set I'D such howl" as ito cause the govern
ment to get busy
The Senator did introduce resolutions uTe
inc the Attorney General TO bring the SUITS
necessary TO force partition. As late as FepIu-
srv II he wrote TO Reeder & Watkins, saying;
fl can succeed in causing the government 70
institute suit for the recovery OF the baiiu ~
wake il easier for others as well as TnySeh 10
Obtain some Of it. I shall do II without any re-
gard 10 the dealings of your hTnL 1 sun ~ai n
70 get some Of the timber land, II il Is po'-
sible
Four DAYS later Mr.. Tillman told the SeLia te
that he had ''never undertaken TO buy Iahds
an the West He now admits that he may have
haan ..disingenuous" IN using such language,
His nIea Yesterday was that since he had not
signed naDers or paid out money, but had Only
promised 10 send money and merely asked 10.
reservations for himself. for the members OF
his family eligible TO serve as entrymen ana
for his private secretary, he was speaking nc
curatelv and not falsely" when he put III hlH
disclaimer AS the Senator aptly says, Every
ching hinges on the meaning Of the word
undertaken end my use of IT. But the pun
lie which does not split hairs, Will ma turaiy IN
+arnre+ the word in the light Of the context.
ON the other important point the South Caro-
lima statesman is almost as vague. He pro
tests that he had no improper motive what
ever in taking steps toward purchasing he
lands in question. and repels the charge that
"I have exerted my official influence ana
eevYorked as a Senator for my personal dement,
.,aIone " But that Is not a fair version or the
real charge which merely that he was
working. in his own language. ito make 1t easier
for others as we'll as myself To obtain some
of IT. 1.-THE land IN Oregonl. Mr.. Tilman wants
IN tnovv WHY he should be debarred from buying
land There is no reason why be should ne so
deharred unless it should happen to be land
I'm arranging 10 purchase which his functions
end activities as a legislator and as private
purchaser would become unpleasantiy mixed
The South Carolina Senator certainly put MIN
saIf in position in which his intentions were
subject 70 Misrepresentation. and he could not
defend himself with comfort when they We're
,,,isrenrasanted No one Will accuse him or
having committed q crime. But he did com
noi+ q bunder. and one of the sort which he
vro,lId have been the first 70 denounre If II hah
taen committed by fellow legislator say
aga critic of the faults of others, he should
have avoided even the appearance of Official
ironropriety He should have realized that IL
Is never safe to let the purity Of ones motives
hinge on the accidents and mishaps of teXtuai
Interpretation