Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-13

aroused because | wanted to pur-
chase 1t and told him So
SENATOR TILLMAN.
Senator Tillman and Attorney General
Bonaparte clashed last night in state
ments issued to the public with reference
TO the charges brought by the President
against Mr.. Tilpnan. Mr. Bonapartes
statement came out first and was d denial
that Mr.. Tillman. told him he had an
arrangement to purchase any public
land in Oregon. as was stated by the
senator from South Carolina in his de-
Tense day before yesterday.
Mr.. Tilman was shown this statement
and Immediately replied by saying the
veracity and that lie distinctly remem-
bered having told Mr.. Bonaparte Of his
personal interest in the subject.
Attorney Generals Statement.
The text of the Attorney Generals
statement follows:
January IL, 1899
There are two passages in the remarks
OF Senator Tillman. published in today s
Congressional Record. which demand no.
tice from me- He says (Record, p. 73p ::
1t might be we'll to inquire whether
or not the Attorney General has been or
dered not to obey the law OF Congress
passed last .April-which l will call the
"Tillman-B onaparte law"-ordering suit
to be instituted for the recovery of these
lands. My culpability is of such enormity
and magnitude in contemplating the pur-
chase of LAO acres of land at 80 an
acre in the eyes of this stickler for Of
fetal rectitude in others that it may be
found that he is determined to block my
so-called "nefariOus transactions
The man who announces to Congress
right to permit the steel trust 10 absorb
It's greatest rival contrary to law. would
doubtless not hesitate to help his dear
friend Hartman in holding AO00.00O
cause Ben Tillman has contemplated and
wanted to buy LAO acres
Suit Broght by Government.
ION September 4, 1905 suit was
brought by the United States of America
in the circuit court of the United States
for the District of Oregon against the
Oregon and California Railroad Com
pany, the Southern Pacific Company, the
Union Trust Company. individually and
as trustee; Stephen T. Gage individually
and as trustee, and a large number of
individual defendants. The purpose of
this suit Is. i'll substance. to declare and
enforce forfeiture of the public lands
claimed by the railroads under Mr.. Har-
rimanS control by virtue of the original
grant TO the Oregon and California rail-
road 1t has been brought in accordance
with the directions of the joint resolu-
ton to WHICH Senator Tillman refers;
was Instituted as soon practicable
after the passage of the said resolution.
and the fact OF its institution has been
published and could have been verified
by any one. through inquiry at this de-
partmeht. for more than four months.
Senator Tillman's Assertion.
Senator Tillman says in another part
OF his speech Record p. 1927
:. In my conversation with the Attorney
l introduced, and which he himself pre-
land situation, / distinctly remember tell
ing him that my interest in the matter
had been first aroused by my desire to
purchase some of the timber land and
that my coming to him was due TO the
fact that y discovered upon investigation
that / could not buy it through any
agency whatsoever: that ! could not buy
it even by a lawsuit, because l was ad-
vsed by very able lawyers in the west
among them the Hon George Turner of
Washington, that in attacking the holders
of those land grants no one would have
any standing in court except the grantor.
the government itself
Tillman's Call on Bonaparte.
Senator Tillman called upon me al the
Department OF Justice few days before
the introduction by him OF the resolution
which see, By the Record. he presented
to the Senate on January 81. 1903. our
interview occurred, therefore, d little less
than three weeks before his letter of
February L. to Messrs. Reeder & Wat
kinS in which lie requested them to hold
i'll reserve for him eight of the best
quarter sections and probably little
more than three weeks before his state
ment in the Senate that he had not
bought any land anywhere in the west,
or undertaken to buy any. He told me
he wished information as to the status of
the lands embraced in these Oregon
grants because he had heard SO much
complaint about the conduct OF the cor
porations claiming them during his recent
journey through the states of the Pacific
slope. He criticised, with great severity,
the policy of granting the pubic donna
to such corporations and mentioned that.
on some occasion. in discussing a pro-
posed land grant of this character, he
had said TO certain OF his colleagues
You may as well give them what they
want now, You have given them pretty
much everything else.
Tillman's Interest Not Mentioned.
He said, according to my recollection.
that the lands had become OF great value
and many persons wished TO purchase
them and added that he would have been
glad 10 do so himself if he could; but he
never told me word of any connection
on his part with an arrangement to ac-
Guire some part OF these lands, nor that
he intended, expected or even desired. at
that time, to make any such purchase.
AS stated by him. his reason for making
those inquiries was that he might bet
ter discharge his public duties: and /
was totally ignorant until / saw the docu-
ments transmitted by the President to
Senator Hale that Senator Tillman, at
the time of his conversation with me. had
any private interest. whether actual or in
expectation. in connection with the SUBJ
ject of our conversation | gave him IA
full statement OF the information which
had been collected by the department as
the result of a protracted investigation
made by Alessrs. Townsend and McBalir
as special counsel. and which had con-
tinued during a considerable part of the