The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-12

The president said Mir. Tiliman. 1 'Italicises the words as weu as myself
 "ss though it were unlawful, immoral. or improper for senator to buy any
 land or to act in this chamber on any i question affecting his personal interest l fail'to see any sense or reason in this l position, but will submit that, to the l judgment of the senate and the country. had not become party to any htiga- | tion; I was not interested except as private individual wanting to purchase. l and as a senator desiring to enable others to have the opportunity to 20 70; | Of course, the, president is sure that ! have done something very discreditab'e and outrageous. He hates me and | would destroy me if he could.
 The president giotes over the fact | that my letter was written just four days before he announced In the senate l that he CD had not undertaken to buy | contention that have lied to the sen- ate. The records show that In the in- terimS the Dorr circular had been sent | to me, for on February 1s, when Emade the exposure of Dorr. said in | the senate fin the last day or two. I have had my attention called to a
 scheme of swindiing etc Itis easy for those who are themselves vulnerable. to convict others on the most fiimsy | evidence. and the president seems to work on that theory.
 1 "On reading Doris circular. the whole scheme and combination of
 swindlers, Reeder and Watkins in
 Marshfieid. and Dorr in Portland. q did not know anything about Conro and Schaefer) flashed on my mind. and remembering Lees somewhat dubious | report as to the character and qualin- cations of the firm of Reeder & Watkins decided at once to see to 1t that my name should not be used to inveigle
 others into their game. Hence my &C., | ton In the senate.
 "The president dismisses with wave
 of the hand any possibility of my 1 honesty, by saying: Tt is unnecessary | to comment on his proposal made in
 this letter to use his influence as a | senator to force the government to in- l stitute a suit which would make 1t l easy for him personally to obtain some | of the land. It mikht be well to in- quire whether or not the attorney gem
 eral has been ordered not to obey the | law of congress passed last April, ! which I will call the Tillman- Bonaparte | law, ordering suit to be instituted for l the recovery of these lands. My cul- | probability is of such magniture in con- l templating the purchase of LAO acres l of land at $2.50 an acre In the eyes of
 stickler for oficial rectitude in others | that IL may De tOunu tnaL ue ls uetef- mined to block my so-called nefarious l transactions.
 "The man who announces to congress l that he, Theodore Roosevelt. assumed | the right to permit the Steel trust to absord its greatest rival, contrary to l law, would doubtless not hesitate to | help his dear friend Hartman in hold l ing two million acres of the public oo- | main because Ben Tillman has contemp- l I,H lAn xava fo6 n htfV i | The president, having convicted Till l man proceeded to clear Dorr In both l cases, contrary to the facts. and srnil- I inEiy stares from the center of the stage it2is his greatest delight to oc- l cupy and complacently looks to have I the American people and the senate l give their approval to his verdict. I | await that verdict calmly and without | fear and will abide by it.
 'In conclusion Mir. President, court | the most searching investigation. Nay, | I demand 1t. I declare most emphatic ally have never sought to conceal my | effort to buy land; I spoke 70 the ate | torney general about 1t; explained to an agent of the secret service the whole transaction when I gave him the Dorr tcIrcular and the letters which had been sent me concerning 1t. The question of motive will at last control and 1t cannot be such that have any reason to conceal anything. invite Il cotnbarison of my private life and my public work as man and a senator with Theodore Roosevelt or any other man, and feel absolutely sure of ground
 upon which stand. In addition to his speech, which had l been prepared in advance, Mir. Tillmaq had prepared other brief remarks, which he read.
 ''It has been expected and designed" {"
 he said. that having made my own de- fense, should turn my batteries on my assaiIant. I do not feel that my
 strength is suflcient for the double task. My physicians have warned me against overtaxinR myself.
 s'The President lives in a glass house with even 9 glass floor in 1t. and should remember the old adage. He has exert
 ed all the power of the government to destroy me. but feel that stand un- scathed because If all other arguments fail to convince men, the character for rectitude. truthfulness and honesty which have built in the sixty-one years of my life, would at last be my bulwark. Men who have always been
 clean and honorable do not suddenly be- come liars and hypocrites at sixty one without any necessity.
 Later on in this session, 1t Is my purpose to devote some time to bring ing Theodore Roosevelt face to face
 with his true self, and let the people of the United States see what character
 of man they have been so bowed down
 TO. For the present. I content myself
 with applying t6 him this quotation from Spencer's Fairy Queen: 'He ranges
 throughout the whole world, neither is there any that can restrain him. Of late he has grown especially presumptu-
 ous and pestilent, barking at and
 biting all alike. whether they be blame
 worthy or innocent. None are free from his attacks He shares neither the learned wit not the gentle poet, but
 rends and tears without regard of per- son, reason or time"
 When Mir. Tillman concluded his re-
 marks, there was no further outbreak
 of applause. the Vice President having | admonished the occupants of the galler-
 les against making such demonstra-
 tions. Mir. Tiilman was congratulated
 by a number of Democratic Senators.