Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-01-15
AND THE PRESIDENT.
THE t'PITCHFoRK" HANDS THE "BIG
STICKu ONE WITHOUT GLOVES.

THE s'PITCHFoRK" HANDS THE "BIG
sTICKn ONE WITHOUT GLOVES.
Washington, Jan. 1.-THE unpreced-
ented spectacle of a senator of the Uni
ted States defending his honor before
his colleagues against an attack by the
president was presented here today.
Arising to question of personal priv
ilege, and addressing an audience that
filled every seat on the floor of the Sen
ate and packed the galleries, Senator
Benjamin r. Tillman denied President
Roosevelt's charge that he had used his
official position for his private benefit.
or that he had made false statement
to his fellow members regarding west
err land transactions.
The lines of the pitchfork had been
sharpened anew, and the recent on
saught of the big stick was returned
with the South Carolina Senator's old
time skill.
He accused the president of personal
malice, Misrepresentation, Justification,
cowardice, emitting below the belt, I"
contempt of the Senate, and violation
Of the law in the use of the secret ser
vice.
incidentally he gave official utter
ance to the charge he made informally
to United Press representative on Sat-
urday that important papers bearing
on the case at issue had been stolen
from his desk in his room at the Capt.
tol, probably by some Of the secret
service sleuths.n He also ar-aigned the
president for permitting the so-called
steel trust to absorb the Tennessee Coal
and Iron Company, and for helping
s'his dear friend Hartman to hold two
million acres of the public domain, be-
cause Ben Tillman wanted to buy ], 440
acres
The senator demanded the most
searching investigation of his conduct,
and invited comparison of his 'private
life and public work with that of Theo-
dore Roosevelt or any other man."
He admitted that he was perhaps
disingenuous" in the statement which
he made to the Senate declaring that
he had not bought or "underraken to
buy" any of the lands in question. Ev-
erything, he declared, hinged on the
meaning of the word "undertaken, as
he used it. He had not paid any money,
nor had he taken anyone's receipt, "ths
usual processes by which one under
taken to buy land"
For the first time in his senatorial
career, MIR. Tillman read his entire
speech. Evidently approaching the
gravity of the situation, he did not care
to trust himself to an extemporaneous
address.
There was intense silence as he arose,
and throughout the delivery Of his re-
marks he was given the closet atten-
ton by his colleagues, many of whom
had expressed the hope that he would
be able to convince the Senate and the
country of his innocence.
Mr. Tillman gave an exhaustive his
tory of his connection with the land in
question, and said:
81 was not interested except as pri-
waite individual wanting to purchase,
and as a senator desiring to enable 9TH
ers to have the opportunity to do so.
Of course, the president is sure that L
have done something very discreditable
and outrageous. He hates me, and
would destroy me if he could"
'sThe man who announces to Con-
gress that he, Theodore Roosevelt, as
sumed the right to permit the steel
trust to absorb its greatest rival con-
trary to law would doubtless not hest
tate to help his dear friend Hartman
in holding 100000 acres of the public
domain, because Ben Tillman has con-
and wanted to buy l, 44O
acres. The president having convicted
Tillman, proceeded to clear Dorr in
both cases contrary in the facts and
smilingly retires from the center of the
tage, which it is his greatest delight
to occupy, and complacently looks to
have the American people and the
Senate give their approval to his YER
dict. | await that verdict calmly and
without fear, and will gladly abide by
it.
In conclusion Mr.. Tillman said: "Mr.
president, | court the most searching
investigation. Nay; | demand it. |
declare most emphatically havenever
sought to conceal my effort to buy land;
L spoke to the attorney general about
it; l explained to the agent of the secret
service the whole transaction when l
gave him the Dorr circular and the let
tiers which had been sent me concern
ing it. The question of motive will at
last control and if cannot be shown