Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-10
PRESIDENT SNUBS
REPRESENTATIVE
WHO SCORED HIM
Taft Refuses to See Harrison of
New York When He Calls
to Introduce RabbiS
APPOINTMENT is IGNORED
Executive Bars Congressman but
Admits the Delegation He
Brought to Call
Associated Press1


WASHINGTON, June 9.-President
Taft today declined to receive Repre-
sentative Francis Burton Harrison,
Democrat, of New York, who called
at the White House in company with
two other representatives, to intro
duce a number of Jewish rabbis, who
took up with the president the ques-
tion of the expulsion of Jews from
Russia.
The president received the delega-
tion and chatted with it's various
members for fifteen minutes or more.
Representative Goldfogle of New
York acted as spokesman for the
party and so adroitly had the situa-
tion been handled by Secretary Nor
of the incident until Representative
Harrison returned to the capitol and
there stated that he had been rebuffed
by the president
Mr.. Taft based his refusal to see
Mr.. Harrison on statements attribut-
ed by newspapers to the representa-
tive in connection with his resolution
in the house calling upon Attorney
General Wickersham for full informa-
ton as to the connection of his Of
flee with the Ballinger- -Pinchot epi-
sode.
Mr.. Harrison, according to the
White House version of the matter,
charged the president and the attor-
ney general with having wilfully at
tempted to mislead congress in the
back dating of the attorney generals
summary of the CLAWS charges.
Mr. Harrison was first quoted as
having said that he could assign no
reason for the presidents action today.
He had made the engagement with
| the president some ten days ago and
| had received no intimation that his
presence at the White House was un-
desirable.
Secretary Norton was at first uu-
willing to discuss the incident. Later,
when he was informed OF the state
ments of Mr.. Harrison, he told the
story. He said the president had no
purpose of publicly humiliating the
congressman, as had been charged,
| and that nothing would have been
said regarding the affair If Mr. Har-
rison himself had not made the mat
ter public.
WHITE HOUSE VERSION
Mr. Norton said it was his under
standing that Mr.. Harrison expressly
desired that nothing should be said.
| Mr.. Norton said that during the con-
| gressional receiving hour he noticed
Representatives Harrison and Gold
| fogle of New York and Keliher of
Massachusetts with the party of rabbis
at the head of the line awaiting adj
mission to the presidents office. He
| spoke to all the members of the party
| and a few moments later informed
| the, president of their presence. Mr..
| Taft said he would be glad to receive
| every member of the delegation but
| Mr. Harrison. He declared that be-
cause of the statements made by Mr..
Harrison he did not desire to speak
| with him
Secretary Norton thereupon invited
Mr.. Harrison into his office, saying he
had some affairs to discuss with him.
Meantime, he had the party shown
into the presidents office at the ap-
! pointed hour and asked Mr.. Goldfogle
| to introduce the callers in Mr.. Harri-
| sons absence.
| SPEECH CAUSES TROUBLE
1t was the first time Mr.. Norton had
! ever met Mr.. Harrison, and when the
| two were alone the secretary said he
was extremely sorry that the first
meeting should be the occasion of a
disagreeable duty. He told Mr.. Harri-
son the president would not see him.
Mr. Harrison, according to Mr.. Nor
ton. said he thought he knew why 1t
was-the statement he had made re-
garding the connection of the presi-
! dent and the attorney general with
| the Ballinger- Pihchot controversy. Mr..
| Norton said he had not seen the state
ment and consequently was somewhat
| in the dark
He asked Mr.. Harrison to send him
a copy of what he had said.
Mr. Harrison asked if Representa-
tives Goldfogle and Keliher and the
others in the party knew that the
| president had barred him out, and Mr..
Norton replied that no one knew but
they two. Mr.. Harrison said he
thought it unnecessary for the others
to know anything about it, and there
upon left
Mr. Norton asserted the president
had no previous knowledge that Mr..
Harrison was to be one of his callers
today. The engagement had been made
in the routine way some ten days ago,
through the secretary's office.
Mr.. Harrison was quoted ON May 1S
as having said of the back-dating of
the Wickersham summary:
"This confession of the attorney gen.
eral amounts to the conclusion that the
president and attorney general had
agreed to furnish to congress mislead-
ing information-to supply an official
document as of date which was really
prepared many weeks later"
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