The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-10
ROCKEFELLER WILL NOT MAKE REPLY Declines Steel Committee
 Invitation WRITES TO STANLEY Will Not Answer Charges of Merritt BrOthers-Rev. Gates Also Re-
 fuses to Appear Before
 Steel Committee

New York, December 9.-John D. Rock efeller and the Rev. Frederick T. Gates formally declined today the invitations of Chairman Stanley of the congressional Investigating committee to appear before the committee if they cared to make 2 statement concerning the testimony re- gently given by Leonidas and Alfred Mer' ritt. MT. Rockefeller's letter dated De cember. 3 and addressed to Cbairmal stanley reads
 Dear Sir: The narration of Leonidas and Alfred Merritt before your commit tee was in substance the repetition ol statements made by them in a contro- versy closed 15 years ago. The state ments are false. They were so declared by me at the time in sworn testimony and on cross examination. Before the receipt of your invitation I had denied the statement published in the press. Their own signed statement is before you.
 q therefore deem 1t unnecessary 70 avail myself of the opportunity now of- fered to appear before your committee.
 Yours truly,
 John D. Rockefeller
 Mr. Gates letter is dated from 26 Broadway, New York, December 9, and is as follows:
 sir: I have received your letter say ing that if I care to do so 1 may appear before your committee.
 .'Sixteen years ago the Merritts swore to these charges just as positively as they did before your committee. Then they signed retraction of the whole thing, They now acknowledge the retraction.
 .'Ry those who believed in me, no de- nial before your committee is needed. By those who believed Merritts no testimony from me is needed to substantiate the Merritts' own acknowledged retraction.
 ''To be sure, the Merritts now swear that the retraction was not true But if the Merritts themselves now swear that they signed an unruth no testimony from me is needed as to their veracity.
 "When Leonidas Merritt, while testify ing before your committee was unexpect- edly confronted with that fatal retraction it is Interesting to observe his confusion. The official record lies before me. He first blurted right out that 1t was agreed between the attorneys that the thing signed should never be recorded; that it was to be kept secret between the par ties. Did MT. Merritt come down from Duluth to testify before your committee SuppOSlnS tndI uOcuHleHt WOulU not coil- front him? t
 'I am interested to note that few moments later the chairman interrupted the testimony to make this statement. ''These gentlemen objected very strong ly to coming before this committed; did not want to talk with me and begged ms not to bring them here.' No wonder. t
 '.The story of the Merritts was contra dicted by MT. Rockefeller and myself in the United States circuit court in Duluth under oath and upon cross examination and with the support of many documents and many witnesses. The record of that case is fully filed in that court and in- cluded the Merits retraction of every charge. My sworn testimony was true then, it has never been retracted; it is true today. It is available for the pur- poses of your committee
 We did not wait for your invitation Immediately on the publication of the Merritt story MT. Rockefeller denied and published the Merritt retraction and as soon as l came home, followed directly with a detailed statement of the Merritt loans. showing that MT Rockefeller had never called any loan made to them. Your committee is simply means of reaching the public. It decides nothing and could decide. nothing in respect of this matter | prefer to reach the public direct. Very truly, FREDERICK T. GATES. ei1.a ----.e.-