Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-19
CLA|M IS REFUTED TAFT NOW ACCUSED
Roosevelt Is Denied Credit for Statement duplicates Him in
Bureau of Mines. Harvester Company Case.
Mr. McKINLEYS VERSION Mr.. B0NAPARTE QUOTED
Nothing President Then Secretary
With Legislation Matter Said to Have Opposed Suit
BROWNSVILLE SHOOTING CASE GIVEN SENATOR DIXON
rider Discharging Membersof of of What Happened
Negro Meeting Of Cabinet
Statement duplicates Him in
Harvester Company Case.
Mr.. B0NAPARTE QUOTED
President, Then Secretary Of War,
Said to Have Opposed Suit.
GIVEN OUT BY SENATOR DIXON
Former Attorney Generals Account
of What Happened at
Meeting Of Cabinet.


A statement containing portions Of q
letter from former Attorney General
Bonaparte. in which he says that Mr.
Taft. as Secretary of War. took part in
the cabinet meeting at which IL was de-
cided to withhold prosecution OF the In
ternational Harvester Company because
of the bureau of corporations investigs-
ton was issued by Senator Dixon from
the Roosevelt national headquarters yes
terday. The statement took the form
of an answer to that issued from the
White House Friday night by Charles
d. Hilles, secretary to the President
Nothing more despicable and degrad-
ing has ever occurred in the history or
American politics. says the state
ment. than the attempt of Mr.. Taft
through deliberate, knowing and sus-
tained falsehood to misrepresent the
facts regarding the case OF the Interna-
tional Harvester Company and to avoid
personal responsibility for non-action in
the courts by the government against
that company. The statement issued at
the White House last night is but
piece of the mendacity that has charac-
terized the entire Taft utterance on this
subject
1.-The facts themselves. of which Mr.
Taft is undera.aciv aware. and which
are capable of complete demonstration.
show:
First, that Mr.. Taft was present at
the cabinet meeting where the matter
was discussed and the final decision
reached and that he not only had full
knowledge of the matter. but took a de-
Gliding part in the determination.
Second. that the Senate. upon being
do <~f
| Hansbrough, distinctly refused to stop
| the investigation by the bureau of cor
porations and permit the Department of
Justice to go ahead with its prosecu-
| tion.
Third that Senator Hansbrough, All
! inveterate opponent of the harvester
company, was the first man TO be ad
vised of the situation by the Attorney
| tempted to secure action by the Senate
which would permit the department to
begin court proceedings"
Tells Of Investigations.
The statement reviews the investiga-
tions Of the harvester company made in
| 1906 by b. d. Townsend. for the Depart
ment Of Justice. and in 1907 by the bu-
reau of corporations. which was acting
Under direction Of the Hansbrough SEN
ate resolution. In the summer of 1907.
| 1t is stated, Attorney General Bonaparte
began a special investigation, with view
1 to prosecution. He did not learn until
\ August of the activities of the bureau of
corporations. but then suggested that the
| latter be continued.
| EARLY in January, .9OS.' continues the
| statement, Attorney General Bonaparte
1 had received sufficient information from
| the special investigators OF the Depart
ment of Justice to lead him to believe
| that a prosecution of the harvester COM
4 olx~ %nlrx
| letter discussing this matter Mr.. Bona
parte says:
~ then told the President that I was
prepared now to recommend a prosecu-
| ton. According to my recollection. he as
| scented; certainly he did not forbid me,
but I soon afterward aScertained from Mr..
Smith commissioner of corporationsl
probably through an inquiry on my part.
that his investigation. which / had sup
posed concluded. was still in progress.
L then submitted the matter at a cab
met meeting. From rejecting good ceal
] on the subject recently. / have rather
distinct recollection of the discussion
| which ensued.
Did Not Express Opinion.
II stated the question without ex-
pressing a positive opinion either way.
Secretaries Straus and Garfield advised
against a prosecution. substantially on
Smiths letter of September. 1907. to the
| President Secretary Cortelyou. in a very
| few words, deprecated any important
| trust prosecution at that moment. since
[ the money market was just recovering
| from the recent panic.
Secretary Root then suggested that.
as the law gave the Senate the right to or
der such an investigation by the bureau
of corporations, the bureau must be con-
sidered as a legal agency of the Senate
| for the purpose of making the investiga-
ton. and the situation was the same as If
| a committee of the Senate were engaged
in such inquiry, and requested that
suit be postponed for reasonable time
until this investigation could be com
pleted in which case. he argued, due com
ity would require that the request should
be granted
not agree with the views expressed by
Secretaries Cortelyou, Garfield and
Straus but / thought there was good
deal of force in those advanced by Secre-
tary Root.
Secretary Taft, then, who had been.
think examining some papers connected
with the matter. expressed very decided
opinion that the suit should not be
brought until the bureau of corporations
had completed its investigation. and the
President then said to ME, You Will
Explanation to Hansbrough.
The next day / saw at my Office
Senator Hansbrough, who had called fire.
quently at the department to know why
nothing was done about the harvester
trust and explained the situation TO him.
saying that only the inquiry asked for
by his resolution of December IL. 1906.
prevented immediate action by the De-
partment of Justice.
The statement then quotes Senator
Hansbroughs remarks In the Senate jan
uary %, 1905, after his talk with Attorney
to have the investigation by the bureau of
corporations order stopped.
Mr.. Bonaparte states that IL was the
day after the cabinet meeting that he saw
Mr.. Hansbrough," says the statement.
Mr.. Hansbrough acted Immediately upon
receipt of this information. This fixes
the date of the cabinet meeting as jan
uary 2l The record shows that there
was a cabinet meeting on that date.
Mr. Taft and his managers have
sought mendacously to escape response
bility for Mr. Tafts part in this matter
through the false pretense that. because
Mr. Taft was out of the country in the
fall of 1907, he was not In position to
the matter II is not only an affront TO
the intelligence of the American people
for him to say to them. as ne does. that a
man occupying the position in the admin
istration which he then occupied would