Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-05
ROOSEVELT DENOUNCED
FOR CHARGES AGAINST
WILSON AND M'ADOO
Senate Committee Finds Ex-
Presidents Accusations in
Shipping Bill Article
Baseless
BOIES PENROSE DISSENTS

WASHI NGTON, Jan. 5.--Colonel Theo,
dorc Roosevelt was the target for de-
nunciation I'm the report submitted to the
Senate today by the Democratic majority
of the special committee appointed at the
last session to investigate charges against
the motives of President Wilson, Secre-
tary McAdoo and other Administration
officials in their advocacy of the ship pur-
chase bill. The eX-President's magazine
articles impugning the purposes of Presi-
dent Wilson were declared utterly base.
less
Senator Boies Penrose and Senator
Sutherland, of Utah, the Republican
minority members Of the committee. both
declined to Join in the maiority's criticism
of the Colonel In delivering the minority
report orally, Senator Sutherland said
that he and Senator Penrose concurred
in the majority's general conclusion that
the charges which gave rise to the crea-
tion of the committee were groundless,
but said the report went beyond the
scope of the inquiry and resembed a
campaign document"
The committee told of Doosevelt's state
ment in a magazine that President Wilson
and former Secretary OF state Bryan "en-
deavored i'm the interest of certain for
eign business firms, to secure for the
United States the power to purchase the
interned ships of one of the belligerents"
and of his answer to a request from the
committee TO appear as witness, i'm
which he described the statement as
"lterally true"
1T is a repetition of the onense to say
that the statement quoted was literally
true. inasmuch as foreign firms would
get the money that was paid" the COM
mittee reported. THE language used
clearly imputed TO the officers referred to
desire TO see the legislation enacted
not because the public good was to be
subserved, hut because some private in
terests we're to profit by It.
Tho writer, whose eminence Is naturally
calculated to give weight to his utter
ances, finding himself without any basis
even of a hearsay character for his SLAM
derous attack upon the highest officer of
his Government simply resorted to "a
palpable sophistry to escape responsible
.ity for the accusation he made"
The committee also declared that, while
ID did not deem ii necessary to investigate
the charges of the existence of gigantic
shipping trust lobbying against the ship
bill, its inquiry did develop evidence OF .
closely interviewer relation of shippins
interests.
1t found that the International Mercanl
tile Marine controls the American Line.
the International Navigation Company Of
England the Oceanic Steam Navigation
Company, the White star Line. the Al
lautie Transport Line, the I.e.yland Line
the Dominion Line and the Red Star Line
representing a total ownership OF l30
steamers and an aggregate tonnage Of
1.2O0,0O0 II has issued 100000 600 stock and
$40, 10000 bonds, the committee found.
Directors of the company are Charles
Steele, p. A, b. Midener. who died recent
ly; Percy Chubb. j. r. Morgan, John /.
Waterbury, A. III. Gilard. George w. Per7
kins =. ], Berwind. p A. s. Franklin, If.
A. Sanderson, Lord PirTie. T. Bruce Is
may. Charles f. Torrey and f. c. Gren-
fell
"The committee finds that the charges
which gave rise TO its creation were alto
gether baseless. having their origin In
that ungenerous trait Of the human mind
which makes II prone to attribute un-
worthy motives to redoubtable rivals. and
nsFueularly TO political antagonist the
eomnittse concluded