The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-01-05
ROOSEVELT SCORED
IN SHIPPING REPORT
Lobby Committee Declares COL
OneI Failed to Prove Charges
Against Wilson and Bryan.

A scathinE attack on Colonel Roose-
Welt is made in a report submitted to
tho Senate today bv a special lobby
committee. headed by Senator Walsh
which Investigated the charge regarding
the maintenance Of a lobby TO influence
action on the ship purchase bill in the
last Congress.
The committee does not sustain i'm
putations that there was any scheme OF
which officials were cogniEant to traf-
fic in interned vessels of the Hamburg
American Line or other vessels In the
ways which were commonly alleged and
insinuated last session. Nor Is there
any finding that the shipping trust un-
dertook lobbying here to defeat the bill
The committee is composed Of Sena-
tors Walsh, Simmons and Reed, Demo-
Gratis, and Sutherland and Penrose, Re-
publ!cans. The Republicans do not find
the charges about the shipping lobby and
the like sustained, but do not criticize
Roosevelt.
Invited To Capitol.
After having told Of inviting Colonel
Roosevelt to appear before the commit
tee the report, In part, says:
He replied by a lengthy telegram to
the effect that he had no information
not equally at the command of the
readbn~ public, and referred TO the tes-
timony before the committee of the
House Of Representatives and the de-
bates and proceedings In the Senate as
affording justification for the charge
which he ventured to make. EnliSht-
though 1t were disputed. that the dis
tinguished officials. whose devotion to
the public interest in connection with
the ship purchase bill he so plainly
impugned. were urging its passage. OR
rather that the President and Score
20 rxy MrAAnA and that the SAGT0-
tary OF State must have been and was
coHnizant Of their advocacy OF II. HAV-
ing established that fact TO his own
satisfaction, he reasoned that they, that
Is President Wilson and secretary iSTy-
an, contemplated purchasing the ships
of the belIigerents or Secretary McAdoo
would have disaVowed before the House
committee any such purpose, and that II
the ACQUISITION of such ships was not
intended, they would have counseied
Reaching the conclusion that the Prest-
dent and the Secretary OF State intended
to buy the ships of nations at war. he
felt justified in asserting that his state
ment was literally true that tsose OF
fiecrs had 'endeavored in the interest CT
certain foreign business firms to secure
for the United States the power to pur-
chase the interned ships OF one OF the
VI is not difficult for any fair
minded man to conceive of reasons
consistent with the highest patriot
ism and the most exalted motives
that might induce the President or
the United States and his official ad-
Visers to refrain from making any
public declaration that ships of bel
iiRerent nations would not be bought
or to withhold support from any
amendment prohibiting such pur-
chase, even though there was no in
tention to buy any such or even
set purpose was entertained not TO
do so.
For Limited Trade.
OBVIOUSLY no amendment would in
seriousness be proposed that no Ger
man ships should be bought, leaving
the Government free to acquire those
of her enemies. 1t is not inconcetv-
able that the President might find 1t
possible to secure the acquiescence
OF the British government in the
ACQUISITION Of some of the informed
German ships upon an agreement that
they were to be employed In q re-
stricted way, say, only in the South
American or Asiatic trade. The fail
ure to make any public declaration OF
a want of such intention or a refusal
to indorse the Lodge amendment by
no means demonstrates set purpose
to buy the German ships tied up in
our ports.
"The writer. whose eminence is nat
urally calculated to give weight to his
any basis even OF a hearsay charac-
ter for his slanderous attack upon
the highest officer OF his Government,
simply resorted to q palpable sophis-
try to escape responsibility for the
accusation he made"