PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND CONGRESS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13877, 1 February 1909, Page 5

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND CONGRESS.

A QUANDARY

By El«otri« T«l#grapk. — Copyrigkt.

(Received Feb. 1, 8.26 a.m.)

NEW YORK, Jan. 31.

Regarding Senator Culberson's resolution cabled on January 9, President Roosevelt has placed the Judiciary Committee in. a quandary. Senate originally, when the bureau corporations were created, declined President Roosevelt's strong recommendation erapowering it to compel the Corporations to furnish information,. for the^ public attention,, concerning their operations. It merely enacted . that information might be gathered under a pledge of confidence when the Corporations Were willing. Pdesident Roosevelt has now obtained from the bureau all the data which the steel and ,iron . companies possesses. Thus furnished, he locked all the documents in the safe at White House, remarking that the Government .has no information that.it is at- liberty to disclose. Hence the Judiciary Committee is unable to demand the data as a basis of its case without asking President Roosevelt to violate the confidence imposed in him by Senate J dence imposed in him by the Senate itself in the interests of the corporations.

A itter struggle etween President Roosevelt and Congress took place on January 9. President Roosevelt intimated to the Senate that it was not entitled o direct members of Cabinet to furnish information, inasmuch as Cabinet was solely under President Roosevelt's control, and that therefore he (President Roosevelt), asumed entire responsibility in regard to the question of allowing the Steel Trust to purchase the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company's stock a year ago to prevent a panic. His opponents emphasised that the Trust's only competitor had thus been absorbed. The Senate resolved, largely at Senator Culberson's instance, to instruct the Judiciary Committee to report as to whether President Roosevelt was authorised to permit the absorption.