Show I PROVING HIS CASE COLONEL ROOSEVELT'S refusal to appear before tho the Senate lobby I I investigating committee to support his I charges against the administration re regarding regarding re re- garding the ship purchase bill has 4 stirred tho the eastern castern opposition press to an early spring frenzy Naturally they assert Mr Roosevelt knows s nothing or h ho wOl would d appear and tell it Such an nn inference is however Unwarranted unwarranted unwarranted un un- warranted and lamentably bly unjust to Colonel Roosevelt This committee selected to investigate the influences that operated for and against the ship purchase measure has done everything everything every every- thing but that It has sought not notto notto notto to bare tho truth troth but to conceal it Instead of an honest effort to draw I from witnesses whatever cr of in information information onna- onna tion they might have ha Chairman Walsh of the committee has browbeaten brow brow- I 1 beaten intimidated and abused them Jill All that have appeared have been hectored and harried much as Charles R. R Miller Ii r edit editor chief chi pf of the thc New York Times limes who goaded g beyond endurance endurance en en- durance lurance rebuked the Montana near- near statesman with statesman with a vigor or that was applauded applauded ap ap- inside the inquiry chamber and side outside it The purpose of course coure was to hector hector hec bee tor Colonel Roosevelt in the same way The committee l. l knew that he could have hac no actual evidence to support support sup sup- I port his charge that the administration I tion had It endeavored in the tho interest interest inter inter- est cst of certain foreign n business firms to secure to the United States the power to purchase the interned ships of one ono of the belligerents Naturally Naturally Nat Nat- there could be no such evidence since the established facts incases cases of similar collusion are arc impossible of procurement and exposure to the light of or day Men of intelligence do not enter upon such transactions without employing the tho ordinary caution that common prudence suggests Colonel Roosevelt knows only what cven other American every knows knos concerning concern concern- in ing the mischievous ous ship purchase scheme and be he doubtless suspects no nomore more than the suspicious circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances warrant anybody in T L I suspect- suspect Jill 1111 J. J LL Lb L is JS wen iu t ut Ionn I i LJ uy me tC Cul- Cul on onel cl himself in his telegram to Chairman Walsh declining J to appear before the committee e Every very man knew that the object object ob ob- ob- ob of ot the bill was to purchase se these Interned ships If It If this were score 4 not so BO tho the proposed law would have contained a 1 proviso expressly exempting tho interned ships from Its provisions The failure to put In nuch a 3 proviso Is conclusive proof that the tho main object In passing passing- the thenet net act was to purchase these very ship The evidence satisfies Colonel Roosevelt a a 39 it will every other citizen citi- citi willing to consider zen it with an nn open mind Practically the only bottoms bottoms bot hot toms available for purchase are those thos held in American harbors harbor by tho the outbreak outbreak out out- break of the thc war Certainly Amer Arnor- jean ican ships already in commission are not likely to be bought by the gov- gov for such uch pt purchase would not 7 7 1 l f rt 1 t till rr I Iv v nr In 4 11 11 X L l oj CjU ioU I. I 1110 preSent facilities for overseas transportation nor would the governments government's purchasing ing lug agent go across the water for his Ills transactions fj j Th Tb The ships it was proposed to purchase pur pur- chase were those interned here as ns Mr Roosevelt char charges cs and tho the fail- fail tire sire to insert an inhibition in iu l the meas- meas uro against it after repeated suggestions tiona Hons that this be done is 0 proof con- con elusive of intention 1 2 The colonel has jOS proven pro his case |