| Show HUMAN SCORES PRESIDENT 0 FOR HIS LETTER washington feb 24 tle following 13 the letter from the white house withdrawing sir tillmans invitation to dine there tonight white house february 24 the president regrets that he is corn to withdraw the invitation to you to dine tonight at the white house very truly yours GEORGE B CORTELYOU secretary to the president commenting upon the letter mr till man said the president of course alie right to invite any one he chooses to dine with him or otherwise and also lias the right to withdraw such in As I 1 am not conscious of having done anything personal or which gives the president the to insult I 1 am surprised at his action the invitation to the dinner came to me unsolicited and unexpectedly and so far ns the withdrawal is concerned it is a matter of absolute indifference to me it i the motive behind it which seems to put me in the condition of un ness to meet the president and hia guests before final action by the senate prince aenry the presidents guest cornea from a country where custom makes U obligatory upon any man who regards himself as a gentleman to promptly resent an insult and the method is by chal lange to a duel that was once the custom but it is now obsolete in the united states and we have been forced as a people here to cling to the old anglo saxon rule of considering the lie direct as the first blow and no man could hold up liis head in decent society should he being near enough to answer the lie with a blow not to give As for my being in contempt of alie senate which I 1 presume is the excuse for this insult at the hands of the president that I 1 deny I 1 have been guilty of a breach of rules and the privileges of the senate I 1 admit the senate was not sitting as a court but as an executive assembly it has the right to expel me if it sees fit and I 1 am ready to abide its and action it lias the right to arrest me and hold me in custody until it makes disposition of my case but it has no right to gag roe and the president lias no right to judge me as guilty of conduct unbecoming a gentleman unless lie belies all his ante cements led me to believe that ho would have dono just as I 1 did under alie circumstances As to which of us is the gentleman in this matter in view of the unsought invitation to dinner at the white house and its indecent with drapal I 1 am willing to abide by tha judgment of all bravo and self respect ing men |
