The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-06

 but there shall be no more contributions. I will join Parker in effort to protect the ballot of the honest citizen from be- ing overrldden by merchandise ballots
 "If he had said that it would have sounded like the Roosevelt we once knew; and If he had followed it by acts In execution of his words, 1t would have been of far less consequence to the people which one of us should be elected than it is now But he did not do it. He shut his eyes to what was going on, and since that time there has been the frequent meeting of the trust magnates and the
 moneys have been pouring into the treas-
 ury all the more freely, and all the mor'-
 plentifully, because of the attitude taken
 by me and which, 1t is true, I have en-
 forced from day to day
 President Does Not Deny.
 "The President does not deny the con
 tributions now. This is what he says:
 That contributions have been made
 to the republican committee, as contri-
 buttons have been made to the democratic
 committee i5 not the issue. MT. Parkers 8 assertion is in effect that such contribu-
 ton have been made for improper prom
 ise direct or indirect of the present re-
 cipients
 That is the only paragraph in Presi- dent Roosevelts statement which touch
 es either directly or indirectly on the question as to whether the trusts have
 made contributions to the republican
 campaign fund. It Is almost in terms of admission tha. the trusts have contri- buted to the republican fund. In coupling
 the democratic campaign fund with the | republican campaign, fund, the President attempts to so associate the two that a denial of his assertion could not be made without duplicating the democratic com mittee He is in a position to know what | contributions have been made to the re- publican national committee by the trusts. If there had been no trust con tributions ne could say so. He has been waiting until the closing hour of the campaign to make easier the pretense of an answer. But 1t is not an answer. It is 3 confession with a plea in avoidance addressed to a kindly and generous peo- pie.
 Root Makes the Admission.
 "If there was any doubt of the source of this great campaign fund it. is no longer a matter of suspicion, for MT. Elihu Root the former secretary of war, frankly admitted last night that the trust frankly admitted last night that the trusts and corporation were heavy con- tributors. He denied that the total amounts thus acquired or dulnOTlZeu were as large as in previous years. More
 over the republican candidate himself denies only that definite immunity from prosecution has been promised trusts for their assistance. He declares that he is merely to give them square deal as the term may be interpreted not by the
 laws of the land, but by himself. It is plain when the time shall come to deter mine what a square deal between the government of the United States and the | contributing trusts really is, the bene- 1 fciary of tine generosity of the latter must either recognize their service or | confess himself guilty of base ingrati- | tude.
 | "The presidents argument and his po- sition seem to justify trust contributions and the inference he would have the public draw from his utterance is of | course, that contributions have been made | by the trusts to the democratic national | committed At this time, therefore, I am | Justified in making statement which I>had not intended to make.
 Wanted to Be Unhampered. 'I requested the democratic national campaign managers. MT. President, that  (continued on Second Paoel