The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-08-08
CHAIRMAN CORTELYOU HAVING
HARD TIME TRYING TO
FRY THE FAT"
Trusts Hove No Intention Of Contrib
utins to RepubIicans-Standard
Oil Asks Questions.

Roosevelt is losing Ialtn In the 1at-
frying abilities of National Chairman
George B. COrtelyOu.
So far Mr.. Cortelyou has fried but
little fat. He has had the skillet over
the fire for a month, and has tried to
place many of the rich and juicy con-
tributors of other years upon it. They
have eluded him in many instances.
He has collected some fat, but not
enough to grease things for more than
a month. If he cannot start a hotter
fire before long the Roosevelt campaign
will be in difficulties.
One of the first official acts of Mr..
Cortelyou, after he was made national
chairman. was to get from Elmer
Dover, secretary of the national COM
mittee and formerly secretary Of Sem
ator Mark Hanna, a list of all contrib
utors to the Mckinley campaign funds
in 1896 and 1900. The total of these
contributions has never been disclosed,
but it is known in a general way that
in 1900 approximately 100000 was
Cornelius n. Bliss. More money than
this may have been spent, and prob
the stubs of the check books used by
Mr.. Bliss.
The president is so confident vY his
strength with the people that he long
ago decided that it will not be neces-
sary to use so great an amount Of
money as this in the present campaign
He has had many conversations with
leading republicans and with Mr.. Cor
telyou and they have come to the con-
clusion that Mr.. Cortelyou can run
this campaign with from s1,5O0,000 to
100000.
Therefore it is Mr.. Cortelyou's task
to get this amount and he has enlisted
with him not only Treasurer Bliss but
every republican who has any power
in the financial district and with the
trusts and corporations that are to be
MIXED.
Mr.. Cortelyou found when he ex-
amined the books that about one-third
of the money contributed to aid in the
election of Mckinley, came from nor
mally democratic sources He has
Poets very little democratic money
this year.
Standard Oil Makes Conditions.
The first call was made on the larg
est of the corporations, like the Stand
ard Oil company, the great railroad
combinations and other of the gigantic
industrial enterprises. The Standard
Oil company sent a contribution. 1t
was not large contribution. but word
came with the check that it might be
considered as an installment provided
certain questions were satisfactorily
answered.
The important question put direct to
Mr.. Cortelyou was Does the President
mean what he said to us some time ago
when he made an arrangement with
Mr. James Stillman. of the City Ma
company and the other Rockefeller in
terests would furnish their share of the
campaign funds the president would
not upset business with any more an
THRUST crusades?"
Mr.. Cortelyou has not answered that
question yet. and there will be no
more Standard Oil checks until he does
answer it,
He is experiencing the same difficult
ty with other similar corporations. His
list was complete and he asked them
all for money and asked them insist
emily The difference of the replies has
| amazed the president. He is greatly
| worried. There is not yet enough
a month.
An illustration of the attitude of the
great corporations may be found in
the word given to western republic
can of some prominence politically.
who has a very profitable business con-
nection with one Of the largest cor
western man came east to renew his
contracts for another year He met
the board of directors, and he was told
in so many words:
The renewal of your contract for
another term does not depend so much
on the price you name as it does on the