Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-03
LET CORTELYOU SPEAK
Republicans Here Agree With
Senator Lodge.
P PARKER'S CHARGES
ON ALLEGED FORCED COLLEC-
TIoNS FROM TRUSTS.
Should Be Met by Prompt and Vigor-
Should Be Met by Prompt and Vigor-
Gus Denial From the National Com
mittee Chairman.

The suggestion made in New York yester-
day by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of
Massachusetts, that the time had come for
Chairman Cortelyou of the republican ma
tional committee to refute the accusations
made by Judge Parker and other demo-
cratic leaders concerning alleged forced col
lectons from trusts and combines for cam
paign purposes, is heartily indorsed in
Washington. 1t was impossible today to
find a single republican of prominence here
| who does not believe that nothing will be
gained and something perhaps lost by con-
tinued silence by Mr. Cortelyou on this
point.
Senator Lodge is quoted as having said
yesterday that Chairman Cortelyou
should. think, now refute Judge Parker's
charges about contributions from the
trusts. They are all false. But Parker
himself makes the statements, Cortelyou
can well reply He need not say more
than-a few words to show how groundless
the democratic statements are"
Senator Lodge is considered to have
summed up the situation in a nutshell
There probably are not many men of either
party who If they permit their intelli-
gence to guide them in this as well other
matters seriously believe that the so-called
trusts. big and little, have been held-up
by Chairman Corelyou and forced to con-
tribute to the-republican campaign fund
in Washington who are conversant with
the facts say there is not a sir gle docu-
ment In all the files of the Department of
Commerce and Labor that contains any
thing on which a threat of exposure prose-
cution or persecution might be based And
furthermore they say that Chairman Cor
telyou and his colleagues have not yet ar
rived at such plane of sublime innocence,
ignorance and moral turpitude-these three
characteristics being reconcilable in this
case-which would permit of hold-up pro-
ceedings either direct or indirect, being
employed in effort to raise campaign
funds
Funds for Both Parties.
AS a matter of fact despite the rumors
that collections" by both the republican
and democratic committee chairmen had
been extremely difficult this year, the re-
publican committee, at least, has had ample
funds for its purpose. And this statement
can be placed side by side with that made
by former Secretary of War Elihu Root, at
the White House the other day, when he
said that the republican campaign this year
had cost only one-half as much as 1t did
four years ago. Trusts have contributed to
the campaign expenses of both the repub-
lican and democratic parties. Some have
contributed to the party in power, some to
the democratic party and others have even
given freely to both This, according to the
frank statements of prominent men of both
parties, is undoubtedly true. as is the state
ment that none of the contributions have
followed as result of hold-up proceedings.
Inability to prove that the republican
committee has not been guilty of the meth
ods outlined by Judge Parker and his as
sociates is not what is worrying Senator
Lodge and other prominent republicans In
New York and elsewhere. 1t is we'll
known fact, based on the history OF pontics
from time immemoriaL that If enough mud
is thrown some of 1t will stick. Mud, and
plenty of it, is being thrown just now, and
apparently Senator Lodge thinks, as DO
hot tIa ffy,n hos anrraE
to wash it off. And as Judge Parker has
proven himself to be one of the most active
of those who have portrayed chairman
Cortelyou as political highwayman II is
considered that it would not be in the
slightest degree inappropriate or und1gnifed
for Mr. Cortelyou to speak in defense of
himself and his associates OF the repub-
lican committee.
Denial Should Be Vigorous.
Referring to the statement of Senator
Lodge that "a few words would show
how groundless the democratic statements
are" well-known republican and loyal
party man said today that while he agreed
with the senator from Massachusetts,, he
thought the few words should be extremely
Il do not mean," he said, that Chairman
Cortelyou should go into the explaining
business. The democrats would like moth
ing better than to place the republican COM
mittee chairman on the witness s1ahu,
Every piece of doctored moonsnlne ana
every column of dsordered figures that
have applied to democratic uses OF late
with such remarkable frequency, would
then be called up and the repubhcan COM
mittee asked to send in an explanation TO
fit 1t is too near the election for that.
But Chairman Cortelyou should immediate
ly deliver a positive denial OF the stories
of hold-up methods in soliciting campaign
contributions. The attitude of WHATS the
use nobody takes any stock in the stor-
ies' does not fit into this situation Judge
Parker, the democratic nominee Tor the
presidency, has delivered the charges IN
person. and the fact that Chairman Cor
telyou has not replied has been source
of surprise to loyal republicans for some
time They doubt, not the facts, but the
wisdom that is indicating the policy OF 81
lence. I remember an actor, very good
comedian, whose name was WeH known
when I was younger, and who thought he
could play Shakespeare
HE was an intelligent man IN some ways,
hut his sense of perception wouldn't work
on some occasions. On his initial perform
ance he had been on the stage only few
minutes when an extremely variegateo col
lection of things began to come his way. In
stead of getting under cover or lighting
back. or doing something to protect him
self, he simply stood still, smiling as II
to say I know my & acting ,. Is COCO, Con Ion
thing 1t wasn't long before 1t was hard
to tell whether he was human being, an
omelet or a vegetable garden after Sc
we're 1rOSl. all d IcpuDASdH, dHu l. NC.
lieye that Chairman Cortelyou and the re-
publican national committee is above sus-
picion in this matter but wish to heaven
he would hurry up and say So Passive
Indifference, and a turn-the-other-cheek
mood are pretty good assets sometimes but
not Just at this period in the finish of the
presidential campaign of 1904. And think
my view is the view of every republican
who has given thought to the subject"
Republicans In Washington spoke with
some amusement today of Judge Parker's
letter to George +. Parker. head of the
democratic literary bureau, written some
time ago, and instructing the latter to omit
any personalities rejecting on President
Roosevelt from the pages of the democratic
text book
Judge Parker is now admitted to be in
the van Of the army of the Presidents