The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-07
PARKER's REPLY.
He Fails to Furnish Proof of Charges
Against Roosevelt.

New York, Nov. Judge Park s
reply to President Roosevelt, made in
Brooklyn Saturday, is regarded as
distinctly disappointing to his friends.
1t was pointed out by Democratic
leaders that Judge Parker would new
er have made a direct charge againts
the president and Mr.. Cortelyou I'M
less he was prepared to back them up
with proof. The most persistent ru-
NOR which fioated about during the
day was that the Democratic cam
paign managers had supplied Judge
Parker with five affidavits from en-
ployes of trusts. One affidavit, it was
alleged, was from an employe of the
steel trust who had seen check made
out to Cornelius Bliss. Another Aft
davit was reported to be from some
one connected with the beef trust.
He did not offer any evidence what
ever to cOrroborate his charges.
Judge Parker said in part;
THE purpose of my address tonight
is to call attention to the fact that in
his strangely belated reply to my
speech twelve days ago the president
has not met an issue created since the
platforms were adopted, namely: Can
the trusts purchase the election !?
Whatever results may follow from his
address the campaign fund cannot be
interfered with. 1t has been raised.
My first utterance on the subject is
to be found in address delivered on
the oath day of October.
You have learned from it's reading
that the purpose of that address was to
warn the people against the corrupting
of the electorate by tariff bred trusts
and other monopolies. 1t contained no
criticism of the president. 1t simply
called attention to a notorious and Of
fensive situation, a situation which
presented to my mind the greatest of
the moral issues of the campaign, yes,
of many campaigns. IF he had said, on
the day after the consultation about it
which he and Senator Knox had: Yes;
I never thought of it before, but Par
ker is right. Why should a trust take
money out of it's treasury, money be-
longing to it's stockholders, consisting
of women and children, as well as men
of both parties, unless its purpose is to
get something in return something
which its officers regard as more than
an equivalent for the monies taken out
of the treasury. Now, he is right, and
am going to stop it. Perhaps the
national committee cannot pay back
the monies contributed in this way,
that they have already expended, but
there shall be no more such contribu-
tions. / will join Parker in an effort
to protect the ballot of the honest citi-
zen from being overridden by merchan-
disc ballots.
IF he had said that, it would have
sounded like the Roosevelt we once
had known. And if he had followed it
by acts in execution of his words, it
would have been of far less conse-
quence 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 meetings
of the trust magnates, and the moneys
have been pouring into the treasury all
the more freely and all the more plen-
tifully. because of the attitude taken
by me and which, it is true, have
enforced from day to day.
DIDN'T DENY, HE SAID.
The president does not deny the con-
X
That contributions have been made to the
Republican committee, contributions
have been made to the Democratic COM
mittee is not the question at issue. Mr..
Parker's assertion is in effect that such
contributions have been made for improp-
motives, in consequence of the act or
in consequence of improper compromise,
direct o. indire ct, on the part of the re-
6ipients.' That is the only paragraph in
President Roosevelt's statement which
touches either directly or indirectly on the
question as to whether the trusts have
made contributions to the Republican
campaign fund. 1t is almost in terms of
admission that the trusts have contribute