The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-20
INVESTIGATE SAYS STONE.
The Charges That Trusts Contributed
Heavily 10 the Campaign.
(By ASS .,iated ..tcsa.l

! tliy ASS eiated ''fcs>.l
| Washington, Jan. 1S.--The charges
OF IMPROPERLY made i'll connection
with the campaigns of 1896 and 1904
were for time today revived and
made the, subject of discussion i'm the
Senate. The question was raised by
Mr.. Stone in a speech in support of
his resolution providing for an inyesu-
CATION Of the charges. He used with
much freedom the names of President
Roosevelt, Judge Parker and Chair
man Cortelyou and again traversed
the allegations that Mr. Cortelyou had
used the information secured by him
as Secretary of Commerce and Labor
| to secure money from the trusts.
| The discussion of the Statehood bill
continued with Messrs. Caly, Nelson,
/ l;ailey and Stewart as speakers. The
| former Senator and late Vice Presi-
Dental candidate, Hon. Henry Glass;
away Davis. was a visitor on the moor
CT the Senate during the day. He was
| cordially received by Senators general
| ly and especially by Senator Fair
| banks, his rival in the recent cam
| paign.
Taking up the charges made during
! the campaign that Mr. Cortelyou mad
used his secret official information as
a cabinet officer to Secure contribu-
| tons Mr. Stone said he could neither
affirm nor derry this terrible indict-
ment," because he did not know. Il
only know" he said. that the damn
ing admission stands that the trusts
did supply Mr. CCrtelyou campaign
funds. Moreover, Mr.. CCrtelyou has
never made answer to this charge. 1t
is hard to believe that Mr.. Cortelyou
or that any man of character, woald
prostitute official opportunities to
partisan ends so base. ] am loath to
1 oh co San
as this, and which SC deeply concerns
the public honor and welfare cannot
be silenced by contemporary poo
pooling and ignoring it,
So Good, They Lack Only Wings?
Senator Stone said Mr.. Cortelyo GU
was clothed with inquisitoriAl au-
thority to spy into the secrets OF the
trusts. and power also was given TO
make his discoveries public discretion
Of the President. This man and this
official the President himself selected
for chairmen of the Republican Ma
tional Committee. The circumstances
of this appointment were cur1ously
significant, if not sinister, and the
suspicious inevitably excited by them
have provoked situation greatly 70
be regretted. This accusing fact VIII
not down, that the trusts did fill Mr.
Cortelyous campaign Golfers to over
flowing Happily we have the COM
fcrting assurance, vouchsafed both by
Mr.. Root and the President, that the
trusts had no improper motive IN max
ing these contributions and that no
improper means used to induce tnern.
These indeed, were virtuous trusts ana
theirs an idealistic sef-sacrlhclng
patriotism. They scorned all base eX-
pectation of favors TO come and scout
ed the very thought that their Sold
would be used to corrupt.
He said the Senate could not accept
these assurances without question and
that the resolution of inquiry there
fore should be adopted. He also ex-
pressed the opinion that the PfeSl-
dents charges against the Democratic
campaign management should be in
quired into. Mr.. Stone based his de-
mand for an inquiry into the campaign
of 1896 on the allegations of Thomas
w. Lawson made in recent maya
zine article. The Senator was him.
self vice chairman of the Democratic
national committee during the cam
paign, but he said that he did not pro-
pose to testify. Many thousand people,
he said, believe that election to have
been bought and that fact alone
would justify an inquiry.
The Mote in Thine Own Eye.
Referring incidentally to the bill
introduced by Mr.. Platt. of New York,
to reduce the COIlSEeSSlOlIdl IcplS-
sentation of Southern States because
of the imposition of qualification on
the right of suffrage he said:
1.-The conspiracieS are not only
crime against the suffrage. formed in
New York to debauch the electorate.
but a crime Immediately subVerslVe OF
representative government ana TO us
suppression the Senator from New
York might profitably devote his soil
citous attention.