Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-04-10

he would not find himself in the
embarrassing position in which his
controversy with Mr.. Hartman
has left him. He would not have
land himself open to the charge of
inslncerity-of assuming virtue
which he may not possess; OF pro-
Tossing to have no friendly regard
for Mr.. Hartman and men of his
tpye and yet holding them in the
highest esteem when he needed
their aid for the advancement of
his individual political interests.
Mr.. Roosevelt is convicted out
Of his own mouth and by his own
correspondence with Mr.. Hartman
ofwhat would be called crookedness
and doubledealing in an ordinary
men.
Mr.. Hartman was delegate to
the Republican National Conven-
ton and voted for the nomination
of Mr.. Roosevelt. The President
wrote to him on June %, 1904:
As soon rs YOU come home
shall want to see YOU. 1t has been
a real pleasure to see YOU" This
letter. it should be remembered.
Mr.. Roosevelt Suppressed in the
matter given out for publication.
On September % the President
wrote to Mr.. Hartman that there
were one or two points in his letter
of acceptance that he desired to
discuss with the railroad magnate.
On October II President Roosevelt
notified Mr.. Hartman that he
wished TO discuss certain Govern
ment matters with Mr.. Hartman
before he worte his annual message
to Congress. These facts establish
the existence of cordial and even
confidential relations between the
President and Mr.. Hartman at
that period. Yet Mr.. Roosevelt
knew then exactly what kind of
man Mr.. Hartman was. He knew
that he was practical to the last
degree: that he was not in politics
purely for recreation or for unself-
ish and patriotic purposes. He
said, in fact, in one of his letter
to Mr.. Hartman, My dear sir,
You and | are practical men" The
president, as a practical politi-
clan, must have realized that the
corporationsdo not give generously
to campaign funds for the mere
Joy of giving. He must have had
knowledge of Mr.. Harriman's
methods and considered himself
fortunate to be in alliance with him.
Whether in 1907 Mr.. Roosevelt is
justified in denouncine as liar the
man whom in 1904 he declared it
to be "a real pleasure to see" is a
question which the public must
decide on the evidence and the
PROBABILITIES. The public is not
inclined to consider Mr.. Hartman
a person of high moral standards
and would not readily take his
word on this subject.
But the President, in attempting
to defend himself, corroborates
Mr.. Hartman so strongly that it
is difficult to disbelieve the accuser.
dlscredited as he may be in general.
The shock to the country is not in
Mr.. ROosevelt's declaration that
Mr.. Hartman is a liar, a conspir-
ator and corruptionist, but that
he and Mr.. Roosevelt were once
bosom friends and that Mr.. Roose-
welt proves that he was on Mr..
Harriman's level.
But Mr.. Hartman, after all, is
only an incident. There is far
greater principle involved in Pres
ldent RooseveIt's relations with
the corporations in 1904 in respect
to contributions 10 bis campaign
fund. In the statement which he
made to the newspaper correspond
ents on Wednesday the President
represented himself as the cham
pion OF the people, defending their
interests from millionaire con
spiratOrs. Among these con
'pirators" are men who are un-
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