The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-04-03
MAGNATE HARD
HIT IN A LETTER
FROM PRESIDENT
Executive Vigorously Denies
Truth of Campaign
Fund Story
LETTERS GIVEN OUT
Depew-Hyde Affair Is Ex-
planned in Correspond
ence With Financier
POLITICIANS WORRY
Fear Omission of Portion of
Missives May Be Mis-
construed
POLITICIANS WORRY
BY Ira E. Bennett

WASHINGTON, D. c.. April
President Roosevelt has nomi-
mated E. H. Hartman for member
ship in the Ananias Club. saying of a
statement made by the railroad man
that it was "a deliberate and willful
untruth" and that by rights it should
be characterized by an even shorter
and more ugly word
The untruth which the President
accuses Hartman of having deliber-
ately and wiIlfully uttered is that the
President urged Hartman to raise
campaign funds and that he did SO to
the extent of 100000 with the un-
derstanding that Chauncey NJ. Depew
should be appointed Embassador to
France, and that after the election the
President went back on his agreement.
Harrimans letter, which was pub
lished in the New York World and
Washington Post this morning, created
a tremendous sensation. The President
heard of it before breakfast and inn
mediately upon arriving at his office
became busy devising suitable reply.
He saw several intimate friends
about it. After visit to his dentist the
statement was issued. When the Presi-
dent gave it out he made this caustic
remark: Il feel particularly fortunate
that I have been attacked within the
last few days by both ex-senator Bur-
ton of Kansas and Mr.. Hartman"
The Presidents denial of the Harri-
man story appears in a letter ne sent
to Representative Sherman last Octo-
Der. 1t is evident that the Hartman
letter. or the story based upon it.
reached the President and the Con-
gressional campaign managers and
aroused the fear that it might be made
public.
The Presidents letter was written for
the purpose of being made public if
the Hartman story should see the
light. AS the Hartman story was not
published, then the Presidents letter
was also kept dark. Now both letters
are made public and the people are left
to decide for themselves whether or not
Hartman is eligible for mem bership in
the rapidly growing Ananias Club.
PRESIDENTS OMISSIONS
pnIf
Presidents action in suppressing a part
Of Harriman's letters to him. They
think he should have published the
whole correspondence, without reserve,
thus giving the public no opportunity
to suspect that something important
had been withheld.
The first omission occurs in Harri-
mans letter OF October IL, 1904, and the
second in his letter OF December 10. of
the same year, in which he asked for
the appointment of Jimmy" Hyde as
ambassador to France. Part of this
letter became public during the insur-
ance disclosures in 1905.
1t is surmised that Hartman, in this
letter. reminded the President that
Hyde had contributed literally to the
campaign fund and that possibly he
was the Individual. the friend of De-
pew. who had contributed part of the
100000 which was raised on condition
that Depew should be sent to France.
rhe surmise, of course, is prejudiciai to
he Presidents cause and his friends
ire expressing regret that wrong
may be placed on the cor
by reason of the omission
IF part of it.
TT is up to Hartman now to pro-
luce the checks which he says he
urned over to Treasurer Bliss" said !
/ Senator tonight.
The checks must be in existence.