The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-04-03

GeTSOHdI.
 My Dear MT. Harriman-A sugges- tion has come to me in a roundabout way that you do not think 1t wise to come on to see me in these closing weeks of the campaign, but that you are reluctant to refuse, inasmuch as I have asked you. Now, my dear sir, you and I are practical men, and you are on the ground and know the con- ditions better than do. If you think there is any danger of your visit to me causing trouble, or if you think there is nothing special I should be informed about, or no matter in which l could give aid, why, of course, give up the visit for the time-being, and then a few weeks hence, before I write my mes sage, I shall get you to come down to discuss certain government matters not connected with the campaign.
 With great regards, sincerely yours.
 You will see that this letter Is ab- solutely incompatible with any theory that l was asking MT. Hartman to come down to see me in my own inter- est, or intended to make any request of any kind for help from him. On the contrary all I was concerned with in seeing him was to know if l could be of help in securing the election of Mir. Higgins-a man for whom l had the highest respect, and who l believed would be, as in fact he has been, q most admirable governor.
 Moreover, the following letter will show that Mir. Hartman did not have in his mind any idea of my asking him to collect money and that on the con trary what he was concerned about in connection with my letter to him was the allusion l made to the fact that I would like to see him before I wrote my message to discuss certain govern ment matters not conpected with the campaign. His letter, which is No- vember 30, runs af follows:
 Dear Mir. President;
 CT just have had a telephone talk with MT Loeb, and requested him to give you a message from me.
 T drew his attention to the last par agraph of your letter to me October IA last, and explained that of course did not want to make a trip to Washington unless it should be necessary; that the only matter l knew of, and about which l had any apprehension, and which might be referred to in your coming message to congress, is that re- garding the interstate commerce com mission and what the attitude of the railroads should be towards it.
 I have communications from many conservative men in the west, asking me to take the matter up, they having, which I have not, information as to what you propose to say in your mes sage on the subject and I am very ap- prehensive about it.
 have communications from many conservative men in the west, asking me to take the matter up, they haviP g, which I have not, information as to what you propose to say in your mes sage on the subject and am very ap- prehensive about it.
 MT. Loeb states he believed that that part of the message could be sent to me, and hope that he will do so. sincerely believe 1t would be best tor all interests that no reference be made to the subject and in any event If re- ferred to in such a way as not to bring about increase5 agitation It is as you well know, the conservative element, on which we all rely, which is the most seldom heard from.
 1 Yours sincerely"
 This letter to me was crossed by one from me, which reads as follows:
 Strictly personal. November 30, 1904.
 My Dear MT. Hartman: F'r. Loeb tells me that you called me up to 1ay on the telephone and recalled my letter | to you of October 14, in which l spoke to you of a desire to see you before sending in any message, as I wan .ei to go over with you certain govern mental matters, and you added that you had heard that I had referred tc the interstate commerce commission; that you regretted this and wished had left it out. In writing to you had in view, especially certain matters connected with currency Legislation and had not thought of discussing rail. road matters with you. However, If II had occurred to me, l should have been delighted to do so, but if you re- member when you were down here both you and I were so interested 1T certain of the New York political de. velopments that I hardly, If at all touched on government matters h regards what I have said in my mes. sage about the interstate commerce commission, while, as I say l should have been delighted to go over it witt you, I must also frankly say that my mind was definitely made up. Certain revelations connected with the lnvesti gation of the beef trust caused me tC write the paragraph in question. went with extreme care over the in formation in possession of the inter state commerce commission and of tn, bureau of corpora tions before writing 1t. l then went over the written para graph again and again with Paul Nor ton, who is of all my cabinet the maI most familiar with railroad matters O course, and with Root, Knox, Taft ant Moody rtis a matter had been care fully considering for two years, anc had been gradually tho reluctant. coming to the conclusion that it il unwise and unsafe from every stand point to leave the question of rebates where 1t now is, and to fail to give tn, interstate commerce commission addi tional power of an effective kind il regulating these rates.
 "'Let me repeat that l did not hay this question in mind when asked yo tU come down, but that l should mos gladly have talked it over with you if had occurred to me to do so; but as matter of fact, as you will remember