Milford chronicle., 1907-04-05
HARRIMAN'S TALE
WILFULLY UNTRUE
President Denies He Ever Ask Him
to Raise Campaign Fund
ISSUES EMPHATIC STATEMENT

Washington, April 3. - Presiden
Roosevelt emphatically denied tn,
statement contained in a letter pur
porting to have been written by E. II
Hartman to Sidney Webster. of New
York, in the latter part of December
1905. In Mr.. Harrimans letter the
statement is made that at the request
of President Roosevelt, he (Harriman)
assisted in raising a fund of S250,000
to be used in carrying New York for
the Republican party at the election
which was then approaching. This
statement the president characterizes
as "a deliberate and wilful untruth-
by right it should be characterized by
an even shorter and more ugly word.
/ never requested Mr.. Hartman to
raise a dollar for the presidential cam
paign of 1904"
The presidents denial was con-
tained in brief statement and copies
of letters written to Representative
Sherman, of New York. The letters
are dated October s and October IL,
1906 respectively.
In the first letter reference is made
to a conversation between Mr.. Harri-
man and Mr.. Sherman, which was re-
peated to the president, in which Mr..
Hartman is said to have given as
reason for his personal dislike of the
president, partly the latter's deter
mination to have the railroads super
vised and partly the alleged fact that
after promising Mr.. Hartman to ap-
point Senator Depew ambassador to
France, he (the PRESIDENT failed to
do it, "and," continues the president,
'I understood you to say, that he al
legged that I made this promise at
time when he had come down to see
me in Washington, when l requested |
him to raise S250,000 for the Republi-
can presidential campaign which was
then on" It appears from the con-
versation repeated to the president
that Mr.. Sherman had gone to Mr..
Hartman to ask him for a contribu-
ton for the campaign. The president
says that Hartman also (mOre
than once, he thinks) urged him
to promise to make Mr.. Depew ambas-
sador because this would help Govern
or Odell by pleasing certain big finan-
cial interests. The president said he
informed Mr.. Hartman that he did not
believe it would be possible to appoint
Mr.. Depew and furthermore expressed
his surprise at his Chairman saying
that the men representing big financial
interests of New York wished the ap-
pointment made inasmuch as a num-
Der of them had written asking that
the place be given to Mr. Hyde. Mr..
on learning Mr.. Hyde was
a candidate, hastily said that he did
not wish to be understood as antagOn-
izing him, and would be quite willing
to support him. The president says
that although he understood that he
(Harriman) still preferred Mr.. Depew
he left a strong impression that he
would be almost as well satisfied with
Hyde. Some correspondence is then
given between the president and Mr.
Hartman from which it appears that
On October 10 the president said to [
Mr.. Hartman that in view of the c
trouble over the state ticket in New t
York he would like to have a few '
words with him. Later, on October IA.
IN a letter to Mr.. Hartman in which t
he president says that a suggestion S
las come to him in a roundabout way b
hat Mr.. Hartman did not think it v
wise to come in the closing weeks of Il
he campaign. The president told Mr.. t
Hartman If he thought there was any y
langer of his visit causing trouble to d
give it up. Here the president in his n
etter to Mr.. Sherman says: e
'You will see that this letter is alb L
iolutely Incompatible with any theory c
hat was asking Mr. Hartman to \
,ome down to see me in my own inter s
,st." a
$50 much for what Mr. Hartman
aid about me personally" says the
in concluding his first letter
o Mr. Sherman. Far more important,
he president regards the additional
emarks which Mr.. Sherman said Mr.
Hartman made to him when he asked G
i'm if he thought it was well to see a
Hearstism and the like" triumphant c.
yer the Republican party. "You," o.
avs the president, Inform me that he Il
old you that he did not care in the W
east because those people were crooks is
nd he could buy them" and other j
imilar remarks. This the president Il
avs was doubtless partly in boastful fC
ynicism and partly in burst of bad OF
smper. but it showed in the presi- &C
ent's opinion, a cynicism and deep pl
eated corruption which he denounces F.
! strong words. al