Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-04-10
HARTMAN SAYS he RAISED BIG
CAMPAIGN FUND AT R0osE-
vELT's REQUEST.
ARemarkable Letter Which Has
Augered the President to the
goth Degree.

railway manager, admits that he
wrote the following letter, which
contains astonishing disclosures:
Mr.. Sidney Webster,
No. 245 East Seventeenth st. N. Y.
Dear Sir: l am glad to see that
you are in town, and hope soon to
have an opportunity of talking mat
ters over with you.
l had printed copies Of the testi-
mony sent you, in hopes that you
would, after reading them, give me
some idea of where / stand, for l
confess that | feel somewhat at sea
in the whole insurance matter. The
trouble originated in my allowing
myself to be drawn into other peo-
ple's affairs, and partly from a desire
to help them at their request. 1
seemed to be like the fellow who
got in between the man and his
wife in their quarrel.
AS to my political instincts to
which you refer in your letter of
Dec. l3, lam quite sure that have
none, and my being made at ali
prominent in the political situation
is entirely due to President Roose.
velt and because of my taking an
active part in the autumn. of 1904
at his urgent request, and his TAX
ing advantage of conditions then
created to further his own interests.
If it had been a premeditated plot it
could not have been better started
or carried out.
About a week before the election
in the autumn of 1904, when it look
ed certain that the State ticket would
go Democratic, and was doubtful as to
Roosevelt, himself, he, the President,
sent me request to go to Wash
ington to confer upon the political
conditions in New York state. l
complied and he told me he under
stood the campaign could not be
successfully carried on without
sufficient money, and asked if
would help them in raising the
Necessary funds, as the National
Committee. under control of Chair
man Cortelyou, had utterly failed Of
obtaining them, and there was a
large amount due from them to the
New York State Committee.
explained to him that 1 under
stood the difficulty here was mainly
caused by the upstate leaders being
unwilling to support Depew for re-
election as United States Senator;
that if he, Depew, could be taken
care of in some other way thought
matters could be adjusted and the
different contending elements in the
party brought into close alliance
again. We talked over what could
be done for Depew and, finally, he
agreed that if necessary he would
appoint him as Ambassador to
Paris.
HARTMAN THEIR "LAsT HOPE"
With full belief that he, the
President, would keep this agree
ment, I came back to New York,
sent for Treasurer Bliss, who told
me that l was their last hope, and
that they had exhausted every other
resource. In his presence I called
up an intimate friend of Senator
Depew, told him that it was neces.
sary in order to carry New York
State that 100000 should be raised
at once, and if he would help
would subscribe $4,000. After q
few words over the telephone the
gentleman said he would let me
know, which he did probably in
three or four hours, with the result
that the whole amount, including
my subscription, had been raised.
The checks we're given to Treasur
er Bliss, who took them to Chair.
man Cortelyou. If there were an.
among them life insurance com
panies. or other like organizations
of course Cortelyou must have in
formed the. President. I do no
know who the subscribers wer
other than the friend of Depew, VIII
was an individual. This amour
enabled the New York State Com
mittee to continue it's work, with th
result that at least $4,000 vote
were turned in the city Of New Yor
alone, making a difference Of 100
1000 votes in the general result.
4 There are between 2,2OO and2
300 districts in Greater New Yorl
and in campaign such as that til
expenditure Of, say, $50 in eac
district for campaign purposes, nj
including the watchers on Electio
Day, would take more than $4OO.O'
ROOSEVELT CHANGED MIND ABOUT
DEPEW.