Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-03
HARTMAN SAYS
LETTER IS TRUE
He Absolutely Declines to Retract
Anything Which He Wrote to
Sidney Webster.

In view Of the trouble over the state
ticket in New York 1 should much like to
have few words with you. Do you think
you can get down here within few days
and take either lunch or dinner with me"
ION October IA he wrote:
My Dear Mr.. Hartman:
"A suggestion has come to me in a
roundabout way that you do no think it
wise to come to see me in these closing
weeks Of the campaign, but that you are
reluctant to refuse, inasmuch as / have
asked YOU
"A funeral in my family prevented a
prompt response to the Presidents repeated
invitation, but finally about October 20 I
was able to go to Washington and see him.
There Is some difference of recollections as
to what transpired at that interview. For
tunately the President himself in his strict
ly personal letter to me Of November 80
threw some light upon what did take place.
He says:
Mutual Interest in New York.
If you remember, when you were down
here, both you and 1 were SO interested in
certain Of the New York political develop
ments that l hardly. if at all, touched on
governmental matters.
Again in the same letter he says:
AS matter of fact, as you will re-
member. when you did come down to see
me- you and l were both engaged in the
New York political situation that we talked
OF little else
The invitation of October 10 babe me to
the White House to have few words with
the President in view of the trouble over
the state ticket in New York l replied on
October IL:
am giving a very large part of my
time to correcting the trouble here, and in
tend to do so if any effort on my part can
accomplish it. 1 will take occasion the first
of next week to run down to see you and
1 think by that time the conditions will be
very much improved
whether l was seeking his aid to secure
the adherence Of the state of New York to
the state ticket or he was seeking mine is
proved or disproved by this correspondence
and l cheerfuly submit to the public
whether the inference clearly suggested by
the President is the proper one l did not
so understand it from the invitation, nor
from the interview.
Urged to Help.
The President dwells at length on the
assertion that he did not ask me to con-
tribute for the presidential campaign nor
Tor his personal benefit do not deny
this statement, nor is it at all inconsistent
with the assertions / made in the Webster
letter respecting the interview. Therein T
distinctly said:
The President sent me a reonest 70 On
TO Washington to confer upon the political
conditions in New York state. I comnlied
and he told me he understood the camnaign
could not be successfully carried on with
out sufficient money, and asked IL I would
help them in raising the necessary funds
as the national committee, under Chairna n
Cortelyou. had utterly failed of obtaining
them and there was a large amount duo
from them to the New York state commits,
tee
IF that means anything whatever il
must be that he was urging me to helm
the New York state committee and not the
national committee or the presidential CAM
paign, except so far as the success of the
state ticket in New York would contribute
to the national ticket.
Greatly Needed Money.
What the condition of the finances OF
the Ne" York state committee and of the
national republican committee al that time
was is well known to every one. That
the national committee did owe the state
committee, and that the state committee
was in financial straits is notorious: | was
not a political manager. l was asked to
go to Washington by the President in the
interests OF the state ticket. l could helu
to raise money. That did help in this re-
gard; that | did raise funds immediately
upon my return from the interview with
the President is undeniable and to this
fund l contributed $4,000. My interview
with the President covered wide range OF
SUBJECTS, connected with the New York
state campaign, and l did not pretend to
go over the Whole matter in the Webster
letter
The Presidents letter of October IL
and his comment thereon. interesting
In that letter, he suggested that 1 might
think there was some danger in my visiting
him during the closing weeks of the cam
paign, and suggested that if 1 thought so,
the visit be postponed until after election
when he would ask me TO discuss certain
government matters not connected with
the campaign.
Not Responsible for Sherman.
Here were two distinct invitations, to
discuss two different subjects I could see
no danger in visiting him to discuss New
York politics before the election, and there
fore went, and discussed the subject alone
and after the election took up the other
subject for consideration with him.
Il think if what concerned me as the
object of the visit had been the govern
ments relation to the railroads, the inter-
view would certainly not have been entirely
confined to politics.
Il am not responsible for what Mr.. Sher-
man may have said to the President with
reference to the conversation he had with
me. All that l have to say Is that 1 did
meet this urgent requests that l contribute
to his campaign fund, and that the state
ments alleged to have been attributed to
me by him were false. The President was
assured of this fact by mutual friend who
was present at the interview"
PARKER FOR INQUIRY