Las Vegas daily optic., 1907-04-09


"a. With the correspondence In reia.
lion thereto given out from the White
House. did no, make pleasant reading
10 republican circles. whatever Hsay
be the presidential view of IL Tbs
especially important revelation Il that
President Roosevelt seems to have
been employing HarTimaE TO raise an
election fund at the end u the presl'
dential campaign Of 1904. for use in
New York state and New York thy.
within the very .'ek ao2ar ntly 6f
that Indignant omtgising from the
White House lashing Judge Parker
for daring TO assert or implv that the
republican campaign committee was
putting the corporations under tri5
ute In order TO carry the election.
Mr. Roosevelt's denial Of that time
emphasizes particularly an alleged
charge that MIR. Cortelyou as chair
man Of the republican campaign com
mittee was using knowledge Of cor
poration practices. gained while sec
retary Of the department of COM
meree and labor, to compel the culpa-
BILE corporations to disgorge. But the
president went further. He said:
The assertion that there has been
made In my behalf by Mr.. Cortelyou
or anyone else any pledge or prom Sc,
or that there has been any under
standing as To future immunitlcs oT
benefits. In recognition of any ctn
tributIon from any source. is a wick
ei falsehood"
And now comes the Hartman state
ment. made In private correspond
ence during the life insurance expos
ures Of 1906. that In return for his
efforts in raising the money air. De
pew was to be made ambassador tC
France. II will also not escape oh
servation that the Hartman state
ment implies that there were life In
surance company contributions In thai
fund of 100000. which he raised ''ir
three or four hours after getting
back TO New York from Washington
The presidents letter OF last Octo
Der to Chairman Sherman OF the re
publican congressional committee
now given out from the white House
as an answer TO the Hartman state
ment. makes emphatic leulal that
there existed any promise or under
standing that Depew was to be Sent
to France. and 1t 10 furthermore ie
MED that the fund raised by Harri
man had anything to do with thc
presidential election: instead. II Is
asserted that 1t had to 10 with The
New York state election exclusively
and was In the interest of the Harri
man-odell outfit more than anything
else.
Now what are we to make out of oil
this? II is to be admitted. evliently
that the New York republican stat,
ticket In 1904 was regarded as IL
danger. and In that case It Is idle TO
MIR. Roosevelt to contend that thi
had no bearing on the presidential
result and was of no concern to hin
and his political fortunes of the mo
ment But even II we accept tn
presidents contention at It's full fac
value. he nevertheless appears as ure
ing a liberal use Of money at the ve.'
last moment to save the day in New
York state and approving measure
to raise the money-ani whether tn
money was employed to elect Higgins
regardless of the fortunes OF Pres
dent Roosevelt. or otherwise. can no
OF course make any difference In tn
moral aspect of the affair. That tn
money was used illegitimately Is no
asserted or implied But 1t NAV b
said that money raised at the YER
end Of a campaign TO be spent Il
large sums on election day may no
easily be employed in wholly legit
mate ways. 1t may be said on bt
half of the president. however, tha
he was brought up In the latter-ja
school of republican politics, whic
has taught the great virtue of niue
money for substantial results at tn
polls. and II he Is now shown as RI
posing great confidence In the powe
Of an innocent employment of none
on election day In 1904. we need nc
BE- surprised or fail to recognize tina
he has doubtless since come to vfe'
such a matter In a different light.
One more unpleasant fact Is mad
apparent by these letters. It Is this
President Roosevelt was entertainin
the name of ]. H. Hyde for th
French mission, If not that OF Depev
at a time when Hyde's insurance cor
pany was apparently making lars