The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-04-09

Be Named-PoliticaI Secrets and Pri-
vate Letters Given Out.
Washington, April 3. = President
Roosevelt lost no time in taking up the
amazing CHARGES made by E II. Harri-
man in letter written to Sidney Web
ster and which is the sensation of the
decade in political and financial cir
cles. The president deemed the letter
to be of such importance that he sum-
moned cabinet meeting to discuss it.
The cabinet was in session for sew
eral hours, after which the president
issued a statement in which he EN-
phatically denied the statement by
Hartman that he at the request of
President Roosevelt assisted in raising
q fund of S250OO0 to be used in carry
ing New York for the Republican par
fy at the election which was then APP
preaching This statement the presi-
dent characterizes as:
"a deliberate and willful untruth.
BY right it should be characterized by
an even shorter and more ugly word.
never requested Mr. Hartman to
raise dollar for the presidential cam
paign of 1901"
Harrimans Letter.
Following is part of the Hartman
letter which called for this characteri-
cation from the nations chief execu-
tive:
Mr. sidney Webster, 245 East Seventeenth
Street, New York:
Dear Sir--I am glad to see that you are
fr IA 1xya
UNITY of talking matters over with you.
AS to my political instincts, to which
YOU refer in your letter of Dec G3, | am
quite sure | have none, and my being
made at all prominent in the political
situation 10 entirely due to President
Roosevelt and because of my taking
urgent request and his taking advantage
OF conditions then created to further his
own interests. IL II had been a premedi-
tated plot 1t could not have been better
started or carried out.
Cortelyou's Failure.
About week before the election in the
autumn OF 1904 when it looked certain
the state ticket would go Democratic and
was doubtful as to Roosevelt himself, he.
the president, sent me request to go to
Washington to confer upon the political
conditions in New York state. | complied
and he told me he understood the cam
paign 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 Chairman Cortelyou had ut
teriy failed of obtaining them. and there
was large amount due from them to
the New York state committee
| explained to him that | understood
the difficulty here was mainly caused by
the up state leaders being unwilling to
support Depew for recollection as United
States senator; that if he, Depew, could
be taken care Of in some other way, I
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
fOnnd necessary he would appoint him
MS ambassador to Paris
Roosevelt Changed Mind About Depew.
Some time in December 1901, on my way
from Virginia to New York i stopped
and had short talk with the president.
He then told me that he did not think it
necessary to appoint Depew as ambassa-
dor to Paris as agreed--in fact. favored
him for the senate. had not expected
that he was the one (sic) as TO what
would be necessary, but he arrogated
that to himself and /, of course could
say nothing further, After that | used
what influence l could to have Depew
returned to the senate. as l considered
there had been an implied obligation
which should he lived up to.
e. II. HARTMAN
President Hits Back.
The presidents disclaimer is made
up mostly of two long letters which
Mr.. Roosevelt wrote to Congressman
James 5. sherman last October. In
them are embodied a number of letters
which passed between the president
and Mr.. Hartman, some of them mark
ed personal and strictly personal"
In these letters Mr. Roosevelt told
Congressman sherman that the only
reason he had Il conference with Har-
riman in Washington was because OF
his interest in the campaign of Coy
eInor Higgins The president said he
had wanted TO secure Higgins elec
ton, and as there was bolt against
Higgins he wanted to talk to Harr-
man about 1t.
In his letters the president said that
Hartman Al first persstently urged
that Senator Debew be made ambas-
sador to France. but that he told Har.
riman lie didn't think 1t would be pos
sible. Hartman said that "a big bust
ness interest" favored Depew for the
post. The president wrote that he was
surprised because this same big bust
ness interest had written 90 him urg-
ing that James II Hyde get the ann
bassadorShip to France. Subsequently
Hartman switched to Hyde and urged
Hydes appointment The president
says he gave him no encouragement
The conclusion Of The presidents last
letter to Sherman about Hartman is
particularly bitter. II is In part;
Far more important are the addi-
fional remarks he made to you, as ycS
INFORM nae, when you asked MN II ne
thought il was well to see Hearstisn
and the like triumphant over the Re
publican party. You inform me that
he told you that he did moi care in the
least because those people were crooks
aud he could buy them. that whenever
he wanted legislation from a state leg
islatufe he could buy II, that he could
bus congress and that if necessary he
could buy the judiciary
Worse Than Debs.
~1his was doubtless said partly in
boastful cynicism and partly ia a mere
burst OF bad temper because Of his OBJ
lection ID Interstate commerce law and
X nv actions as president But 1t