The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-04-24
REPLIES TO T. H. HARTMAN
President Says He Never Asked
Him to Raise Fund.
Gives Out Letters in Which He Char
acterized Statement as a "Delib-
crate and Wilful Untruta."

New York City.-Precipitated by
the publication Of a stolen letter
written by E. H. Hartman to Sidney
Webster, in which Mr.. Hartman said
President Roosevelt had invited him
to Washington and had asked him to
raise a large sum of money in the
campaign of 1904, a controversy was
begun between the President and the
railroad owner which bids fair to be-
come historic and has %astounded the
nation.
The financial centres of the coun-
try were shaken by the publication.
Men of the highest position and
greatest affairs dared not express an
opinion of the probable result of the
Hartman confessions.
In this letter Mr.. Hartman said
that in the campaign Of 1904, at the
| request. of Mr.. Roosevelt, he raised
a fund of 100000, which vas used
to turn $4,000 votes. to the Republi-
can party in New York State. OF
this he gave $4,000. He raised the
fund, he declared, on the assurance
that Mr.. Roosevelt would appoint
| Chauncey M. Depew as Ambassador
to Paris, but afterward Mr.. Roose-
welt refused to carry out the agree
ment, and so Mr.. Depew was again
sent to the Senate.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in reply, Immediate
ly gave out a letter which he wrote
last fall to Representative James s.
| Sherman, Chairman Of the Republic
| a Congressional Committee. Mr..
| Sherman had sought. a contribution
| from Mr.. Hartman, and Mr.. Harri-
| mar had said he would not give it
| citing as his reasons the statements
given in the letter to Mr.. Webster
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his letter, said:
ANY such statement Isl a deliberate
and willful untruth-by rights it
should be characterized by an even
| shorter and more ugly word"
Correspondence that passed be-
tween Mr.. Hartman and Mr.. Roose.
| Welt in 1904 was included in the let
ter to Mr.. Sherman. In n letter
| Mr.. Roosevelt admitted a conference
with Mr.. Hartman before the 1904
i election and said: eff you remember,
when you were down here you and l
we're so much interested in certain
Of the New York political develop
ments that I hardly, if at all, touched
on governmental matters" In one
| of Mr.. Harriman's letters he a
that 1t would show 1.-The attitude OF
the organization
It was shown that Mr.. Sherman
reported to Mr.. Roosevelt that Mr..
Hartman had said he was willing to
let the Hearst men win the New York
election of 1906, as they were
crooks" and he could buy them. Mr..
Hartman was also quoted as saying
that he could buy State Legislatures,
could buy Congress, and could buy
the courts if necessary. -.
Mr.. Hartman in a statement said
that Mr.. Roosevelt had suppressed a
part of one of his letters, which
would have shown that he went to
Washington at the request Of the
President to talk over the situation
In New York.
It was declared upon good author
ity that the 100000 fund which Mr..
Hartman raised for the 1904 CAM
paign was contributed by three indi-
viduals besides himself. The names
as given are J. P. Morgan, H. Nick.
Twombly, William K. Vanderbilt, Sr.,
and E. H. Hartman, $4,000 each:
! Senator Depew said he had heard
about the fund.
Alton B. Parker, who, as the
Democratic candidate for President
in 1904, had charged that big contrl-
buttons had been made by financial
interests to elect Mr.. Roosevelt, de-
manded an investigation of the whole
subject. He said it would show the
reason for the campaign against
States rights.
81 feel particularly fortunate that
I have been attacked within the past
few days by both ex-senator Burton,
of Kansas, and Mr.. E. H. Hartman,
said Mr.. Roosevelt when he directed
that copies of his letters to MIR. Sher'
man be given to the press, and he
smiled a teeth showing smile as he
said it. Mr.. Burton has just been re-
leased from a term in prison.