Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-04-09
declares HARTMAN
Statement UNTRUE
PRESIDENT ASSERTS HE DID NOT
ASK NEW Workers. AID IN
CAMPAIGN OF 1904.
LETTERS TO SHERMAN
GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC

Alleged Request That Financier Help
to Raise Fund of $250,ooo Termed
as "a Deliberate and Wilful Un.
TRUTH"
Washington, April President
Roosevelt Tuesday emphatically de-
MED the statement contained in let
ter published in the morning purport-
ing to have been written by E. H. Har-
riman to Sidney Webster, of New
York, in December, 1905. In Mr.. Har-
rimans letter the statement is made
that at the request of President Roose-
welt he, Hartman, assisted in raising
fund of S250,000 to be used in carry
ing New York for the Republican
party at the election which was then
approaching. This statement the pres
ident characterizes as "a deliberate
and wilful untruth-by right it should
be characterized by an even shorter
and more ugly word. never request
ed Mr.. Hartman to raise dollar for
the presidential campaign of 1904
Sidney Webster is lawyer and a
writer on political subjects. His wife
Is a sister of Stuyvesant Fish, who lost
the presidency of the Illinois Central
railroad few months ago after antag-
onizing Mr.. Hartman.
The presidents denial was con-
tanned in brief statement and copies
of letters written to Representative
Sherman, of New York The letters
are dated October and October 10,
1906, respectively.
Letters Are Made Public.
The president after furnishing the let
ters to the press, dictated the follow
ing statement:
After writing these letters to Con-
gresham Sherman the president was,
assured that Mr.. Hartman had not
made the statements which Mr.. Sher-
man credited him with making. mas
much as the same statements appear
In the major part in the letter of Mr..
Hartman now published the president
deems it proper that the letters he
sent to Congressman Sherman last
October shall now themselves be made
public"
In the first letter reference is made
to a conversation between Mr.. Harri-
man and Mr.. Sherman which was re-
peated to the president in which Mr..
Hartman is said to have given as
reason for his personal dislike of the
president, partly the latters determi-
nation to have the railroads super
yised and partly the alleged fact that
after promising Mr.. Hartman to ap-
point Senator Depew ambassador to
France he, the president, failed to do
1t. And continues the president, 81
understood you to say, that he alleged
that l made this promise at time
when he had come down to see me in
Washington, when / requested him to
raise $250,000 for the Republican pres
tdential campaign which was then on"
1t appears from the conversation re-
peated to the president that Mr. Sher-
man had gone to Mr.. Hartman to ask
him for a contribution for the cam
paign.
Asked Ambassadorship for Depew.
The president says that Hartman
also (more than once, he thinks,)
urged him to promise to make Mr..
Depew ambassador because this
would help Gov. Odell by pleasing
certain big financial interests. The
president said he informed Mr.. Har-
riman that he did not believe it would
be possible to appoint Mr.. Depew and
furthermore expressed his surprise at
his (Harriman's) saying that the
men representing the big financial
interests of New York wished the ap-
pointment made inasmuch as num-
Der of them had written asking that
the place be given to Mr.. Hyde. Mr..
Hartman, on learning Mr.. Hyde was
a candidate, hastily said that he did
not wish to be understood as antag-
onizing him, and would be quite will
ing to support him. The president
says that although he understood
that he (Harriman) still preferred
Mr.. Depew he left a strong impress
sion that he would be almost as well
satisfied with Hyde.
Some correspondence is then given
between the president and Mr. Har-
riman from which it appears that on
October 10 the president said to Mr..
Hartman that in view of the trouble
over the state ticket in New York he
would like to have few words with
him. Later, on October IA, is a let
ter to Mr.. Hartman in which the
president says that suggestion has
come to him in roundabout way
that Mr.. Hartman did not think it
wise to come in the closing weeks of
the campaign. The president told
Mr.. Hartman if he thought there was
any danger of his visit causing
trouble to give it up. Here the pres.
ident in his letter to Mr.. Sherman
says:
"You will see that this letter is alb
solutely incompatible with any the
DRY that I was asking Mr. Hartman
to come down to see me in my own
interest"
The president incloses another let
! ter from Mr. Hartman in his com
munication to Mr.. Sherman which he
says shows that Hartman did not
have in his mind any idea of my
asking him to collect money"
Then follows some correspondence
between Mr.. Hartman and the pres
ident touching among other things on
\