The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-24
ROOSEVELT PROSECUTED ME-,
| VIOLATED NO Law; BURTON
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five payments were made to me in Wash
ington. If l rendered any services that
were prohibited by the statute, rendered
/ them in Washington, and not In st.
! Louis.
| why was I then taken a thousand
miles away from the place where 1t was
! alleged I rendered the prohibited SER
vices, where four of the Ave payments
were made to me, where most of the wit
| nesses resided, into strange city, where
| l had never seen or communicated with
| any postal official? There was a wild
| crusade against accused officials in Mis-
souri, at that time, and the storm center
| was at St. Louis. There is an inherited
! prejudice in that city against Kansas.
but that was very slight, as compared
with the far deeper prejudice then exist
Ing against any high official charged with
! crime. Governor Folk, then circuit attor-
ney, had instituted prosecution against
public officials, and other persons, and
; the excitement had grown so intense as
! to produce, for time. judicial anarchy
in that place Nearly all of the upper
tendon of St. Louis had been guilty OF
| violating the law, and those who had not
| were under suspicion. For some time
| vicious attacks had been made through
! out the country against the United States
| Senate. Therefore, the prosecution of a
/ Louis furnished shining mark for all
the hate that had been aroused against
! high officials, and left to a man then IN
my position In a strange city very little
| chance for a fair trial
IT do not think that It Is generally
| know that eevry witness who testified to
anything material against me has either
| been promoted In office or has received
| immunity from punishment by the Pres
| ident. But such is the case. Nor did the
President stop with his rewards In be-
! slowing gifts to the witnesses who testi-
! fled against me. Every official who had
| anything to do with my case, with one
exception, has been promoted by the Pres
| ident.
| Were all these promotions, regards, i'm
/ munities .accidently coincident with my
downfall? Did my case have nothing to
| do with bringing to these judges, prose-
| cutting officers, witnesses and criminals all
! their good luck? Every man must pass
| upon this question for himself. But does
not the inquiry as to the price OF my
! blood obtrude itself when the facts are
| considered?
judicial Force.
There are many other things that
| might be named which would go to show
| that my trial and conviction, in each
! case, was a judicial farce, a trayesty on
| Justice, a political persecution. 1 hope
and expect that both my past and future
| life will be set In contrast to the judgment
| of the court in branding me as a Grim
| inal"
| Mr.. Burton denied the charge that he
! had secured his seat In the United States
! Senate by the corrupt use of money"
| contributed by the railroad. No railway
| company, nor other corporation, nor firm,
nor person, ever paid one cent to elect him
| to office, he said, at his request, or even
| to his knowledge. Some of the men for
| whom he had secured appointments, he
| said, had sent him money, but he had
| returned 1t In every case. He called upon
his appointees to bear him out in the as
sertion that they had never paid one
| cent for their office.
II won my election in fair and open
| fight, with the help of band of friends
| as loyal and true as ever supported any
| candidate. took my credentials untarn-
| ished, and, when l resigned they were
| untarnished still. l know full well that
| the latter part of that statement Is de-
| MED by Judgment Of the highest court
| In the land. i realize, perhaps, more
! than any one else can the deep stain that
! is upon my name, and the name Of
! proud state. But 1t is not an indelible
! stain. That decree records lie. My past
! life contradicts It, L hope, If 1 live, my
| future life will help to wipe 1t away.
Theodore Roosevelt.
IT have been frequently asked who It
| was LndL inspired This UNJUST ana cruel
| persecution against me. l have not made
| any public answer to that question. | ~
| 1t now. 1t was Theodore Roosevelt. True,
| he had to operate through others. Some
of them acted with malice of the kind
| that animated Roosevelt. Others were
driven to help in the great wrong through
| fear. 1t was like him to deny having
| anything to do with institutng proceed
| ings against me until after l was con-
! victed. Then he boosted, 1T was I who
aimed the gum The question naturally
! arises why he did 1t?
| when the Cuban Reciprocity legisla-
| ton was pending in the Senate / made
| speech that made me temporarily noto-
| rious II not famous. / said. in substance,
| that I would not support the measure in
its then form; that it was plainly in
I the interest of the sugar trust; that 1t
! would be a gift of many millions of dol
| lars annually to that great corporation,
| and crushing blow to the beet sugar
| industry; that the whole measure was
! conceived in hypocrisy; that 1t violated
\ the cardinal principals of the republican
! party the tariff; that Cuba was pros
porous, and did not need 1t; that the
! Cubans would not get the benefit of the
| reduction of the tariff on sugar If made,
and that to support bill of this kinu
| was either an insult to the intelligence OF
| republican senators, an indictment OF
their integrity. or both.
when the caucaus at which made this
| spA.,h broke up 1t was with the under
standing that the fight was over for the
| session. But smooth old senator's were
| only pretending. They knew what the
| sugar trust had done for the republican
| party, and did not care to oppose it's
| wishes, and they also wanted to stand In
| with the President Hence, they were only
| too willing to give me and other western
| senators new to the game far more credit
than we were entitled to In the killing of
| the bill Had the members of the 'Politi-
| cal Community Of Interest sincerely been
| for the measure 1t would have been re-
| ported and passed. At that time had not
| that knowledge of the Machivellian
| method that so universally obtains in GEN.
| atorial management. I thought senators
| meant what they said. learned to my
| sorrow that such was not always the case
Zhat senator who can best lie like the