The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-09-29

LUtlOu was Opl duU Tia
! kell was elected in spite Of the e
forts Of your administration and |
spite of the speech made in Okl
!, homa by MI. Taft"
Mr.. Bryan charged, among othe
. things, that the Steel trust witt
your express consent, purchased on
OF its largest rivals and thus obtaine
control of more than 25 per cent {
the output. He asks the president
he will insist "that in permitting TIL
you showed less favor to the monop,
listtc corporations than I do In oppol
ing IT."
, MT. Bryan abruptly charges tha
Governor Hughes, quoted by Presiden
Roosevelt as having riddled the Demo
cratic trust remedy, was himself tn
beneficiary Of the trusts and cites tn
campaign contributions to the Hughe.
election fund two years ago. Anon
these are j.. p. Morgan, John d. Rockt
teller, Mr.. Carnegie and Mr.. Cromwell
Mr.. Bryan says that after the pres
dent quotes Governor Hughes he take
it for granted that Judge Taft has no
expressed himself satisfactorily o.
the trust question. s#
MI. Bryar'8 Letter.
The letter Of Mr.. Bryan follows:
milwaukee, Wis, Sept. &c, 1905
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Presiden
OF the United States, Washington.
4"Dear Sir:-While I have not re
ceived your letter and shall not unit
l reach home next week, I have reat
a copy Of it in the press and beg leave
to submit the following reply:
"Mr. Haskell having voluntarily re
signed from the committee, that he
might be more free to, prosecute those
who have brought charges against him
j need not discuss the question Of hill
guilt or innocence further than Il
say that the public service which he
has rendered and the vote Of conn,
dence which he has received from the
people Of his state ought to protect
him from condemnation until the
charges can he examined in some
place where partisanship does not bias,
and where campaign exigenciss do not
compel prejudgment. would not
deem 1t necessary to address you fur.
ther, but for the fact that you seize
upon the charges and attempt to make
political capital out Of 1t. You even
charge that my connection with Mr..
Haskell's selection as a member Of she
resolutions committee and rs treas.
urer Of the committee raises a ques-
ton as to my sincerity as an opponent
of trusts and m%onopolies. As IN in.
dividual and as the candidate Of my
party, I resent the charge and repel
the insinuation. / have been in public
life for eighteen years and I nave been
sufficiently conspicuous to make my
conduct a matter Of public interest. /
have passed through two presidential
campaigns in which party feeling ran
high and epithet vas exhausted. /
have no hesitation in saying that o
cannot find an act, a word or a thought
of mine to justify your partisan
charge.
Il have never been informed Of any
charge that had been made against Mr.
Haskell, connecting him with the
Standard Oil company or with any
other trust. I had known him. as al
leader in the constitutional conven.
ton Of Oklahoma and had known him
the one principally responsible for
the excellent constitution which has
since been adopted and adopted By
majority Of 100000. 10000 Of which
was furnished by the Republicans. II
had known his election to the COVER.
ship OF that great young state by al
majority of some 10000; I had known
that the constitution was adopted and
that Governor Ha ikell was elected IN
spite Of the efforts Of your admits
and In spite Of tho speeches.
made in Oklahoma by Mr.. Taft.
"You say that 1t was q matter Of
common notoriety that Nj. Haskell
was connected with the Standard OIL
company. / have q right to assumed
that II so serious an objection should
have existed to Mr.. Haskell's5 election
and had been q matter Of common mo-
In Ohio, az you say, Judge TAFT
would have felt 1t his conscientious
1uty to warn the people when he
spoke In Oklahoma. II he did not
lave the knowledge, why can It bel
assumed that / had 1t. Aud II he
lad 1t. how can you excuse his failure
o communicate the information to the
people Of Oklahoma? Il you feel It
patriotic duty to denounce Mr..
Haskell when he is only a member of
he national organization, how much
more would MT. Taft have felt 1t his
patriotic duty to d%enounce MI. Has
lell when he Is only a member of the
lational organization, how much more
would Mr.. Taft have felt It his patri-
tic duty to- dencunce Mr.. Haskell
vhen he was aspiring to be the chief
executive of q great state?
Il could have had no knowledge oil
he suit to which. you refer when he