Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-26
ROOSEVELT GUSTS
CHAIRMAN FROM
DIRECTORSHIP
POWDER MAGNATE RESIGNS
UNDER FIRE
HITCHCOCK RELUCTANTLY ACTS
ON INSTRUCTIONS
Prosecution Kicked Out Of Repub-
llcan National Committee on
Campaign Speakers
Especial to The Herald

Especial to The Herald.1
w ASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 25.-
w After waiting in vain for the
W voluntary resignation of Gen.
r. Coleman Du Pont from the director
ship of the Republican national COM
mittee bureau of campaign speaking,
President Roosevelt ordered Chairman
| Hitchcock of the Republican national
committee to tell Gen. Du Pont to ten
! der his resignation With great re-
| luctance Du Pont obeyed orders. Sec
retary Loeb, who is understood in such
| matters to be spokesman for the presi-
dent, said it had been expected Gen.
Du Pont would resign, but 1t had been
understood his resignation would be
| voluntary. After many rumors, caused
| by Du Points refusal to acknowledge to
| newspaper representatives that his
resignation had been requested. Chair
man Hitchcock of the Republican ma
| tional committee announced in New
| York that Gen. Du Pont had resigned
as head of the bureau of campaign
| speakers and also as a member of the
executive committee of the Republican
| national committee and that his resig-
nation had been accepted.
Leaders Panic-stricken
On republication in eastern papers of
a Washington dispatch which had
1
| Herald and published in Fridays is
! sue of that paper, there was conster-
nation amounting to panic among Re
| publican leaders, who realized that an
other scandal following closely the
| Foraker affair would have most dis
astrous effect on the already badly
shattered campaign fortunes of the Re-
| publican party Not only did eastern
papers republish and comment on The
Herald's dispatch, but California Re
- 4 L. nIex. 81 1<xrf fl1G
turn affairs were taking, began to be-
/ siege eastern leaders with urgent re-
| quests to take immediate action in
the Du Pont matter, which they said
would hurt the Republican party in the
west. and might even lose California
to that party.
California indignant
Messages were sent to the effect
that California was indignant over the
powder scandal and there would be
a serious detection from the ranks of
the party in California by way of pro-
test against the infamous powder trust
and the action of Republican leaders
in appointing its president to a re-
sponsible position. The powder trust
is even more notorious than the Ctan-
dard Oil trust, dealings with which
got Foraker into trouble, and Du Pont
is president of the powder trust. This
| trust no. only imposed unconScionable
exactions on the public, but sold the
| government for army and navy pur-
poses powder of an inferior quality.
| This is an actual crime much worse
| than the violation of law for which
Du Pont and his associates are being
proceeded against by the government.
Know Du Points History
Roosevelt, Taft and Hitchcock were
all familiar with Du Points history
when he was appointed. Indeed, they
could not help knowing IT.. because
part of It is matter of public official
record.
In spite of remonstrance and pro-
tests and in spite of their personal
knowledge of the facts In the case,
Roosevelt, Taft and Hitchcock ap-
pointed to a responsible position IN
the management of the Republican
campaign a man who is generally ac-
| knowledged to be no better than any
other malefactor. and who was par
ticipant in a transaction which was
both criminal and reasonable.
Calls Du Pont Menace
After the announcement of Du Points
appointment. Alfred o. Crozier. a
prominent Republican of Delaware,
wrote President Roosevelt a letter in
which he said:
''The selection OF Gen. T. Coleman
Du Pont as member of the Republican
national executive committee and as
| director-in- chief of the speakers bu-
reau os the campaign is menace to
the success of the ticket
"To put the president and organizer
of one Of the most powerful of all
trusts at the head of their speaking
| campaign, with complete authority TO
| tell the orators what to say, Is gro
tesoue in view of the platform declara-
tions of our party respecting trusts.
But when this very trust is now In
I court charged with law-breaking, and
Gen. It. Coleman Du Pont and United
States Senator Henry A. Du Pont are
both joined as defendants, the appoint
ment must seem ridiculous.
"This campaign, before 1t is over,
will largely center around discussion of
'nalefactors of great wealth'-those
who, with artificial panies. margin
gambling that totals $3O,OOO'O 'O0oOoo am
nually, trust consolidation and railroad
| manipulation are eating alive the
progress and prosperity of the people.
| "How important then that our party
organization and campaign be purged
in it's management of all such male
| factors for the people this year are
thinking, with eyes and ears wide
open.
"The case against the powder trust is
set for hearing before election. The
government thinks it has sufficient
| evidence to sustain its very serious
charge What will be the effect of the
disclosures before election? If the
case is postponed until after election
it will cause belief that an Immunity
bath is in preparation as a reward for
the service being performed in this
campaign by the head of that trust.
mo doubt Gen. Du Pont will gladly
withdraw from all official connection
with the campaign and party organlza-
tion il the impropriety of the situation
is called to his attention"
Slow to Action
Despising this warning Roosevelt,
Taft and Hitchcock did not take ac~
CContinuea on Page Twol