The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-09-30
STIRRING EVENTS
IN POLITICAL ARENA
Hearst Throws a BOmShelI Into
the Ring and Shakes Whole
Country Many Big Guns
Put Out of Commission.
ROOSEVELT TAKING A HAND

Rudely and all but tragically has the
calm, smooth course of the American
presidential campaign of 9oS suddenly
been transformed into a dangerous and
choppy sea through the strange genius
of one Hearst for reading out loud in
public places copies of certain private
letters, which in one way or another
came into his possession, and for digging
up the old and forgotten records of div
ers politicians. Had this wealthy young
journalist been confined to the usual
stump denunciation of the old parties he
would hardly have caused a ripple. But
to catch senators and governors with the
goods on them, as Marse Henry bluntly
puts it, by means of the documentary
proof that can not lie-well, that's an
other matter, and the country began to
sit up and take notice,
Among the first to discover that the
public were sitting and taking notice was
no less astute and energetic ali ofici l
than the president of the United States
and close to him were the presidential
candidates.
Roosevelt struck out vigorously, TAX
ing tactical advantage of the fact that
the veteran Ohio Republican senator,
whose relations with the oil trust Hearst
had exposed in the Archbold respond
ence, had been the consistent enemy of
the administration reform policies.
While thus scourging Foraker, he turned
attention to the record of the Democratic
treasurer and condemned him SO sum
marily that Candidate Bryan telegra pied
the president a tart protest and demand
that Haskell be given a chance to an
swer the insinuating charges. In the
meantime Foraker had been permitted
to withdraw by the merciful rait, a1d
the president wrote long letter in re-
ply to Bryan, laying stress upon the Ok
lahoma record of Haskell and ridicuing
the Bryan band reforms as impractical
Hearst, in his papers, kept digging up
shady transactions in which Haskell
was said to have had a hand, and at
Friday Nights New York State Conven-
ton Of the Independence party the editor
read more letters, connecting ex-senator
McLauren and others with Standard Oil
politics at so much a head. Cong essman
Sibly AMI Justice Elkin of Pennsylvania
and Senator Bailey of Texas were
among those implicated. The letters TO
Foraker spoke of various large remit
tances as per our understanding A" In
the interval Bryan was making per-
sonal scrutiny of the evidence offered
against Hask ell Haskell said Roose-
welt had lied.
One effect Of this expose was the ap-
pearance of the "elder statesmen" in
the Republican pilot house, notably
Crane of Massachusetts, and it was gem
orally ielt that Hitchcock was to be
taken from the wheel But Taft stoutly
insisted that Hitchcock was o. X, and
the latter complained of the lack of
funds.
Taft started out through Indiana,
Wisconsin and Iowa OH his first general
stump tour with sharp references to Bry.
ans record, and Bryan toured back west
ward into Michigan and Ohio, being re-
eeved with great enthusiasm in Taft's
home town of Cincinnati. There Bryan
matched records with Taft.
LaFollette gave Taft the glad hand at
but the former had lost the
state control in Wednesdays conven-
ton.
Haskell resigned as treasurer of the
Democratic National Committee Friday
night, and about the same time it was
announced that Dupont had retired as a
member of the Republican National Elk
ecutive Committee.