The Washington herald., 1908-05-19
NH. TAFT's REPLY.
You can tell Senator Chandler
that am for = publicity bill.
Secretary Taft,

William II. Taft, Secretary Of War. ana
the leading avowed candidate for the Re-
publican Presidential nomination. be.
lieves that the contributions and assess
ments which provide the sinews Of war
in a great national campaign should be
made public, and he favors, without quail
ineation, the passage OF bill by Con-
gress TO make the publication Of such
funds mandatory.
Mr.. Taft made an unqualified declara-
ton Of this import last night to a repre-
sentative Of The Washington Herald.
Reads Chambers Challenge.
He was shown copy Of a letter which
ex-senator William E. Chandler. of New
Hampshire. on Sunday. wrote to sena-
tor Burrows, the text Of which is as
follows:
Washington, d. C., May II, 1905
Ny Dear aIT, BUTTONS; 7 sm informed that sece-
taTy Taft. On the day befsTe he left for Panama.
wrote TO yeu that he desired to see passed at The
present session a national publicity Law for cam
paign contributions II THIS is act correct please
state without delay. II It is correct, please say 70
NE before tomorrow night that y0u viii make Mr,
Tafts letter public To treat the letter as private
would be injurious to Mr Taft. and TO the cause q
publicity. which he asks you 70 serve
II the should fail it might be By reason q
the privacy Of the letter, which he and everybody
else would regret. II It should pass. be would be
glad that he had publicly aided IL
The end 0 the session is 50 near at hard that
beg yOa and your committee to set withoat DELAY.
Do not eHtfeat yoa. tempt the committees. IA
tior 81 and Congressional IN moments of danger CO
Desperation TO seek q receive large money contribu
tons from ''malefactors Of great wealth." induced
by the certainty Of privacy and their hope that they
may therefor be allowed hy the Executive TO commit
reasonable crimes with !napungty.
Truly yours. WILLIAM E CHANDLER.
or the National Publicity Biz Organization.
United States Senator Burrows. Chairman.
"I Am for Such Bill"
Mr.. Taft read the letter carefully. and
his famous smile departed for the time
required for It's perusaL With face still
serious. he turned to the interviewer and
asked if the latter knew the purpose of
the letter or the circumstances which had
prompted its writing. The scribe was un-
able TO give the desired information. and
the Secretary's smile suddenly returned
He said he did not Ike the tone Of the
misstve, and he implied that he did not
understand just what made his letter the
business of Mr.. Chandler or the National
Publicity Bill Organization, although he
did not say so.
"The letter which I wrote 10 Mr.. Bur-
rows" he said, was a personal one. and
naturally was not given to the public. I
do not know how its existence was made
known
The personal character of the letter,
Mr.. Taft indicated. made it inappropriate
TO discuss the letter itself.
But If this Is what Mr.. Chandler wants
to know said the Secretary Of War.
"you can tell him that am for such a
bill"
lie said this in decisive tones and with
an equally decisive shake of his head in
the affirmative, as if to add force to the
statement of his attitude.
Then his jovial humor returned In all
its former vigor, and with characteristic
parting word and peal of that infectious
laughter he terminated the interview.
There have been stories about the Cap
itol for some weeks, or ever since the
Secretary OF War left Washington for
the inspection trip to Panama, from
which he returned yesterday, TO the effect
that Mr.. Taft. before starting on that
trip. had indited a letter TO Senator Bur-
rows. of Michigan, chairman of the Sen
ate Committee on Privileges and Elections.
and the recently chosen temporary chair
man Of the Republican national conven-
ton. in which letter, it was said, he
urged that the bill pending before Mr..
committee, proposing 10 compel
publication of campaign contributions, be
reported and passed.
ClOseted with Burrows.
Senator Burrows, in an interview with
this newspaper on Sunday evening, de-
elined to refute or affirm this story, say
ing Secretary Taft was the proper person
to whom to PROFOUND the question wheth
er such a letter had been written.
Mr.. Taft was seen at his home In K
street last night as he was about TO start
for the White House to confer with the
The scribe had to wait for fifteen min
utes or so. at the end of which period
Senator Burrows himself was accom-
panied from the study by the Secretary of
War. They were laughing heartily as
they walked together through the han,
and when Senator Burrows had departed
the Secretary came into the reception
room. with outstretched hand and beam
ing face.
Reads Chandzer's Challenge.
He had returned from a ride some time
before, but the steady stream of callers
had prevented his changing his clothes.
and he appeared in his riding clothes.
sas sing that he had but a few minutes. as
he must don other toggery and get up to
the Executive Mansion.