East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-09-28
President Appeals to Record
of Action Instead of Party
Platforms.
ALLEGES REPUBLICANS
DO CHASTISE TRUSTS
Declares Trusts Seeking Special Priv
ilcges VIII Support Bryan-Others
VIII Endorse Taft-Refers 10 His
Record and That of Hughes-Prcsi-
dent Endorses Publication of Cam
paign Contributions After Cam
paign's Close.

{
made public his answer to the letter
Of w. J. Bryan, in which Bryan
maintained that the democratic party
and platform were not getting a
square deal i'm the campaign. The
pi esident's reply deals particularly
with Mr.. Bryan's assertion that the
administration has been neither sin
cere or effective in the prosecution Of
trusts.
Among other things the president
charges that Mr.. Bryan has mot an
swered Hughes speech" and in my
judgment you do well not to make the
attempt"
The president declares that the re-
publican platform does not need to
make declaration of a vigorous law
enforcement against trusts, for it en-
dorses the policies of the administra-
tion, and that is what the administra-
tion is doing.
Mr.. Roosevelt compares the record
OF lack of prosecutions of trusts un-
der the Cleveland administration with
the record of such prosecutions made
I by his own. He defends his action in
allowing further consolidation in the
steel trust, declaring that it gains no
| further standing under the law there
I by.
He cites H, S. Priest, attorney for
the Waters-Pierce oil company, as
supporter of Bryan. and declares that
Pierce says that Wall street predicts
Bryan's election.
Mr.. Roosevelt then continues;
You say that the trust magnates
know their own interests and are sup
porting Judge Taft. So far as their
interests are simply interests of the
business community, and especially of
the wage workers, I believe they will
support Judge Taft. So far as they
have special interests which are to
them more important than the gen.
eral business welfare, | believe they
will support you. In my belief your
success would be a calamity to the
country both from the standpoint of
business (and especially of the inter-
ests of the wage workers. and from
the standpoint of morals"
The president declares that he made
no promises to get support in 1904
and refers to his relations with Har-
riman, saying:
Il treat each man and each corpo-
ration with a view solely to whether
he or it is acting rightly on d given
occasion Let me give you an exam
pie. | have proceeded against the
corporation of which Mr.. f. H. Har-
riman is the head on certain points
where | believe they have violated
the law. But when, i'm connection
with the breaking of the Salton Sea
dam, one of the Hartman corpora
tions repaired the dam, |, last winter
did everything to have congress reim-
burse Mr.. Hartman for so much of
the obligation as felt ought to come
upon the United States.
Il would hold myself unfit to be
president If, because | prosecuted Mr..
Hartman where | thought he had
broken the law, | yet hesitated to do
him justice whore l thought the facts
required that justice should be done
him. In exactly the same way | have
acted and shall act as regards the
steel corporation"
Roosevelt declares he is i'm favor of
for campaign contributions
after election, stating that had they |
been published before Bryan would |
probably have urged the Morgan, Car |
negie and other contributions for ,
Hughes election, and that of Mr.. !
Hartman for Roosevelts as an ar |
that neither candidate was fit |
for the office to which he was later
elected.
He then reiterates the charges of !
detailing from special re-
ports the accusation that Haskell by |
using dummies and "straw men" pro-
cured valuable oklahoma lands
through conspiracy and fraud
That he has been guilty of perjury
and fraud as shown by the Ohio rec
ords.
That Haskell's history is a record |
of unpaid judgments.
That he was a lobbyist for fran
chises from various oklahoma cities.
That he was a member of an anti
labor organization in Guthrie.
The president then again takes up
the charges regarding the Prairie Oil .
company and concludes his letter with
the following arraignment: /