The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-10-02
HASKELL BLIsTERs ROOSEVELT
Says Halo of Integrity that Sur
rounded President Has Faded
Away.

NoFcfIof bHaS. N. IlaSkell, I0r1nerly
treasurer of the Democratic national
committee, tonight gave out a long
letter to President Roosevelt repeat
ing his published defence to the
charges made against him. The let
ter, in part, is as follows:
"The serious character of your
charge against me should have sug-
gested to you that you, as chief exc
cutive, should proceed with delibera-
tion and certainly before making such
hcarsay statements your own declara-
tions.
"1our attack on me finally rested
on my conduct toward the Prairie
Oil and Gas company in this State.
l have said that you were responsible
for granting a franchise before state
hood, thereby creating vested rights.
You seek to evade the issue and
c""ate wrong impressions. You said
the Interior department had no pow
er, except where crossing all Indian
reservation. You would have your
readers believe that the Indian Ter
ritory was then conducting its own
government and that only parts Of
the same were Indian reservation.
Mr.. Roosevelt, you know it is not
true; you know all the land was In
dian land without county, township
or territorial government. What halo
of integrity surrounded you last week,
like the mist has faded away and the
interior department holds the record
which convicts you.
"You granted the franchise at the
solicitation Of Senator Dcpew, and a
few days thereafter received $26O,OOO
in cash for your campaign fund.
"Iou charged me with having at
tempted to bribe the attorney gcner-
al of Ohio. That was presumably
nine years ago. You have abandoned
that position. Charles P. Taft says
through his paper that no evidence
was ever produced that would convict
me Of the charge.
In touching on the State Univer-
sity question, you pretended to quote
from the Outlook magazine, but how
dishonesty you enlarged Oh the maga-
zine article! That article charged me
with substituting Democratic for Re-
publican professors for political pur-
poses. I have shown that statement
to be false, but I charge you with try
ing to enlarge on that magazine arti-
Gle and give the world the impression
that we were improperly using the
money appropriated to conduct that
institution.
! "Your charge that / vetoed child
labor law, you have not apologized
for, notwithstanding YOU know that
did it with the approval o. union
labor and that our State constitution
which you said was $50 bad your opin-
ion of it would not look well in print,'
contains more detail and child labor
legislation than all you have recon-
mcnded to the New York legislature
Aas governor, or to the congress Of
he United States as president, and
hat 7 had approved fourteen Acts of
f%ur legislature passed at the solicita-
Btion of uYion labor.
: "You said in your first statement
KFII,hat l had suits brought t ,ainst me
R,D recover title to Creek Indian land.
y ! overwhelmed you on that statement.
( Adopting your usual policy, you flee
from that statement without Just
apology and adopt the statement now
, that it was government town site lots
that You charged me with being sued
!. for. Yes, believe I am a defendant
as to certain government town site
lots in one Of nearly Of 1000 suits
that you have had brought against
as many different honorable and
, hig'h-mindcd citizcns Of this State
= during this presidential campaign
year, and you will not undertake to
deny the politics for the purpose Of
Rcpt.blicanizing about 10000 Indian
vohr$ was your sole motive for hay
ing those suits brought, and L charge
/, You with knowing that there has been
no delay in these eases, except that
occasioned by the court 5 dclibera-
tio8s, taken by himself as time he
dett ,oid necessary to consider whether
or not there is any merit in the pct-
ton filed by your attorney.
"You say that on that land ques-