Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-11

possessions. but this is the first time
the statement has been made by any
man of political standing or RESPONSE
bility. l think l am justified thereiore
in speaking of this subject VINE"
might otherwise be considered TOO per
sonal a matter for public discussion.
was worth about $4,000 when was
elected to Congress. 1 served ioui
wears and by careful economy saveu
between $4,000 and $4,000, or ABOUT $ioVo
a year, so that when I went OUT VI
Congress in the spring OF ls9? was
worth about $4,000 or $1,000 During the
period that elapsed between the emu VI
nv congressional terms and my noinl-
nation for the Presidency about year
and four months. l was engaged IN
sneaking and in lecturing and addeo
hut q small sum to my savings.
CATER the election of 1926 my earning
mower as a lecturer was largely enhanced
NV the prominence which the campaign
had given me. My book 'Ihe f"sI Dd'
tle' brought me $4,000 and gave all
equal amount of the profits 70 the We
rio,,s committees that carried on tne
campa;cn of 1896. MY lectures have peen
nroftable and my writings have Pald me
we,1 Int no one attends the lectures I'M
less he wants to do so. and no one nuys
what I write unless he is interested IN
reading it. More than half of my time
since 1896 has been given to gratuitous
work. and vet have been able to support
myself and accumulate property which
would estimate at about s125.OOo. but as
one cannot accurately say what property
is worth till he sells, 1 will fix Sl50.O0O as
the outside limit, the maximum OF my
wealth, and l am willing to leave the
public to determine whether that is more
than 1 ought to have earned, or whether
1 have earned it honestly.
"And now, having answered the criti-
cism of Mr.. Cannon and shown that his
accusation is false, think I am justified
in asking him to be as frank with the
public as have been. He began holding
Office in 1861 when 1 was a year old and
during the last Al years he has held Of
flee more than 40 years of the time and
white he has been a member Of Con-
gress he has been drawing salary :nat
the mel:bers of Congress thought so
Inadequate that the salary has recently
been increased. Will he tell us what he
has been selling, to to whom he has sold
it and how much he got for it? He
ought to tell us whether he has made
any money lecturing of writing, that is
by selling wind and ink to choose his
own language. He has been greatly
pampered in the accumulation Of money
by the strict attention to public duties
and yet he is reputed to be wealthy. If
he will tell us just how much he is worth
we can then guess how much he might
have been worth had he been free to de-
vote his talents to money making. Being
the third man in influence in our govern
ment coming next to the Vice President,
if not even above the Vice President in
his power to influence legislation, is 1t
not fair that he should apply to himself
the same rule that he applies to me and
take the public into his confidence Let
him tell rs how much he is worth and
how he made it. If he thinks that the
wealth of Presidential candidate and
the source of such candidates income
should be known, will he deny that the
Speakers wealth and his sources Of in
come should be knONn?''