The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-24
President Dodges Ohio Charges
instHaSkeII and Takes
Another Tack
HASKELLS RECORD AS
GOVERNOR TAKEN UP
Roosevelt Charges Oklahoma Governor
With Protecting Standard Oil In
terests and Doing Other
Things as Bad.

Washington, September 2S.-President
Roosevelt tonight, following upon a pro-
longed conference with members of the
cabinet at the White House, prepared
and gave out his reply to w. j. Bryan,
the democratic candidate. relative to w.
R. Hearsts charges that Governor Has
. kell. treasurer of the democratic cam
paign committee, had represented STAN
dard Oil interests in both Ohio and Okla
homa. Mr.. Bryan had demanded proof
Of the charges. promising that in the
event of their substantiation Governor
Haskell would be eliminated from the
campaign.
Dismissing the Ohio case, which in
volved an allegation of attempted bribery,
with the explanation that he had made
no direct charge against Governor Has
kell as regards that particular instance.
President Roosevelt takes up the matter
! of the Prairie Oil and Gas company and
argues that Governor Haskels action in
stopping legal proceedings begun by the
attorney general of Oklahoma demon
! strates conclusively that he was con-
trolled by the great corporation to which
the Oklahoma company was subsidiary
After contrasting Mr.. Bryans defense
of Governor Haskell as against Judge
/ 1afts reputation of Foraker in connec-
| ton with the Hearst charges against the
J Ohio senator, the President proceeds to
1 declare that Governor Haskell's utter
| urftness for association with any man
/ anxious to appeal to the American peo-
] pie on a moral issue has been abundant
i ly shown by other acts of his as governor
| of Oklahoma. The President condemns
Governor Haskelrs conduct in connee-
4 tion with various matters as disgraceful
and scandalous. and calls especial at
tention to what he describes ''prosti-
tuting to base purposes the state univer-
| sity." This fresh charge against the gov
ernor rests on an article in The outlook,
from which the President quotes, anu
which he says forces the conclusion that
Governor Haskell is unworthy of any
| position in public life.
Bryan Criticised.
The latter portion of Mr. Rooseyeltis
| delverance is devoted to criticism of Mr..
Bryan's plea for regulating the trusts.
! which he characterizes as a measure tnat
! sounds more radical than any advocated
! by the republicans, but which in prac.
/ tice would not work. Concluding, Mr.
! Roosevelt declares that no law defying
corporation has anything to fear from
! Mr. Bryan, save what it would suffer
from the general paralysis of business,
which would follow democratic success
The President spent most of the entire
day in getting the letter in shape. An
hour was given this morning to making
a rough draft of it, which was submit
A ted to Secretary Garfield and Postmaster
General Meyer, both of whom made sus-
| gestions to portions of the communica-
| ton. About o'clock this afternoon all
the members of the cabinet now in the
city-Secretaries Wilson, Straus, Wright,
| Metcalf and Garfield-and Postmaster
General Meyer met with the President
in the cabinet room at the executive
offices for a conference on the subject,
which lasted until o'clock. Two hours
more was required to make certain minor
changes before Secretary Loeb gave it
to the press. Deeming the reply too long
to be sent by wire, the method of COM
muncation Mr. Bryan had employed in
his challenge to the President. it was for
warded by mail to the democratic candi-
date al Lincoln. Neb.
Roosevelt's Answer.
President Roosevelt, in his reply to W.
j. Bryan, says:
| The White House, Washington, Septem-
| Der %. 1908:
| Dear Sir-In your telegram you speak
of so much of the charge against Cover
nor Haskell as dealt with his relations
while in Ohio with the Standard Oil COM
pany. You omit the charge as to his re-
! lations with the Standard OIL interests, as
/ his own by his action while governor OF
! Oklahoma this summer, this action be-
ing in part taken while he was at Dem
Yer, where. you state, he was by your
/ wishes made chairman of the committee
which drafted the platform upon which
! you are standing. In my statement
| purposely made specific allusion 10
| the Ohio matter, and shall at this time
! make none, in spite of its significance,
| and in spite of the further fact that Gov
| ernor Haskells close relations with the
| Standard Oil company interests while he
| was in Ohio was matter of common no.
! toriety. In Oklahoma, II Is matter OF
| court record. BY this court record it APP
pears that the attorney general of the
| state, elected by the people, obtained an
| injunction to prevent the Prairie Oil and
! Gas company from building pipe line;
| and that Governor Haskell found this out
| while he was at Denver, as appears by the
/ representa- for the dissolution of the
| injunction made in his name on behalf OF
! the state before court of superior juris-
| diction to that which issued the injunc-
| tion. In this the governor states that the
| acting governor in his absence had asked
| that the hearing be postponed until he
Cthe governor) might return and have an
opportunity to investigate the contro-
! versy. The governor set forth in his pc
| tition that he is the sole authority to
determine such matters, and that the at
| torney general and the judge of the lower
| court had no right in the case, and that
| the action of the judge of the lower court
| represented an encroachment by the judi
! ciary.
Haskell Stops Action.
1.-THE attorney general opposed the dis
( solution of the injunction, stating that thu
I, Prairie Oil and Gas company was for
| eign corporation which had not accepted
| the provisions of the constitution, APP
| plicable to such corporations and that
| without authority of law it was employ
ing a great force of men and teams to dig
|
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