The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
BRYAN GIVES LIST OF
TRUST CONTRIBUTORS
TO REPUBLICAN PARTY
Taft and Hughes Are Mentioned In
the Letter and Bryan Wants to
Know Why Presidential Can
didate Repudiates His
Own Platform.

Milwaukee, Wis, September 26.-De-
Tending his knowledge of Governor Has
kell against the charges which fhre been
brought against him, until the charges
can be examined in some court where
partisanship does not bias William j.
Bryan on his way from Madison to this
city today, gave out for publication his
reply to President Roosevelt's recent let
ter in response to his telegram on the
subject. Mr. Bryan speaks of the election
of Mr. Haskell as governor of Oklahoma
and says that the constitution was
adopted, and that Governor Haskell was
elected in spite of the efforts of your adj
ministration and in spite of speeches made
IN Oklahoma by Mr.. Taft"
Mr.. Bryan charges, among other things.
that the Steel trust, with your express
consent" purchased one of its largest
rivals and thus obtained control of more
than 50 per cent of the total output. He
asks The President if he will insist, that
,,erlnltting this you showed less favor
t. tie monepostic corporation than / do
in opposing it,"
Mr.. Bryan abruptly charges that Gov
slrnor Hughes, quoted by President Roose-
eelt as having "riddled the democratic
trust remedy" was himself the bene-
ficiary of the trusts and cites the cam
paign contributions to the Hughes elec-
tion fund two years ago. Among these
are ]. P. Morgan, John D Rockefeller,
Andrew Carnegie and William Nelson
Cromwell
Pursuing this subject further Mr.. Bryan
says that as the President quotes Gov
ernor Hughes, he takes it for granted
that Judge Taft has not expressed himself
satisfactorily on the trust question.
Text of Letter.
The letter of Mr. Bryan is as follows:
milwaukee, Wis, September &C. 1908.
.'Hon. Theodore Roosevelt. President of
the United States, washington, d. c.;
Dear Sir-Whie I have not yet re-
ceived your letter, and shall not until 1
reach home next week, l have read a
copy of it in the press, and beg leave to
submit the following reply:
MIR. Haskell, having Voluntarily re-
signed from the committee that he might
be more free to prosecute ths Sc who have
brought charges against him, 1 need not
discuss the question of his guilt or inno-
cence further than to say that the public
service which he has rendered and the
vote of confidence which he has received
from the people of his state, ought to pro-
tect him from condemnation until the
charges can be examined in court where
partisanship does not bias, and where
campaign exigencies do not compel pre-
Judgment l would not deem it necessary
to address you further but for the fact
that you seize upon the charges and at
tempt to make political capital out Of
them. You even charge that my connec-
ton with Mr.. Haskells selection a
member of the resolutions committee and
as treasurer of the committee, raises a
question as to my sincerity as an op-
ponent of trusts and monopolies. AS an
Individual and as the candidate of my
party, ! resent the charge and repel the
insnuation. I have been in public life for
Is years. and [ have been sufficiently con-
spicuous to make my conduct matter
of public interest. 1 have passed through
two presidential campaigns in which party
feeling ran high and epithet was eX-
hausted. I have no hesitation in saying
you cannot find an act word or a
thought of mine to justify your partisan
charge.
knowledge of Haskell.
81 had never been informed of any
charge that had been made against Mr..
Haskell connecting him with the STAN
dard Oil company with any other
trust. / had known him leader in
the constitutional convention of OlHaho-
ma and had known him one of the
men principally responsible for the cx-
cellent constitution which has since been
adopted-and adopted by majority of
over 100000, 10000 Of which was furnished
by republicans. I had known of his cleo
ton to the governorship of that great
a a majority
O0O had known that the constitution
was adopted and that Governor Haskell
was elected in spite of the efforts of
your administration and in spite of the
speeches made in Oklahoma by Mr.. Taft
"You say that it was a matter of COM
mon notoriety that Mr. Haskell was
connected with the Standard Oil COM
pany. l have a right to assume that If
so serious an objection had existed to
Mr. Haskes election and had been
matter of common notorety in Ohio, as
you say, Judge Taft would have felt Ii
his conscientious duty to warn the peo-
pie when he spoke in Oklahoma. If he dH
not have the knowledge, why can it be
assumed that had it? And If he had it,
how can you excuse his failure to COM
municate the Information to the people
of Oklahoma? If you feel it your pat
rlotic duty to denounce Mr.. Haskell when
he is only a member Of the national or
ganization how much more would Mr.
Taft have felt it his duty to denounce Mr..
Haskell when he was aspiring to be the
chief executive of a great state?
Standard Oil Suit.
Il could have had no knowledge of the
suit to which you refer when he was
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