The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1908-10-21
llkNPAIA FORGERY ORC
cIeveis.!d Letter Attacking Mr..
Bryan Declared Spurious.
ROOSEVELT THE POLITICIAN.

ROOSEVELT THE POLITICIAN.
Using His High Office as Ground From
Which to Attack Political Opponents.
Enthusiastic Crowds Greet Demo-
cratic Presidential candidate-Empty
Halls Face Taft.
BY WILLIS j. ABBOT.
Naturally the great political event Of
the week was the admission by the
New York Times that the widely cir
culated Cleveland letter declaring for
Taft as against Bryan was spurious
and forgery. 1t is rather interesting
10 observe by the correspondence that
from the very first moment Mrs. Cleve-
land, with the natural intuition Of a
wife, distrusted the authenticity Of the
article, though the literary executor
insisted upon its accuracy. Now, aft
er it has been permitted to do its work
in rousing anew the hostility Of the
old time Cleveland Democrats against
the Democratic party as now organ
lied, comes this much belated proof OF
its falsity. There is an old, old say
ing that lie will travel ten miles
while the denial of it travels one. /
suppose that today there are tens of
thousands of people who believe and
who will believe until election day
that this forged letter Of Cleveland's,
supposed to have been written on his
deathbed, was really authentic. 1t was
published first in a newspaper con-
trolled in Wall street and alleged to
be the property Of ]. Pierpont Morgan.
1t has been commented upon approx
ingly by every plutocratic paper in the
United States When it was original
ly printed it was put in double loaded
type with glaring headings and with
all sorts Of editorial embellishments.
The denial was mOdestly printed in a
single column article without any sort
Of typographical display.
Suppose somebody had forged the
signature of the late ex-president in
letter urging all Democrats to vote for
Mr.. Bryan and that letter had been
whole press of the United States
What would have been the attitude Of
the great papers Of New York or Of
Chicago concerning that? Would they
have mildly said that they had been
imposed upon? Would they have re-
duced their expose Of its spuriousness
to a brief stick or two in single col
umn measure? We all know well what
would have happened. The literary adj
venturer would have been forgotten,
but the charge would have been made
that the whole fraud or forgery had
emanated either from Mr.. Bryan him
self or from the Democratic national
committee. Everybody knows that the
first pages would have blazed with the
wickedness of the Democratic Organi-
zation in thus forging the name of
revered statesman to spurious dOcu-
ment issued after his death.
Concerning Foraker and Haskell.
And why is it that there has been
such tremendous outcry about one
Governor G. n Haskell of Oklahoma,
who has occupied rather inconspicu-
Gus position in connection with the
Democratic national committee? The
attack upon him was originated by
William Randolph Hearst, who at the
same time attacked with equal venom
Senator J. B. Foraker. The evidence
concerning Haskell was to the effect
that Theodore Roosevelt, the presi-
dent of the United States, said that
Frank S. Monnett, former attorney
general of Ohio, said that a man
Haskell had said that he and Frank
G. Rockefeller would put up big
sum Of money to call off a certain
prosecution Of the Standard Oil COM
pany in the state of Ohio. One does
not have to be lawyer to judge what
testimony of that sort is worth. But
the Republican newspapers, always
ready to say the worst of any man
who believes in Democratic principles,
and the president of the United States,
who is always preaching the square
deal, but usually dealing his cards
from the bottom of the pack, attacked
Governor Haskell on this utterly in
consequential and unlawful evidence.
Being a man Of honor, Governor Has
kell resigned his position as treasurer
of the Democratic national committee
lest he embarrass the candidate for
the presidency. But the very day he
resigned the man Squire, who was the
only authority for the Monnett affidavit,
put out statement that he had never
used the name of c. N. Haskell in any
interview with Monnett or that he had
ever had any association with any at
tempt to bride the attorney general of
Ohio in behalf of the Standard Oil
company or any other corporation. 1t
would appear now that it is up to Mr..
Monnett to defend himself. Incidental
ly it may be recalled that he is not
Democrat, but Republican, although
ever since beaten for denomination he
has been sulking in his tent.
Two Candidates and Two Receptions.
Mr. Rryan a few DAVIS ago visited the