Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-10-01
PECKSN|FF
IN POLITICS
A BELATED PLEA FOR POLITICAL
MORALITY.
Reputation of Foraker bV Taft
PeCkSniffian Action. The PreSi.
denfial Candidate Had Known a
Year ago of the Employment of
Foraker by Standard Oil.


Foraker by Standard Oil.
In July, 1907, according to letter
to somebody unnamed, which the
president had cOnvenientlv at hand
for an emergency, Mr.. Taft knew
Sel":Jr Foraker to be an agent or
employe of the "malefactors of great
wealth" and a determined opponent
of the righteousness introduced into
the government and commercial
methods by Theodore Roosevelt For
these reasons it was impossible for
Mr. Taft to associate with him, and
he could not have his own candidacy
for president contaminated by con-
nection with the senator's candidacy
for another term.
But on September William H.
Taft was brought from Middle Bass
island to Toledo where there was to
be Grand Army of the Republic pa
| rade, and ostentatiously reconciled to
the senator. The Toledo dispatch to
The New York Sun (Taft organ)
| says: 1T is apparent now that the
meeting between Foraker and Taft
was the real purpose which led to
the inviting of Judge Taft to go bass
fishing in Lake Erie So this affair
was long prearranged.
The dispatch to the New York
Times, also Taft organ, says that
Taft denied tina the knew of any ar
rangement that he was to meet the
senator, but Toledo knew all about
it, and everything was arranged for
the spectacle. Judge Taft was taken
to the grand-stand to watch the pa
rade. Foraker was taken to the
same stand and went Immediately to
the candidate. Each raised his right
hand, Taft saying, Hello, Senator
and Foraker, 4 am glad to see you,
| Judge
They shook hands long and heart
lily and smiled decidedly cordially.
There was mighty shout from the
crowd and then applause and then
cheers. The two sat down together
and remained in earnest conversation
for more than an hour"
After the parade they went to the
Lyceum theater and sat on the stage,
and when the candidate was intro
duced to make a speech he said 1T
is a pleasure for me to be here with
Governor Foraker, because when gov
ernor of Ohio he gave me really my
first chance and took good deal of
risk in putting man of 20 on the
bench of the superior court of Gin
cinnati."
All this time Mr.. Taft knew that
more than a year before he had re-
fused to allow his name and Foraker's
to be put into the same resolutions
of the state central committee, and
he knew that the president had a
copy of that letter in his pocket ready
for use If at any time Foraker should
be exposed and it should become con-
| NeulcuI W ItpuuIdlc Hill. 30 long
as the public was not informed what
a wicked man Foraker was, and
things in Ohio were going rather bad
ly, the candidate was willing to an
nounce in the most conspicuous man
ner that he and the senator were
friends. But if Foraker should bo
shown up at any time the president
could pull out OF his pocket that let
ter to man whose name is still sup
pressed, and prove that Taft knew
what a bad man the senator was and
would not allow his own candidacy
to be mixed up with that of an enc
my Of the particular brand of right
eousness peddled by the Roosevelt
administration.
In the language of Mr.. Pecksniff,
LET us be moral"