Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-26
Mr.. FORAKER REPLIES
Answers Roosevelt and Hearst's
Charges OF Standard Oil
Corruption
SAYS HE. QUIT OIL SERVICE
Connection With the Trust Ended At
ter His Election to the Senate, For
aker DecIares-Produces Letters to
Show Refusal to Act in Legal Ca
pacity.

NllIeiiilhHisi' w A'Nle. LII " i'tho
and carefully prepared statement. I'm
ited States Senator ]. b. Foraker last
night took up recent charges made by
William r. Hearst and President
Roosevelt, explaining his temporary
connection with the Standard OIL COM
pany and discussing the Brownsville
incident and his connection with the
rate bill The statement Is in part as
follows:
1.-THE president commences his state
ment connected with the publication Of
Judge Tafts letter with a bitter ar
raignment of me because of Mr..
Hearst's charges, which he appears 10
have accepted as fully proven as soon
as made. He does not wait for proof
or explanation, nor accept the same
when offered.
"Mr. Hearst's charges are not simply
that I was In the employment of the
Standard OIL company and that was
paid for my services. but THAT ] was
secretly in that employment for illegit-
innate purposes, and that the money I
received was paid as compensation for
improperly influencing legislation by
congress In conflict with and in vio-
lation OF my official duties.
'tHe read a number of letters and
made certain comments calculated. I
unanswered or unexplained. TO create
the belief that his charges were true
"That I wrts employed by the COM
pany was never concealed or denied.
On THE contrary, such employment was
we'll known at the time to all concerned
well known at the time to all con-
cerned Only a few days ago. eX-At-
,torney General Monnett, who was pros
ecuting the proceedings against the
Standard Oil company at the time
stated, in a public interview that /
told him at the time that I had been
retained by the company.
'If employed and rendering services,
presumably was compensated In an
nouncing therefore. the mere fact that
was employed by the company, and
showing that received payments on
that account no information was i'm
parted by Mr.. Hearst and no offense
was established. for 1T remained that
such employment and payment might
be entirely proper and legitimate.
Not Against Government.
"ITnder all the circumstances. an ex-
PLANTATION ws.s required. and I'm former
statements made such explanation by
showing that my employment was con-
fined to the affairs of the company IN
Ohio and it's reorganization after the
trust was dissolved by order OF our
supreme court, and that my employ
ment had no relation in the slightest
degree to anything in which the fed
erat government was then interested,
or with respect to which the congress
was then legislating or at that time
proposing to legislerte, and THAT the en-
ployment wash ended long before the
company was made THE subject OF any
special attention In congress and long
er still before it was attacked in THE
federal counts or proceeded against in
any way by the federal government,
and further. that the employment was
not to defend the company against
charges of violation of the laws of
Ohio or the United States or the or
ders of any of the counts. but only to
assist in executing the orders of the
courts and so recognizing as to con-
form to all laws. state and national,
and ito fully comply with all the orders
of the courts that had been made
against it,
"1f my statements in this behalf are
true, they make a complete defense
against Mr.. Hearsts charges and all
deductions therefrom of improper con-
duct, unless ethics involved have been
radically changed from what they have
always heretofore been supposed to be.
From the beginning of our government,
senators and congressman who We're
lawyers have been regarded as free to
continue the practice of their profess
sion. If they so desired, during their
terms Of office insofar as they might
be able to do SO without interfering
with their public duties; and in such
practice free to take any kind of en-
ployment that was offered which did
not in any way conflict with their du-
ties as members of congress. Nobody
has ever before been criticized on such
account
Prosecution Surprise.
"When I accepted the employment Of
the STANDARD Oil company in 1899 1t
was not forescen by me, and probably
not by anybody else, that it would be-
come the object of federal legislation
or Of federal prosecution or action of
any kind, and that employment ended
when the company decided to reorgan-
ize under the laws of New Jersey,
which was before anything of that
nature occurred.
"That / was not in the employment
of the company after the services I
have mentioned were rendered, and