Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-17
SEARCH FOR A TREASURER
No One Appears to Know Legal Gus
todian of Democratic Funds.
POSSIBILITY IT WAS TOM ALLEN
Reports Come Back from Idaho of
Fake stories Circulated There by
Brother-in-Law of Demo-
cratic Candidate.
Crrom a staff correspondent

LINCOLN, oct. 16.-(Special.)-It is now
up TO Tom Allen, Mr.. Bryan's brother-in-
law, to show that he himself was not
treasurer of the democratic state COM
mittee in 1904. the year the $4,000 was
brought here by him from Wall street to
help elect Bryan United States senator. A
careful search Of the files of the news
papers during a period covering the 1904
campaign failed to show that any treasurer
had been chosen for the democratic state
committee. The facts were set out that
a chairman had been elected, a secretary
and executive committee, but nothing was
said Of the treasurer. AS constant adver-
Using has failed to bring forth the indi-
vidual It Is now believed Mr.. Allen himself
handled the funds for that campaign.
For a while 1t was thought hat someone
had been chosen treasurer who lives in
one Of the western counties so that a
report could have been filed and over
looked, but as no one who was mixed up
in the 1904 campaign has any idea who
the treasurer was it is now believed by
republicans generally and many democrats
that the democratic committee elected no
treasurer. but permitted Tom Allen to act
in that capacity.
The only Importance attached to the
identity of the treasurer is the fact that
the law required him to make a report
Of the receipts and expenditures Of that
campaign and so far as has been dis
covered no such report has ever been
filed. If the treasurer can produce his
report in the office Of the clerk of the
court of his home county he cannot be
prosecuted for failing to do his duty.
Allen Fake Comes Home.
The following interesting news comes
from the west:
BOISE. Ida, Sept. So.-Lincoln, Neb: Re
ported here you, Woods boys, Paul Clark
and Elmer Stephenson are supporting
Bryan. Wire us.
The above telegram was received by a
Lincoln republican. 1t was received at a
time Tom Allen. Mr.. Bryan's political
agent. was in Boise, Ida gum-shoein6
around under an assumed name.
Mr.. Allen had gone to Boise to try and
straighten out the democratic tangle in
Idaho in the interest OF the candidacy of
MI. Bryan. The man who would have an
| object in circulating such a report in Boise
at such a time would be Tom Allen. So it
is taken as a fact that Tom Allen was the
inspiration that caused the sending of the
telegram. The party who signed it is well
known in Lincoln and he desired facts to
corroborate or deny the reports circulated
no doubt by Mr.. Bryan's gum shoe agent.
The report that the Woods boys, Paul
Clark and Elmer Stephenson are supporting
Bryan is untrue. 1t is democratic hot air.
The telegram was referred to Charles
Matson, chairman of the county commit
tee, because the man to whom 1t was sent
is out of the city and has been for some
months. Mr.. Matson personally asked each
Of the men named in the telegram II he
was supporting Bryan and each emphatic
ally denied the report. Each is supporting
Mr.. Taft and every one of them will vote
for Mr.. Taft. This is the Information each
gave Chairman Matson.
Mr.. Matson at once sent the answer OF
the men named to the inquirer at Boise and
thus another of Tom Aliens balloons has
been punctured.
From a Boise paper II was learned that
Mr.. Allen had been in that city and that he
registered under an assumed name at a
hotel. His identity became known when
a local democrat inquired at the hotel for
Mr.. Allen. Then the gum shoe agent OF
his brother-in-law had to come forth and
admit his identity.