The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-31
FORMER CONTRIBUTORS
 ARE'T DIGGING UP
Brother Charles" Has 6ee> ,pended Upon to Foot Some of the Big n- paign Bills, But He Has Not
 Yet Given Largely.

Washington, August sO-( Especially Contributions to the republican cam paign fund are so slow in coming in that 1t is common talk among well known men, high up in the party coun- cils. who are to be met in Washing ton, that the fellows at the eastern and western headquarters are begin ming to "squeal" about the backward ness of those who are counted upon to fork over the cash. Nothing like 1t was ever known before. In the two Mckinley campaigns it is recalled Mark Hanna did not have any trouble In getting money. nor did Cortelyou in 1904. Just how many millions were at Hanna's disposal. he and those asso- ciated with him only knew. They had more than they wanted, and 1t was used in every possible way to prevent Bryan from winning enough votes to carry the doubtful states. In those two campaigns Hanna & Co. did not even have to go around soliciting contribu- tions. They came in voluntarily, SD many of the now complaining republi- cans assert.
 A statement comes from New York that not more than $15O 0o0 have yet been collected by Hitchcock and Shell l don. The understanding is that they expected by this time not less than half million. Before Taft's nominRtion- 1t was just before Congress -adioI ned a number of people declared hd that If the Roosevelt policies wereI to be uph ald hv tho rapnh1icapS fir, thl con test and the nomination of Tal was forced upon the republicans. 'thd cam paign managers would have a great dea, of trouble in procuring funds from favored interests" It would not be like the good old days when Hanna was at the helm.
 "Oh," said a prominent Taft advo- cate, and others agreed with what he said, we can get all the money wo want. Why Charles P. Taft has con- trol of millions, and in order to elect Brother Bill he himself would see that a couple of millions were put out
 The story got about that Brother Charles had about all he could stand financially in helping Big Brother Bill get the Chicago nomination, for every body knows that it cost lots of money to run the headquarters and entertaia the Taft boomers during convention week.
 What makes most of the republican, politicians uneasy is that tn cir party managers have used money so lavishly in former contests, and employed such an army of workers at rather hign compensation, that these fellows expect 1t again this year. and if they are not literally paid they will not take much, if any interest in this fight
 Of the amount said to have been col lected in New York 1t Is stated that $40,00o was given by William Nelson Cromwell. He's pretty thick with Mir. E. H. Hartman, and is supposed to be one of his attorneys. Intimations have been thrown out that possibly this is Harriman's contribution. It is denied, however, for the belief is that the railroad magnate is not going to give up any of his cash to help elect Taft. in view of the fact that Roosevelt de- nounced him after the republican party managers accepted his quarter of a mill lion dollar contribution four years ago, spent in the Roosevelt contest. Crom- well could well afford to give $40,o0o for through him the United States government purchased for s40,000 ,OOO the interest of the French government in the Panama canal. Cromwell is the man whom the late Senator Morgan put on the rack day after day In the canal investigation. W. S.