The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-10-07
SENATOR FoRAKER's DEFENSE,
WOULD CLEAR HIS CHARACTER
IN OPEN COURT.

Asserts That There Was NJ Harm I'm
His Accepting Employment From
Standard Oil Company.
Cincinnati, Oct. THAT the law
should be invoked against HIM IL he
has done any wrong is the conclusion
OF statement given out by United
States Senator Foraker today. Be-
fore making this suggestion hs sums
up the various charges that have been
made and discusses briefly the legal
ethics as to service for various clients
The statement in part follows:
"The questions in this whole matter
In which the public is concerned are:
Whether I was employ ed, which
was never concealed or denied; and
''The character Of that employment.
whether 1t had any relation to my
duties as senator or Influenced me in
any manner in regard thereto.
ION all these points I have answer
ed fully In my former published state
ment.
Il have not until now spoken Of the
compensation received, because II
the employment was improper It
would be no defense to show that it
was a small sum, but II. on the other
hand, the employment was proper,
the compensation concerned only the
company and myself. nobody else. If
my former statements are true, as I
know them to be. the employment
was entirely proper and legitimate,
and therefote the question of COM
pensation is one I do not feel called
upon to discuss with Mr.. Hearst
I'm view. however. OF the import
ant character OF the services rendered,
the ability OF the company to pay.
and II 1t may be considered, although
unforeseen, the disagreeable expert.
ence to which am subjected, think
IT. would be difficult for Mr.. Hearst to
show that I was overpaid, but II he
should, that would be a matter for
the company to complain about and
not Mr.. Hearst.
my employment was confined to
the affairs Of the company In Ohio.
including Its organization after the
decision OF our supreme court dis
sowing the trust, and 1t was ended
long before the company had become
IN any way the object Of legislation
oy congress or the subject Of attacks
OF any kind in the courts or other
wise by the United States government
and such employment has never
been renewed, although, aslheretofore
shown. again rendered ana decline /
in 1906.
IF I did not have a right to accept
that employment, I should probably
be criticised for having been for years
employed by the Ohio Traction COM
pany; or perhaps shoull be con-
demned Tor onc- representing the
General Electric company, al
though that was before I was elected
to the senate. or to the Cincinnati Tel
ephone company, by which I was en-
plcyed for many years before and for
some time after was elected to the
senate. because it is branch of the
Bell Telephone company, ard these
companies-the General Electric and
the Bell Telephone-have now been
charged, according to newspapers,
with violation OF the antitrust laws,
and are to be civilly and criminally
proceeded against by the attorney gem
eral Of the United States.
when was employed by the
standard Oil company there was no
more knowledge or probability Of that
company's being legslated about by
congress or proceeded against in the
federal courts, so far as anybody was
then aware, than there was and has
been as to other companies named at
The times when ~ocrcctivc,v rorrc-
sented them.