Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-27
BRYAN ANSWERS
ROOSEVELT ON
TRUST CHARGES
DEFENDS HASKELL UNTIL
COURT INQUIRIES"
SAYS HUGHES BENEFITED BY
TRUST DONATIONS
Declares He Had Never Been Informed
of Any Connection Between Okla
homa's Governor and Stand-
ard Oil Company

by ASSoclateu freSs.l
MILWAUKEE, Sept. 26.-Defending
N his knowledge of Governor Has
AAA kell against the charges which
have been brought against him, .'un-
til the charges can be examined in
some court where partisanship does
not bias" William J. Bryan Demo-
cratic candidate for president, on his
way from Madison to this city today,
gave out for publication his reply to
President Roosevelt's recent letter in
response to his telegram on this sub
ject.
Mr. Bryan speaks of the election of
Mr.. Haskell as governor of Oklahoma
and says that "the constitution was
adopted and Governor Haskell was
elected in spite of the efforts of your
administration and in spite of the
speech made in Oklahoma by Mr..
Taft
Mr.. Bryan charged among other
things, that the steel trust with your
express consent" purchased one of its
largest rivals and thus obtained con-
troll of more than so per cent of the
total output. He asks the president IL
he will insist that In permitting this
you showed less favor to the monopo-
listic corporations than do in op-
posing it,"
Hughes Trust Beneficiary M
Mr.. Bryan charges that Governor
Hughes, quoted by President Roosevelt
as having 'Tiddled the Democratic
trust remedy" was himself the bene-
ficiary of the trusts, and cites the cam
paign contributions to the Hughes
election fund two years ago. Among
these are ]. r. Morgan, John d. Rocke-
feller, Mr.. Carnegie and Nelson Crom-
well. Mr.. Bryan says that as the
president quotes Governor Hughes he
foI 4 Eos tod ItId era
has not expressed himself satisfactorily
on the trust question. The letter of
Mr.. Bryan follows:
milwaukee, Wis, Sept -26.
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, President
of the United States, Washington,
d. C.
Dear Sir: While I haven't yet re-
ceived your letter and shall not until
| / reach home next week have read a
copy of it in the press and beg leave to
submit the following reply:
"Mr. Haskell having voluntarily re-
signed from the committee that he
might be more free to prosecute those
who have brought charges against
him, I need not discuss the stion
of his guilt or innocence further than
to say that the public service which
he has rendered and the vote of con-
fidence which he has received from
the people of his state ought to pro-
charges can be examined in some court
where partisanship does not bias and
where campaign exigencies do not COM
pei prejudiced judgment.
Make Capital of Charges
"I would not deem it necessary to
advise you further but for the fact
that you seize upon the charges and
attempt to make political capital out
Of them You even charge that my
connection with Mr.. HaskelPs selec-
ton as a member of the resolutions
committee and as treasurer of the COM
mittee raises a question as to my sim
certify as to an opponent of trusts
and monopolies. AS an individual, and
as the candidate of my party, re-
sent the charge and repel the insin-
uation.
II have been in public life for eight
cen years and l have been sufficiently
conspicuous to make my conduct a
matter of public interest. l have
passed through two presidential cam
paigns in which party feeling ran
high and epithet was exhausted. I
have no hesitation in saying that you
cannot find an act, a word or thought
of mine to justify your partisan
charge.
81 have never been informed of any
charge that had been made against
Mr.. Haskell connecting him with the
other trust. I had known him as a
leader of Oklahoma and had known
him as one of the men principally
responsible for the excellent constitu-
ton which has since been adopted by
a majority of 100, ,000 10000 of which
was furnished by Republicans
IT had known his election to the
governorship of that great young state
by a majority of some 10000; had
known that the constitution was
adopted and that Governor Haskell
was elected in spite of the efforts of
your administration and in spite of the
speeches made in Oklahoma by Mr..
Taft.
Wants Proof of Notoriety
'You say that it was a matter of
common notoriety that Mr.. Haskell
was connected with the Standard Oil
company. 1 have right to assume
that If so serious an objection had ex-
listed to Mr.. Haskell's election and had
been a matter of common notoriety in
Ohio, as you say, Judge Taft would
have felt 1t his conscientious duty to
warn the people of Oklahoma when
he spoke there. If he did not have
the knowledge, why can 1t be assumed
that he had it? and If he had it. how
can you excuse his failure to COM
municate the information to the people
of Oklahoma?
eff you feel it your patriotic duty to
denounce Mr.. Haskell when he is only
a member of the national organization
how much would Mr.. Taft have felt Il
his patriotic duty to denounce Mr..
Haskell when he was aspiring to be the
chief executive OF a great state?
81 could have had no knowledge of
the suit to which you refer when he
was appointed chairman of the resolu-
tions committee of the Democratic ma
tional convention because the suit was
begun while he was at Denver, and as
a matter of fact did not know any
thing OF the nature of the suit until
after he was made treasurer OF the ma
tional committee. and no fairminded
person can accede upon the merits OF
your charge without an examination of
the provisions of the enabling act
passed by the Republican congress and
the provisions Of the franchises issued
to the oil company by your administra-
ton.
''I need hardly refer to the newly
found evidence upon which you lay so
lContinued ON Page xusA