The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-30

is greater than their fear of general
business adversely" under me, will
support me rather than Mr.. Taft
Calls Statement Ingenious.
You have attempted to word that
| statement in such a way as TO claim
the support of all the trust magnates,
and yet put it on the ground that they
are supporting your party for patriotic
reasons rather than for the promotion
of selfish interests.
This is ingenious, but is not sound.
The trust magnates are supporting the
Republican party and the Bible offers
an explanation: The OK knoweth his
owner and the ass his masters crib"
You admit that you gave permission
to the Steel Trust to absorb a rival,
and thus increase its control of the
output of steel and iron products. I
| will leave the American people to pass
| judgment upon that act and compare
your position on the trust question
with mine.
You refer to our campaign fund of
| 1896 and accuse us of allowing two
men to contribute largely to the small
fund with which the committee con-
Quoted the campaign.
! l am not sure about the figures. be-
cause | have not seen an authentic
statement of the contributions, but l
| was informed that the largest of the
two sums which you mention was not
all contributed by the man to whom it
| was credited, but included contribu-
lions from others as we'll as that which
he gave himself
| But IL you want to be fair. why did
you not give the amount of the Repub-
lican campaign fund that year and the
sources of it? ] am willing to have
both funds published. Are you? II
some of those who contributed to our
fund of less than 100000 had a pc
cuniary interest in the result of the
election. how will you explain the
enormous contributions made to the
Republican fund?
If you will remember, the Demo
cratic platform candidly declared the
party's purpose. II the carrying out
of that policy would have been OF adj
vantage to any one, the whole public
had knowledge and the publication of
the contributions would not have at
| fected the result.
Object to Publicity.
Publicity as to campaign funds is
not needed to make known that which
| is disclosed by the platform. but to
direct attention to secret agreements,
expressed or implied, which would
otherwise be concealed from the pub
lie.
| You certainly pay more attention to
the mote than the beam when you find
fault with our national campaign fund
In 1895 and ignore the significance
of a fund almost as large. which, at
your request, was collected from few
persons in 1904 and was used in one
state and was only a small item in the
fund collected that year.
But your letter presents a defense
of our party's position and an accu-
sation against the voters which en-
phasize an issue already prominent.
| You are the first conspicuous men,
Der of your party to attempt an expla-
nation Of the party's opposition to
publicity before the election, and the
admission which you make will en-
barrass your party associates. Your
position Is that the publication before
election of the contributions made to
your campaign fund would furnish
your political opponents an opportun-
ity Ito give a false impression" as to
the fitness OF the candidates. You
cite as illustrations the contributions
made to Governor Hughes campaign
fund, the contribution collected by Mr..
Hartman and the contributions which
are now being collected for Mr.. Taft's
campaign fund. You charge, in effect
that the people are so lacking in in
telligence that they might condemn
an improper contribution which you
declare to be proper.
If the voters differ from you on this
question. are they necessarily ignorant
and wrong? Must the members of the
party organization act as self appoint
ed guardians Of the people and conceal
from them what is going on, lest the
people be misled as to the purpose and
effect of large contributions? Is this
your explanation OF the action of the
republican leaders in the national con-
vention in voting down a publicity
plank?
Explanation In Holy Writ.
If you will pardon the suggestion, I
believe that a better explanation can
be found in Holy Writ, for do we not
read of men loving darkness rather
than light, because their deeds are
evil?
| You attempt to make a personal
question of it and ask whether any
one will accuse such men as you, Gov
ernor Hughes and Mr. Taft of being
influenced by contributions.
That is not the question. II it is
found that party to suit has given
a sum Of money to one of the jurors,
the court does not stop to inquire
whether or not the juror is an incor-
ruptible man or whether. in accepting
the money, he explicitly stated that il
was accepted with the understanding
that he was under no obligation. to
consider it in making up his verdict
The court would hold that the giving
of the money by an interested party
or the receiving Of money was a con-