The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-09-07
vlously written, saying. "You and
l are practical men,"
"EOulest and BaScst Iieu

"FOuleSt and Basest Lie"
mot only is every important stato-
| ment IN this sentence false, but the
writer who wrote it knew il was
false. AS far as I was concerned
every man visited the White House
openly, and Mr.. Hartman among the
others. I took no money from Mr.
Hartman secretly or openly to
huy votes or for any other purpose.
whoever wrote the article in the
ENenlng Post in question knew that
this was the foulest and basest lie
when he wrote the sentence, for he
quotes the same letter in which I had
written to Mr.. Hartman, as follows:
What I have to say to you can
be said to you as we'll after eIect,on
as before, but I would like to see Won
some time before I write my mes
sage
Il am quoting without the letter
before me, but the quotation is SUBJ
stantially, if not verbally, accurate.
THAT statement in this letter TO
hartman is, Of course, on its face
absolutely incompatible with any
thought that I was asking him for
campaign funds, for it is. of course
out of the question that I could tell
him equally we'll what T had to say
after election if it referred in anv
possible way to getting money before
election. This is so clear that any
pretense Of misunderstanding is proof
positive Of the basest dishonesty in
whoever wrote the article in oues-
ton.
AS a matter Of fact, when Mr..
Hartman called it was to complain
that the National Committee would
not turn over, for the use of the
State campaign, in which he was in
terested, funds to run that campaign.
and to ask me to tell Cortelyou to
give him aid for the State campaign
Mr.. Cortelyou is familiar with the
facts.
Bad as Bribe Takcr.
In other words, the statement Of
the Evening Post is not only false and
malicious, is not only in direct con-
tradiction of the facts, but is such
that 1T could only have been made by
a man who, knowing the facts, de-
liberately intended to pervert them.
Such an act stands on the level Of
infamy with the worst act ever per-
formed by a corrupt member Of a
Legislature or a city official, and
stamps the writer with the same
moral brand that stamps the bribe
taker
II have seen only a telegraphic
abstract Of the article, apparently
containing quotations from it. Prac-
tically every statement made in these |
quotations is a falsehood.
To but one more small l allude. |
The article speaks Of my having at
tackled corporations. and, referring
directly to my Ohio speeches, of my
having sought to inf1ame the mob and |
make mischief In those speeches the |
prime stand I took was against mob |
violence as shown by the labor people |
Who are engaged in controversy with |
a corporation. My statement was in !
effect that the first duty of the State
and the first duty of the officials was
TO put down disorder and to put down |
mob violence, and that after such |
action had been taken, then it was
the duty Of the officials to investi-
gate the corporation. and If it had
done wrong to make it pay the pen
atty of the wrongs and to provide
against the wrongdoings in the fu-
ture.
"It Is but another instance of the
peculiar bascness, the peculiar moral
obliquity Of the Evening Post that it
should prevert the truth in so shame
less a fashion.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Cheyenne, Wyo.. Aug. 27, 1910"