The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1910-10-27

har, and thousands of people IN
the United States voted for Mr..
Roosevelt on the assumption that
Mr.. Parker had made q false state
ment. Time ramon, and legal in
vestigatiens were had, and it
sworn testimony, that the great
trusts and corporations and IN
surance companies were contri
butMg vast sums ct money TO the
Republican campaign fund at the
very mnnsent when Mr.. Parker
charged them. and that he was
right and MIR. Roosevelt was
wrong-nay, more, it turned out
at d still later peliui. that at the
nlc inent WIEN Mr.. Roosevelt was
&, Iouncin4 Mr. Parker S a liar.
lat he hi ns.lf had sent Tor Mr.
Hartman, the head Of the great.
system Of railroads, and had re-
quested him to raise a campaign
fund for use in New York State,
and in response to this request
MI. Hartman had actually raised
one quarter of a million dollars,
which fact was known to the Pre-
President, at the very time that he
was denouncing Mr.. Parker as a
liar. Since then, denials on the
part of Republican campaign can
didates and managers have had
little weight with me.
Again, tits perfectly apparent
from the activity of the Republi-
cans, from their speakings and
brass bands and literature, that
much money is being put into this
campaign on their part. Who is
furnishing the money? 1t is q
well-known fact that heretofore
the Republicans have relied upon
the National Committee for aid.
But this year, the National Com
mittee has its hands full in the
North and West. The Democrats
have carried a rock-ribbed Mas
sachusetts district, a heretofore
mistaken New York district, and
the State Of Maine has tumbled
unanimously intohthe Democratic
ranks. All the funds that the
National Committee can raise are
needed at home, and besides, Con
gress has passed a law forbidding
corporations engaged in interstate
commerce from contributing to
campaign funds. Whence are
the Republicans in North Caro-
lima getting thier funds? If they
want their denials believed, let
them open their books. Let them
show not only in whose name the
contribution was made, but whence
it was derived. Will they do 1T
/ challenge them to the proofs.
In a recent speech made by
President Taft at Cincinnati, on
September 21st, he declared:''T
country is aroused against the cor
porate and corrupt control of leg
islature agencies" In his speech
at Ossawatomie, Colonel Roose-
welt about the same time declar-
ed: "It is necessary that laws
shall be passed to prohibit the use
of corporate funds, directly or in
directly, for political purposes,
Corporate expenditures for poll
teal purposes, and especially such
expenditures by public service
corporations, have supplied one of
the principal sources of corruption
in our political affairs" That is
to say both the President and cx-
President concur in the view that
the special interests are corrupt
ing the body polite and securing
favorable legislation. Is there any
more dangerous special interest
than the committee holding these
special tax bonds? With accrued
interest, they amount now to some
thing like $50,000,O00. If they
could secure the payment of half
of this sum through the agency Of
the Republican party, does any
one suppose for one moment that
they would hesitate to fill the cot
fers Of that party wit hmoney, and
does any one whoknows the Re
publican party Of North Carolina
hesitate for n moment to believe
that it would accept the contri-
button?
But there is one other point
made by Mr. Meares In his open
letter. He insists that these bonds
can not be paid unless their pay
ment is authorized by a vote of the
people, May / remind him that
this provision was put into the
Constitution by Democrats; that
theepeople of North Carolina owe
this safeguarding of interests to
the party which he is now fight
ingf He is compelled, In his own