Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-30
new G. .oel d.! Els, Is Is,
MADE AGAINST
CQL..IR|00SEVELT
Wharton Barker, Retired
Banker Of Philadelphia,
Says T. R. Made Bargain
With Wall Street.

Washington, D. c., Nov. 29.-Whar-
ton Barker, retired banker of Phila-
delphia, sprung sensation on the SEN
ate committee on Interstate commerce
when he alleged that New York
financier told him in 1904 that the
financial interests would support
Theodore Roosevelt for president be
cause the latter had made bargain"
with them ION the railroad question"
Mr.. Barker's statement yesterday
came in the midst of vigorous at
tack on the money trust" in which
he alleged also that President Roose-
velt had been given the details Of the
impending panic of 1907 several
months before it happened, but took
no action to prevent 1t. He declared
that the Aldrich currency plan was
the handiwork not of former Senator
Aldrich but of a Mr.. Warburton of
OF New York, and that fund OF
$1,000,000 had been started to insure
its adoption. "a.
Three or four weeks before the
election in 19O4,' Mr.. Barker said, Il
was walking down Broadway when
met one of the most distinguished
money kings in New York, @ man now
dead He said to me: We are going
to elect Roosevelt I expressed sur
prise and asked If he had given up
the support of Parker. He said yes,
that they had frightened Roosevelt
so he had made bargain with them"
Members of the committee looked
somewhat incredulous and Mr.. Barker
added:
Il wish Mr.. Roosevelt were here"
"I wish he were,' Senator Town
send said. ut would be interesting"
Mr.. Barker said the financial giant,
whom he declined to name, told him
that Roosevelt had made bargain
on the railroad question. s1 s. 81 :.
Mr.. Barker continued: 5
He Is to holler all he wants to- he
told me, but by and by railroad bill
will be brought in by recommendation
of the president, cutting off rebates
and free passes, which suits us who
own the railroads, permitting the rail-
roads to make pooling arrangements
providing for maximum rates."
THE railroad man added, Mr..
Barker said, that under the latter
it would be possible to add
from 100000, 1000 to 100000, to the
total freight charges paid by the
American public.
II told him I didn't believe Roose-
welt had made any such agreement"
Mr.. Barker said, "but when the an
nual message of 1905 went to con.
gress he recommended most of those |
things. l wrote to President Roose-
welt and told him what had heard |
and that I had thought the man lied,
but now l must believe he had not. 1t
was the only letter Of mine Mr.. Roose-
velt ever failed to answer"
Roosevelt Make Statement.
! New York, Nov. 29.-Col. Theodore
while attending the per-
formance by the Irish players of ''The
Playboy of the Western World" was
shown the synopsis of Wharton Bark
er's testimony in Washington before
the senate committee on Interstate
commerce in which Col. Roosevelt's
name figured prominently. He read
he statement carefully and then de-
3lared: r.. .'A.
II would as soon discuss a pipe
1ream with an out and out patient
If Bedlam as discuss such nonsense
Col. Roosevelt would not add to
his statement only repeating it later
with ADDED emphasis, If anything,
when pressed by other questioners for
In additional expression. T.