The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-30
WHARTON BARKER'S CHARGES.

The revelations made by Mr. Nhar-
ton Barker, retired banker of Phlla'
delphia, arc of exceeding interest. Mr..
Barker is a man Of prominence in the
financial worli, of great individual
character, aud Of original thought. lie
does not conform at all to many of the
Eastern notions about finance, money,
and banking. He has made Il great
success financially Of his life, and has
always been known as a stalwart ipdl-
vidual who took a course of his own
without regard TO what anv ono else
| thought. In the great gold propaganda
of fifteen years aro and more, Mr.. Bar.
ker was A silver man, one OF the stall
warts whom the gold advocates could
not suppress and found difficulty Ill
meeting in argument. That he is man
Of firm and honest conviction has been
abuudantly manifested to tho people Of
this country for many years. They
have confidence in his honesty, and
have every reason to believe that when
ever he SAYS a thing, he speaks the
truth. Mr.. Barker's statement there.
| fore, TO the Senate Commission on Inter
state Commerce, made on Tuesday, is
Of the highest importance.
| This statement was TO the effect that
| Mr.. Roosevelt, while President, aud
during his campaign of 1904 for re
| election, Welded TO the financial and
railroad interests, and contracted with
| them for their support, In return. Ill
case he was reelected. Mr. Roosevelt
was to recommend the passage Of a bill
permitting the railroads to make pool
passes and providing for maximum
rates. Mr.. Barker says that n promi-
ncnt Gnancier and railroad man who
had personal knowledge OF this bargain,
told him about it,. This railroad aud
| financial magnate is since dead, and Mr..
said enough to irdicate quite clearly
| that Mr.. Hartman was the man who
told him these things. This identity is
| further probable from the fact that Mr..
Barker connects him with the man who
raised S250,00 for the Roosevelt cam
paign fund that year, and whose letter
had been stolen. This hts the Harri-
man case on all points. and the natural
conclusion of the public would be, that
Mr.. Hartman is the man to whom Mr..
Barker refers as having told him of the
bargain between the railroad and fnan-
! cial interests and the President. Other
| circumstances also fit in we'll with this
! identification.
1t is true that Mr.. Barker gets this
! information by hearsay; it is also trne
| it forward at this time, since the invcs-
! tigation is now really on for the first
time. If it is true that Mr. Hartman
| told Mr.. Barker the things which Mr.
| Barker now reveals 10 the committee.
no one who knew Mr.. Hartman
would in the least doubt the facts as
! stated by him But whether the man
who told was Mr.. Hartman or not. Mr..
/ Barker is fully justified in believing
! that the bargain was made, since rail
road bill precisely as foreshadowed
was brought forward and recommended
| bv the President. Mr. Barker further
states that he wrote a letter to Mr..
! Roosevelt calling attention TO what he
] hal been told, and the coincidence be-
, tween that narration and the fact of
/ the endorsement of such bill by Mr..
Roosevelt as President Mr.. Barker
adds that this was the only letter which
he ever wrote TO Mr.. Roosevelt that re-
maincd unanswered, infcrring that he
had written other letters 10 Mr., Roose-
welt which had been answered.
Mr. Barker is q man Of such high
! standing for truth aud honesty that no
one who has any knowledge OF him
will. for one moment, doubt his entire
belief in the story which he has told
| and no one can fail to see that he has
very strong confirmation to Justify that
belief. But. if that stor-' is true, and
/ the showing for its truth is very strong
what snail VIC think of Mr. Roosevelt.
! who at the very time when he was
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