Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-29
ROOSEVELT IN A
STREET BARGAIN
Retired Banker of Philadelphia
Springs Sensation on the
Senate Committee.
CAPITALISTS ELECT T. R.
Witness Asserts Aldrich Currency
Plan Is Backed by Million to
Insure Adoption.

washington, NOV. 29.-WhartOn
Barker, a retired banker of Phila-
delphia, sprang sensation on the
senate committee on interstate COM
merce yesterday when he allege
that New York financier told him
in 1904 that the financial interests
would support Theodore Roosevelt
for president because the latter had
made a bargain" with them ION
the railroad question"
Mr.. Barker's statement came in
the midst of a vigorous attack on
the money trust" in which he al
legged also that President Roosevelt
had been given the details of the
impending panic of 1907 several
months before it happened, but took
no action to prevent it. He assert
rsArnthat thee-AldIFch currency plan
was the handfwork, not of former
Senator Aldtich but of Mr.. Warbur-
ton Of the banking firm of Kuhn.
Loeb C Co., of New York, and that
a fund of 81 100000 had been start
ed to insure its adoption.
CALLS ROOSEVELT AFRAID.
Three or four weeks before the
election in 1904" said Mr.. Barker,
81 was walking down Broadway
when l met one of the most distin-
guished money kings in New York,
man now dead. He said to me-:
We are going to elect Roosevelt.
expressed surprise and asked if
, he fhA Af
ker. He said yes; that they had
frightened Roosevelt so he had made
a bargain with them"
| Members of the committee look
/ ed incredulously and Mr.. Barker ad-
ded:
81 wish Mr.. Roosevelt were here"
81 wish he were," said Senator
Townsend, "it would be interest
| ing"
! Mr.. Barker said the financial
/ giant, whom he decliHed to name
told him that Roosevelt had made
bargain on the railroad question y
Mr. Barker continued:
"'He is to hollor all he wants to,
! he told me, but by and by a rail-
road bill will be brought in by rec
ommendation of the president cut
ting off rebates and free passes
which suits us who own the railroads
permitting the railroads to make
pooling arrangements and providing
for maximum rates
MESSAGE CONFIRMS STORY.
IL told him didn't believe Roose-
velt had made such an agreement
said Mr.. Barker, "but when the an
nual message of 1905 went to con.
gress he recommended most of those
things. ! wrote to President Roose
that 1 had thought the man lied, but
now I must believe he had not. Il
was the only letter of mine Mr.
Roosevelt ever failed to answer"
Members Of the committee asked
Mr.. Barker to give the name of the
financial man who had told him thai
Roosevelt was to be elected.
81 cannot do it," said Mr.. Barker
but subsequently somebody was re
ported to have stolen some cor
respondence between Mr.. Hartman
and the president, telling of $3.50,
600 put up for election expenses ii
the city of New York"
SAVES THE GAMBLERS,
Referring to the panic of 1907
Mr. Barker said that when the finan
cial upheaval reached it's crisis b,
urged President Roosevelt to dis
tribute the s145, 100000 of cash OIL
hand in the treasury among tn,
banks Of Chicago, Philadelphia, Bos
ton and other large cities, bnt ina
instead of depositing in the outsid
cities, the president plunged tn,
whole amount into Wall street. 'I
broke the country, but II saved tn,
gamblerG, commented Mr. Barker
The Philadelphia man, who's
banking house at one time was fis
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