The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-24
THE HARTMAN LIFT"

The letter of Mr.. George Il. Shell
don, Treasurer of tho Republican, Ma
tioual Committee in 1904, on tho sub.
icct Of tho Hartman activity In the
way of raising money for the Repub
Iicsu campaign of that year, probably
settles the main features Of that ques.
tion for good. From this letter 1t ap.
pears that s250.000 was urgently dc
mauded by the State Republican Com
mittee of New York from the National
Republican committee, in order to carry
that State for Mr.. Higgins, the Repub.
lican candidate for Governor. Tho Re-
publican National Committee did not
have the money, aud il Was necessary
TO raise it in order 10 help Mr.. Hig-
gins, As all politicians agreed 1t will
be remembered that Judge Parker, at
that time the Democratic candidate for
President, made loud and bitter wall
toward tho close of the campaign that
the moneyed interests of New York had
deserted him and gone over 10 his op-
popent, Mr.. Roosevelt, the Republican
candidate for President. Judge Parker
said that vast amounts Of money were
being raised TO defeat him aud elect
Mr.. Roosevelt. 1t appears now, from
Sheldon 8 letter, that the money was
required not for Roosevelt, but for
Higgins; and that Mr.. Hartman raised
1T there appears TO bc agreement, thus
relieving the National Republican Com
mittee of that obligation, 1t amounts
TO the same thing, however, whether
the money was raised III ono way or the
other; whether it was paid originally
into the treasury of the Republican Ma
tioual Committee and thence sent 10
the New York State Committee does
not matter. The fact is, that the Ma
tional Committee was appealed 10 for
the money, and the mouey was raised,
as Mr.. Hartman stated, at the IN
stance of Mr.. Roosevelt himself. But,
man TO raise this money, protesting,
on the other hand, that it was llarrl-
man who came 10 him with the request
for help in behalf of Higgins, who
Colonel Roosevelt affirms, was in dan.
ger of defeat. and whom Mr.. Hartman
was very eager TO have elected. This
latter part of the story looks to us
apocryphal. There is no reason in sight
why Mr., Hartman should have taken
any particular interest in the election
Mr., Higgins was in any very great
danger of defeat, for he was elected
by plurality of S0,560, which is a
pretty stiff plurality, even for the
State Of New York, though Roosevelt
had a plurality of 1862 that year.
As to the matter of fact involved
whether Mr.. Hartman approached
Roosevelt with a request for his aid,
or Roosevelt approached Hartman, We
do not suppose that the public will
have any particular difficulty in max
ing up its mind as to the truth, that
Roosevelt sent for Hartman and asked
help. precisely as Hartman stated. Mr.
Hartman was not ia politics; there
was no reason why he should take any
particular interest in Mr.. Higgins IS
election, nor in Mr.. Roosevclt's either,
for that matter. Mr. Hartman was a
railroad man; his interest in the cleo
tion, If any at all, would be on ac-
count Of his railroad concerns. Mr..
Barker is expressly justified in his re-
cent statement before the Senate inter
state commerce committee as TO Harri-
man s reason for raising the money.
IL was because Roosevelt had agreed
to make certain Recommendations to
Congress in behalf of the railroads, and
Mr. Barker stated positively that these
recommendations were actually made
afterwards by Roosevelt. So far, then
Mr. Barker is corroboratcd by the his.
tory Of the times, aud in his statement
there is prima facie verify which is
entirely lacking in Rooseyelt's. Mr..
Hartman was not a politician; he was
not, except for his railroad interests,
taking any deep interest in any elcc,
tiou; but, in order 10 get privileges
and freedom for his railroads, be would,
of course, on agreements reached, do
what he could TO advance the interests
of the candidate who would meet his
views. President Roosevelt, according
to Mr.. Barker, agreed to do this, and
actually did it. And so the incident
is practically closed. with Mr. Harri.
man S version of the matter well es-
tablshed, and Mr.. Barker's testimony
before the Senate Committee we'll sup.
ported.
Mr.. Sheldon has done a service to the
country in clearing up this matter, and