New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-12
Interesting Facts Revealed in an Interview Given Years Be
fore His Recent Death but Never Heretofore
Made Public Are Here Set Forth
Downright. 1911. by James b. Morrow

Copyright, 1911. by James B. Morrow
I'VE years ago / interviewed Cor
II nelius Newton Bliss The article
y then written has been in pickle
ever since. Before could hurry it into
type Mr.. Bliss asked me to defer its pub
lication. saying: THE time has not
come to make public some of the things
j told you
Nor did il ever come, in Mr.. Bliss's
judgment. He was. moreover, an I'M
commonly modest man-an old-fashloned
merchant i'm his dignity of manner Il
fourth Earl of Chesterfield in courtesy
dress and atmosphere. Elegant, might
call him. though delightfully."- simple ana
sincere. And strong, yet l saw MS me
eyes fill with tears as he talked OF Mar
Gus A. Hanna. his dead comrade in poll
tics and his beloved personal friend.
Custodian Of the war chest through
four campaigns for the Presidency, imam
cier of the Republicans during the his
torical battle of 1896, censured, tor
mented and challenged, he remained ST.
lent, though not because of fear con-
corning himself. He thought dare say
that every person who knew him be-
Iieved him TO be an honest man. The
money came in. He paid II out TO the
committees. 1t was spent after leaving
his hands, and spent honorably, he said.
That was enough, for a merchant whose
word in business was as good as gold,
and for the treasurer of the Broadway
fTabernacle. where he had worshipped for
many years.
II was in 1904 that Judge Alton b.
Parker, running on the Democratic
ticket, accused the Republicans Of ac-
icepting funds from large corporations
Mr.. Bliss was questioned, but he said
nothing Some day." he remarked to
me. "all the facts Will be known. / am
not the person, however TO give them
sout at this time. When the truth Is
understood the country will be disillu-
,sionized with respect to good many
:fallacies which have been accepted be-
cause they have not been explained. The
,newspa pers insisted that Mr.. Hanna had
lS1O,0O0,O00 the first time Mckinley de-
feated Bryan. Conservative men esti-
mated Mr.. Hanna's fund at SIOOO,OOO
We didn't have half that sum.
COST OF THE 1904 CAMPAIGN.
eff were TO tell how little we spent
An 1904. when Parker was a candidate
against Roosevelt, the public would be
surprised and possibly doubtful The
contributions 10 the national committee
IN that year came from about five thou
sand business concerns and individuals,
and some of them were almost insignia
lcant. The expenses Of the campaigns In
1886 and 1900 were very large, il is true.
A political meeting was held In practi-
cally every school district throughout
the United Stats during each of those
wears. Orators had to be hired and their
hotel bills and railroad fare had to be
paid. Besides it was necessary to es-
tablish and maintain great publishing
house for the printing Of documents.
Nearly every man who had a dollar was
willing to spend 80 cents in trying to
save it,
The cost of beating free silver was
enormous. but it did not amount TO S1O-
Oo0.OOO. nor to S7,OO0,OOO. Money was
paid to me by committees composed Of
the foremost business men Of the com
munities In which they lived. II came
from large places and small places, from
the East and from the West. l never
Snlicitnd tnnnnnN myself There are MaYS