The Washington times., 1912-10-05
A MAGNIFICENT vINDIcATloN FOR
COLONEL ROOSEVELT


Of all the circumstances, and dealing manfully with
every direct charge and every ianuendo aimed At
him by his political enemies, clears his record beyond
all expectations OF his warmest admirers.
Some Of these were afraid that practical poll
ticians associated with him when II was the custom
to- beg for big campaign contributions had in some
way compromised Mr.. Roosevelt. An honest Pres.
dent with the best Of intentions might have fallen
into one Of many traps Some Of Mr., Roosevelts
friends would not haye been astonshed II dishonest
dollars we're traced directly to his campaign fund
and IL il had been made to seem that he wnked at
their acceptance. r,
But Theodore Roosevelt had more than good in
tentions in 1904 when he ran for President and his
managers we're flooded with campaign gifts whose
donors were eager to put him under obligations to
them. He knew what rascality he would have to
guard against. -
Therefore he was armed against Hartman who
would want to write his message railroad egisla
ton, appoint his Cabinet officers and select his am
bassadors. He was loaded for any one who might
later brand dead man as blackmailer and CON-
plain because the immunity supposedly bought from
President Roosevelts agent was denied them.
Roosevelt prepared his albis as he went along, so
that when the time came he could show that he had
ordered the return Of any protection money he knew
about could prove that he vas told the money had
and testimony that anybody who imagined he was
buying Government favors from him with campaipn
contributions was "either crook or fool"
And so when his corrupt slanderers had spent
their breath trying to show that he was dishonest
Mr.. Roosevelt would prove that the burden Of their
complaint was that he had failed to carry out
rupt bargain which they said they thought they had
made with him. s -
Mr.. Roosevelt's. vigorous exhaustive and unre-
strained exhibition Of the whole truth makes il seem
as il heretofore he was almost indifferent to the &C
cusations banded about him. As il with a sudden
realization that the American people we're beginning
to believe the filthy tales Of the Penreses he pours
forth broadsde Of fact which At once skaters all
the falsehoods.
He had. not invited Hartman to the White House
to hold him up for campaign funds. Hartman had
solicited the interview to get help from the national
committee for Governor Higgins and bis intimate
friend, Chairman Odell.
He had never heard of the ]. Pierpont Morgan
gift which was a trihe to Morgan, until George r.
Sheldon swore to il.
He had never seen Cornelius N. Bliss list Of
contributions, and had never asked Bliss to account
for them, but he had been assured that no pledge
mad been given by Bliss in return for gift Nor had
Bliss ever asked any consideration for lawbreaking
corporations. co..
Ana the urgent lcUcIS ana tcIc&ramS 10 Snalr-
man Corteyou before the election, followed by
Bliss deceitful assurance to Loeb, leave doubt in
any reasonable mind that Mr.. Roosevelt was both
eager to reject Standard Oil money and careful to
guard against implied obligations to interests he was
fighting tooth and nail in the public interest
Again and again there appears throughout the
record there appears in the effective statements
Of Mr.. Roosevelt to the hostile investigating com
mittee, the convincing fact which stands out above
the other facts exonerating the ex-President:
That no return by way Of official favor was gver
to the men who swear that they thought they hat
corrupted Mr.. Roosevelt when they dealt, as the,
swear, with his agents. 49,,
That was their chief grievance That is why the,
accuse him. .. t--
When the Clapp committee Senators had Hnishet
with Mr.. Roosevelt he had done far more than bias
to atoms the charges Of notorious coruptoniss tina
he was partner in their corruption. He had showr
not only that he was not dishonest President, bu
that he was alert and active to shield himself from
future vili6caton Of the corruptionsts whose chic
complaint would be that they could not corrupt him
"A practical man Of high Ideals" Mr. Roosevelt
called himself on the witness stand. He was refer
ring to the celebrated phrase in his letter Hartman
o which his cynical enemies have twisted into con
It fesson Of cupidiy. The colonel need never b.
n ashamed Of the epithet practical"
That he was pratical enough to write the histor
t of his 1904 campaign fund as he went along, tina
e he was practical enough to plan far ahead for tn
confusion Of his enemies, is for rejoicing.
was good that the mans brilliant equipment for lead
1t ership Of the American peoples fgnt against tn
special interests included an immensely practices
bent for weapons Of defense against any emergenc,
y Colonel Roosevelt comes out of the ordeal whc
y his enemies thought would cripple him bigger an
l. stronger than before the latest cannonade wa