The Washington herald., 1912-10-05
Morgan, Dixon, and Roosevelt.


There is an old saying that nothing
Is so apt to bring out mans true
character as a game of cards. This
weeks scenes in the Senatorial COM
mittee room, where the national cam
paign fund contributions are being in
vestigated. have taught US the lesson
to look elsewhere, beside card table,
if one desires to study human charac-
teristics, dispositions, and shortcomings.
While we are convinced that CAM
paign publicity after election practically
does not amount to picayune; yet
with the exception of few weeks of
rest, which the overworked Senators
certainly needed after the long session,
this committee has been steadily at
work. 1t has summoned witnesses from
all the leading parties, and, no doubt,
will make due haste to hear them be-
fore election.
One witness, ]. Pierpont Morgan,
may be plutocrat, a money-trust Or
ganizer, but the plainness, the lucidity,
and the straightforwardness the mod
esty of mien with which he replied to
the examining Senators ought to be
an object lesson to those of the sort of
his predecessor on the witness stand,
who laugh and sheer at authority"
This is not written to go into the
merits or dement's of the case. The
news columns overflow with the details,
and as long as the inquiry has not
reached its end all comment at best
would be just mere guesswork This is
a character study only. And in this con-
nection let us recall an incident to show
whether the Bull Moose Senator from
Montana or the famous New York
financier is the true type of American
patriot. 1t was in the early COS, at
the beginning of the civil war England
had permitted the Confederacy to build
and fit out its vessels in British ports.
England knew that the South had cot
ton, meaning money, whereas the Union
had neither one nor the other, nor even
an army to speak of. Lincoln and his
Cabinet were in quandary. No one
seemed to know how to meet this
crisis. At last our then Minister in
London was requested to lay the matter
before the British Foreign Office and
to impress upon our British cousins how
reprehensible their action was and how
distressing and perhaps fatal to the
Union
Downing Street professed to see the
error of its ways, but demanded a de-
post of 100000 in gold in order to
reimburse England for possible DAM
ages resulting to her industries from
this sudden stoppage of aid to the Con-
federacy." The Foreign Secretary de-
manded that this amount be deposited
within FIVE days. 1t was before the
days Of the transatlantic cable, and
it would take fully two weeks to COM
nunicate with Washington. Our Min
lister was nonplussed. That evening he
received caller in the person of Junius
Spencer Morgan, father of J. Pierpont
Morgan, the head of the famous Anglo
American banking house of Peabody
& Co. 1t so happened that young Nor
gan, then in business in New York, was
in London at the time, and, by his re-
quest, Peabody & Co. offered the Amer
lean Minister the 100000 in gold,
which was duly deposited in Downing
Street.
This action of Mr.. Morgan some
fifty years ago is but little known by
the general public, but it shows the
true American spirit of the ''plutocrat."
And now as to Col Roosevelt. We
know his characteristics, but impulsive
blusterer that he is, his sins of COM
mission are the outcome more of his
ambition and self-assertiveness than a
direct desire, to do wrong. He is sim
ply convinced of his mission. His tes-
timony yesterday was given by the man
who knows that he is defendant, but
also respecter of law and authority.
He came well prepared. Every assertion
he made he was able to prove by his
letter copy-book, which naturally went
a great way toward making a good !
case for himself. He was completely
fortified with truth that seemed on the
face of it irrefutable. He demonstrat-
ed that Hartman had come to him,
offering money instead of Roosevelt
seeking Hartman for the purpose.
Mr.. Roosevelt produced copy of
his letter to Cortelyou, demanding that
the 100000 contribution from Standard
Oil be returned forthwith.
Thus it appears that as far as he was
personally concerned his skirts are
clean, and it is suspected that knowing
this Chairman clapp. who is a great i