The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-09-11
ROOSEvELT'S DEFENSE.


Fact after fact comes to light show
ing that Roosevelt is the prince of
hypocrites and that his campaign is
being run under false pretenses OF
the most glazing order. The words
of Bishop Anderson, who spoke at
the late Denison chautauqua, are in
deed true. He said Roosevelt can
be properly characterized as First
in war, last in peace, and least in
the hearts of his countrymen.'
Charges having been made that Mr..
Roosevelt accepted in his last cam
paign for president, funds from great
corporations and trusts, he has come
forward with a lengthy defense which
when inspected shows that he did all
his assailants claim and more. His
letter is simply full of weak points
and a confession of the charges which
will be investigated by committee
of the United States senate during
this month.
In considering this matter, Mr.
Roosevelt speaks for himself as to
this charge. In his defense letter he
says:
"Any assertion that l ever denied
that corporations had contributed to
the republican campaign fund is
falsehood. They also contributed to
the democratic"
Thus from his own lips the truth
of the Penrose charges are proven
But Roosevelt would resist this state
ment on the basis that the point at
issue is not whether corporations
contributed, but whether corporations
promised favor if they did, and hard
treatment if they refused.
This matter comes to the front by
the testimony of Mr.. Archibald of the
Standard Oil company, who says that
his company was asked to contribute
literally by Mr.. Bliss, the national
treasurer of the campaign fund. He
says that his company did give Mr..
Bliss 100000 and that later Bliss
asked for more, and limited that re-
fusal would result in Roosevelt's
bringing unfriendly proceedings. 1t
is this testimony which Mr.. Roosevelt
assails. He is willing to say that cor
porations did help him, but not to
gain favors from his administration.
The solicitation of funds by Bliss
of the Standard Oil company was
made in the height of the campaign
of 1904. 1t would appear from the
statement of Mr.. Roosevelt that o.
tober 9th, few days before election,
he did send a letter to, Mr.. Cortelyou,
the national republican chairman,
saying that he had heard the Standard
Oil people had contributed and tell
ing him to return the money. Also
on October goth he sent a telegram
asking if his request has been COM
piled with. 1t strikes the ordinary
man as most strange that Roosevelt
waited until a week before the cleo
ton and until the campaign funds
had been spent to get in the letters
and kilograms requesting the 100000
to be taken from the treasury of the
campaign committee and handed back
to the Standard Oil company.
Mr.. Roosevelt puts in his long let
ter the evidence to Mr.. Bliss as to
campaign that year. Mr.. Bliss in an
interview given a short time before
his death, stated that Roosevelt did
send over orders as to whom to ask
funds from and whom not. Bliss re-
marked that of course he did not pay
any attention to Roosevelt in this
matter, considering it none of his
business where the funds came from.
Mr.. Archibald in his own testimony
said that Mr.. Bliss told him that both
hOUScNclI wi IclsOu nICN IHdl
the Standard Oil people had been
asked to help and that it did help.
From what Roosevelt says he did
know about the contribution, and just
before election when there was no
money to give back asked that it be
done. His own letters do not show
that he received any answers to his
inquiries, whittier the refund had been
made, or does he make a showing
that he offered to pay back the funds
which he insisted were tanned when
these had been spent by the commit
tee long before his conscience be-
came aroused. There is thus no
doubt that the Standard did give the
100000 and understood that the
same was appreciated by Roosevelt
from what Mr.. Bliss said.
1t is notorious fact that Roosevelt
has resorted to personal attacks on