The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1912-09-07
COL. ROOSEVELT IN
HIS OWN DEFENSE
Letter to Senator Moses E,
Clapp Is Given Out.
Says that Present Attack Of John o.
Archbold and Senator Penrose is
Solely Upon Late Cor
nellus N. Eliss.

Col. Roosevelt gave out the letter
which he gave TO Senator Moses r.
Clapp. chairman Of the senate cam
paign Investigating COMMITTEES, before
which John ID Archboid and Senator
Penros6 charged that Mr. Roosevelt
had been rarity Is the soliciting and
accepting 81 Standard ON campaign
contributions n 1904
Mr. Roosevelt almost al the open
ine gives tHe b. d these words
S coleUci charges Faicehood.
PAS regards the statements Of Mr.
Peurose ard Nf Archbold that with
my consent Or knowledge Mr Bliss
asked The Standard OH rt he for
100000 on any other sum. or received
such sum from them. Il Is On unquali
fed falsehood
Farther on Colonel Roosevelt com
pares Senator Penrose to a grating
policeman. and adds, Ills language ISL
precisely the language that might be
used by blackmailing police officer in
a big city in advising the keeper OF
"A law-breaking liquor saloon or a gam
bling house TO contribute literally. be-
cause otherwise he might incur hos
tility in certain quarters II this
language were proved against the po-
liceman he would be removed from
the police force
Full Publicity Promised.
Mr. Roosevelt promises that there
shall be full publicity Of contributions
In his primary last spring.
Il wish 10 emphasize the fact he
continues. that the testimony OF Mr..
Archbold and Mr. Pcnrose In this mat
ter Is an attack on Mr Bliss, who is
dead and Il also unwittngly, the Sc
verest possible reflection on them.
selves; but II is in no sense any attack
on me except insofar az they assert
that the dead man said that ! knew
Of his request for money from them.
II do not believe that Mr.. Bliss
said this any more than | believe their
accusation that Mr. Bliss deliberately
tried 10 blackmail the Standard Oil
company But please keep in mind
that this Is an assault on Mr.. Bliss
and not on me
After a sweeping denial OF knowl.
edge or consent TO any OF the steps
In the transactions as set forth by
the two witnesses. he pays a glow
Ing tribute to the memory OF MIR.
Bliss, but adds that, OF course, he
could not say whether MIR. Bliss had
asked for or had received the money.
Quotes odl Bliss Interview.
Futher 10 prove that his skirts are
entirely clean in the matter although
the skirts Of others might not be SO
clean, Mr. Roosevelt quotes from what
purported 20 be an interview with
Cornelius NJ Bliss, published in the
New York Herald OF Dec "a, 1911 in
this Mr.. Bliss Is quoted as correcting
Edward II. Harrlmans assertion that
in 1904 he received word OF the des.
perate state in New York from Mr.
Roosevelt Mr.. Bliss said that he con-
veyed that information 20 the rail-
road man. He discusses the situa.
ton and the steps taken to raise the
$500, 900. At the conclusion OF the In
terview. there are these questions
quoted In the Roosevelt letter which
apparently farther involve Mr. Bliss:
Then the president had nothing 10
do with the raising or the money!"
Answer: Not once IN the confer
ence OF the committee was there any
suggestion that he was doing t. The
only thing that Mr.. Roosevelt had TO
do with such matters was TO issue or.
ders that money was not TO be accept.
ed from this or that person. His or.
ders were ignored. as II was rec.
ognized that this was something about
which he must not interfere and |
brooked no Interference"
cortelyou Correspondence Cited.
The letter 10 Senator Clapp. which
is about $1,000 words long, goes ex-
haustlvely into his correspondence
with Chairman Cortelyou OF oct 26
and q, In which II is ordered that
the 100000 from the Standard oil
company be returned al once, al
though the sum is not mentioned all
OF which was just after the time that
Alton b. Parker had first made his
charge that the Republican nominee
and his chairman were obtaining
money from the great corporations in
an effective way.