Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-03
AS EUROPE SEES
HEARST OIL
EXPOSURES
Have Contributed Much To-
ward Cleansing Campaign,
Says Frankfurter Zeitung.

BERLIN, Sept. 3.-The Standard Oil
disclosures and their effect on the pres
idential campaign in the United States
are attracting as much attention In
Germany as the Panama canal matter
and the New York police scandal.
The Frankfurter Zeitung. one of Ger
manv's most important and influential
ewspapers. says:
The Hearst newspapers in the
United States are evidently making
speciality Of telling the public all about
the various contributions the Rockefel-
Ter petroleum trust has paid to indi-
vidual politicians and election funds
In doing this Mr.. Hearst has contribut-
ed much toward the cleansing of the
political campaign in his country.
of course, there can be no objec-
ton if wealthy congressman chooses
TO give to his political conviction a
strong financial backing, and If Mr.
Perkins, multi millionaire and former
partner of the banking firm of Morgan
& Co. really did as 1t is now claimed,
and contributed 100000 to the fund
u the progressive wing of the Repub-
Nran party, there can BE- not only no
objection to such a sourse, but there Is
room for hope that progressive parties
IN other countries may find equally
wealthy and liberal constituents We
say constituents because Mr.. Pe1kin,
has, to our knowledge, represented for
many years the progressive ideas of
the left wing of the Republican party.
It is quite natural, therefore. if he
again takes no the cause of Mr.. Roosc-
welt
Quite Another Matte.
But IT is another matter indeed
when commercial firms as such and
corporations or trusts give financial
contributions to political parties or 10
their campaign funds, for commercial
tirms and corporations have no polit-
ical pe'suasions. They have political
interests Besides, it used to be uni
versally customary in America that
big corporations contribute to the
funds of both parties where they were
locally interested or sometimes only the
one side that promised them most in
return Those Were Jndttions of the
lowest corruption which II is true have
been strongly depressed today, prin-
cipaIly under the innue1.re of Roose-
welt
one OF the best known and most
handy representatives of this old sys.
tenn is Senator PenrJse. reactionary-
Republican representative of Pennsyl-
rania. No one in the Union was very
much surprised therefore, when Mr.
Hearst gave documentary proof that
Penrose had received $4,000 from the
oil trust in 1904 The excuse of the
exposed boss before the senate was
that the money had been for a presi-
Dental campaign fund, and one of the
leaders of the trust said that even
loJr times that amount had been paid
This seems to have happened in
fact and il must have been known at
me time, bat it is also known and
proven bN documentary evidence that
me Standard Oil contribution was re-
turned upon tn twice uttered and ex-
plicit demand Of Roosevelt. This may
be the ',ason why the trust no longer
possessed n receipted bill for that
NJ" .VeV Va receipt for that $2j,00U|
>i7leI by Penrose which Mr.. Hearst
mas no hiteWashing explanation il
tuat fact
ne important thing now is the
tolticd. effect of these corruption dis.
.'oHures ana the deliberate attempt to
NfHS Roose te!t into this affair win per-
"1pS ec5i ( the support Of portion
OF Tile press of New York, but it will
h1i be approved by the public opinion
or the United States.
All such attempts to discredit this
pros eSSIVe ieaCer so far have been
.'InentIble failures. Even his sharpest
ponllFal antagonists, those who were
serious and decent men. have always
protected Roosevelt in that respect II
.aS pean sufficiently shown that imme-
g.ajelI before hi> collection in 1904 he
oIu everything in his power to pre-
ven, the direct or indirect payment into
party fund of contributions from cor
b"iuuons and trusts
ne Republicans We're not in great
need of money at that time for the
r-e'etilon Of ;hs rrs Sldent was IN
''aoteu and n, financial condition
~'hoslnt. ~, rar;l "as very weak.
NE Nho,5 affair will rather benefit
h'oseVelt for it viii surely strengthen
IN. 1, disgust Of d,reut Americans will
'"ei. tN" Old parties.
GO ~ 49,