The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-07-21

| Herman Rider, publisher OF the new
Yorker Staoats-Zeitung and treasurer OF
the National Committee In the campaign
OF 1908, disclosed the fact yesterday be-
fore the Senate investigating committee
that William ]. Bryan, who was the
nominee for President in 1908. accepted
several thousand dollars in campaign
contributions from Tammany Hall as an
Organization and from the individual
members Of that organization. Mr.. Rid
der came before the committee with Q
complete statement Of all receipts and
expenditures in that campaign
The total amount contributed to the
Democratic National Committee to elect
Mr.. Bryan was s6eo.s447s. of which ssls.-
1905 was disbursed. There were about
100000 individual contributors, although
only 5000 names are represented in the
list The largest contributor was Mr..
Ridder. who gave $4,000 In his own be-
half and s, 900 for each Of his three sons,
making a total contribution of $4,000.
The second largest contributor was Tam
many Hall. 1t gave the highest contri-
button possible under the rules pre-
scribed by Mr.. Bryan, who insisted that
contributions should not exceed No,coa-
Mostly Tammany Men.
The Tammany Society gave that sum.
but Individual members Of Tammany
Hall made additional contributions to a
large amount In fact, the list OF large
contributors contains few names outside
of the Tammany circle. The men who
sat in the New York delegation at the
Baltimore convention, who were de-
nounced by Mr.. Bryan and whom he
sought to read out OF the party organ
ization, were shown by Mr.. Ridder to
have been the heaviest contributors to
Mr.. Bryan's campaign expenses in 1905.
In the list were De Lancey Nicoll, Will.
lam F. Sheehan. ]. Sergeant Cram, Sam
uel Untermyer, Edwin NJ. Shepard. Nor
gan ]. O'Brien. Jacob Rupert, Nathan
Straus, and the National Democratic
Club.
-Mr. Bryan knew that these contri-
buttons were made and he did not pro-
test" said Mr. Ridder. He knew as
soon as they were received. We pub
lished them each day. The largest
contributions to the campaign fund in
1908 were by the men denounced and
read out Of the convention at Balti-
more"
Mr.. Ridder, in answer to questions,
said that Thomas F. Ryan and August
Belmont did not contribute to the DEM
ocratic national campaign fund that
year. He said:
Il know they did not contribute d.
rectly; i do not believe they contrib
uted indirectly. They might have done
SO through some OF the individual con-
tributions made by men like William
F. Sheehan. De Lancey Nicoll. and 9TH
ers, but am morally certain that these
contributions were made by the men
by whom they purported to be made.
They are too small to have been made
by either Mr.. Ryan or Mr.. Belmont"
No Corporation Contribution.
The second largest contributor to
Mr. Bryan's campaign fund was Tam
many Hall as an organization. 1t was |
10000.
Mr.. Ridder testified that there were no |
contributions that year from corporations |
as such. Mr.. Bryan having forbidden the
acceptance of corporation contributions. |
The testimony showed that Mr.. Bryan's |
campaign fund was less than in the |
Parker campaign of four years before by |
about $4,000. The Parker fund was about |
a million. contributed directly and indi-
rectly. Mr.. Ridder testified to-day that |
Mr.. Bryan's fund in 1908 was $3.50 64479. of |
which s61s. 4l005 was dispensed.
The books were brought on and de-
posted with the committee by John ]. |
Martin. private secretary to the secretary |
Of state of New York They represent |
5000 names, which stand for perhaps |
10000 individual contributors. Mr.. Rid
der filed two statements with the secre-
tary of state at the close OF the cam
paign Of 1905, one giving expenditures by
the committee in the State of New York.
This was required by New York State
laws. The other statement was made un-
der oath pursuant to resolution adopted
by the Denver convention that nominated
Mr. Bryan. The committee expended in
the State Of New York. according to Mr..
Riders statement, $40, 17S1a