The Washington herald., 1912-10-18

have been In case President Roosevelt
had attempted to dictate the policy OF
the National Committee in the matter of
Individual contributions to the 1904 fund
Indicated strongly that President Rooss-
welt could not assume as absolute = die.
tatorship over tha work Of his committee
a. statements bv Senator Penrose had
indicated.
In his testimony before the Clapp COM
mittee Penrose said. in effect. that Cor
telyou was put at the head Of the Ma
tional Committee in 1904 at Ronsevelts d
request IN order that Roosevelt might
have absolute control over It's admins
tration and the details Of the CAMPAIGN
Mr.. Cortelyou yesterday. when asked II
he believed Roosevelt's letter anent the
Standard Oil contribution had been
meant to apply to all corporation con-
tributions. replied:
Il do not know that I would have paid
the same degree Of attention to his let
ter II I had understood II to apply to an
contributions. ] mean that /. As chair-
man. would not have accepted directions
|as to individual cases"
Cortelyo. Makes Explanation.
Mr.. Cortelyou said that when he re-
lceived the first letter from Roosevelt
asking II q Standard Oil contribution
had been received. he referred the mat.
ter to Treasurer Bliss and was inform
ed that the Standard OIL Company had
not made a contribution Mr.. Cortelyou
seemed to have an indistinct recollection
that Bliss either informed him or gave
him the impression that some off1ciai or
officials Of the company had contributed
Individually. but that the President 8
prohibition was not construed and
would not have been construed as OBJ
AaH~
Mr. Cortelyou's testimony was largely
to meet construction and developments
which have sprung up since he appeared
before the committee before Congress
adjourned last summer. He said he had
not instructed any one to burn papers
concerning campaign contributions: ne
did not promise at the beginning OF the
1904 campaign q contribution to the New
York State committee from the Nation
al committee Of 100000, as testified to by
former Gov Odell: he never heard OF
the contribution by the New York Life
Insurance Company until II was brought
out in the insurance investigation. and
he never received from Mr.. Bliss re-
ports which would indicate either the
amounts received or the sources Of nm
ances.
Mr.. Cortelyou waxed indignant over
the political blackmail charge, implied in
articles which appeared simultaneously
in leading Democratic papers about Oc-
tober l, 1904. and which pointed out that
President Roosevelt had chosen as chair
man Of the national committee a man
who, as Secretary Of Commerce and
Labor, was given through the bureau q
corporations an inside knowledge Of the
secrets Of corporations.
Mr.. Cortelyou said that the bureau OF
corporations hardly had been organized
at the time he left the department. and
that no prosecutions with the possible
exception Of an action against the Beef
Trust had been started.
Amount Collected Smaller.
Despite the inside knowledge he was
supposed to have had. he pointed out.
his committee had collected N.Uv,.000 less
than had been collected for the Republi-
can campaign Of 1900 and Sl,600.0o0 less
than had been collected for the cam
paign Of 1896.
As to the Hartman letter introduced
in evidence by the late railroad king
secretary. Mr.. Cortelyou said 1t was one
Of $50 similar letters sent out with a
view to fos ming a complimentary COM
mittee Of wealthy men who might be
expected to contribute to the fund.
Frank A. Munsey. the publisher, and
Bull Moose cause. testified as to his own
contributions and ended by q carefully
worded statement in which he strongly
advocated secrecy In the matter Of con-
tributions and a wider publicity as to
their expenditure. This is in direct op-
position to Col. Roosevelt's attitude on
the subject. Moreover. Mr.. Munsey re-
pudiated his former conviction that the
government should appropriate money for
national campaigns, and that all ex-
penditures for> all candidates should be
made from such appropriations. 1t was
his belief that the necessary public. pa
triotic interest in elections and candi-
dates would wane under too rigid gov
ernmental supervision. and he told the
committee that such inquiries as the one
now in progress have frozen up pocket
books SO tight that 1t Is next to impossi-
BILE to obtain contributions from any
source. THE question: he concluded.
'is not how much was collected. but how
It was expended"
In Other Campaigns.
Mr., Munsey testified that in 1904 he had