The Washington herald., 1912-07-12
I. R. S ELECTION
COST s1,900,000
George B. Cortelyou So Informs
the Senate Probing
/ Committee.
MEMORY INDISTINCT;
BOOKS WERE DESTROYED
Republican Chairman of 1904 Cam.
paign Ignorant Of Hartman
Contribution.

1t cost the Republican National Com
mttee about sl.sOo.0oo to finance the
Roosevelt campaign of 1904. II cost the
committee about twice as much, or 81
So. 600. to run the campaign of 1900, which
resulted in the election OF William Nc
Kinley.
These totals were disclosed officially
yesterday for the first time. when George
B. Cortelyou, who was chairman of the
National Committee during the Parker
Roosevelt campaign Of 1894. appeared as
witness before the Senate committee
that is investigating campaign contribu-
tons.
Mr.. Cortelyou also disclosed the fact
that the vouchers and financial records
of the 1904 campaign were destroyed by
Cornelius n. Bliss, in 1907, shortly after
he had retired as treasurer OF the Ma
tional Committee. 1t was only DAY
or two ago that Thomas Taggart. chair
man of the Democratic National COM
mittee in this same Rooseveit-Parker
campaign testified that the check STUBS
and other documents relating 10 the
financing of the Democratic end OF the
fight had been burned.
Stir Among Senators.
The testimony of Mr.. Cortelyou follow
ing so closely upon that of Mr.. Taggart
caused a stir among Senators. Mr.. Cor
telyou, however. took particular pains to
defend the memory of Cornelius n. Bliss.
and to declare that he never would have
tolerated a single transaction Nhlcn
would not bear the full light OF day.
Mr. Cortelyou went further. and said that
he was willing to assume full response
bility for anything that was done IN
that 1904 campaign by the Republican Ma
tional Committee.
Mr.. Cortelyou's statements in regard TO
the total amounts expended in the Roose-
welt and Mckinley campaigns were re-
ccived with great interest. There has al
ways been a large amount OF speculd-
ton as to the cost OF these campaigns.
The figures in the Roosevelt campaign
have been estimated as high as sllcco.ooo.
and Judge Parker, II will be recalled,
charged in the midst of that fight that
vast sums were being contributed by the
corporations to insure the election OF
Roosevelt.
Ignorant of Hartman Fund.
Mr.. CorteIyou testified that he never
had been Informed Of the raising of this
Hartman fund in the campaign. and
that he had known absolutely nothing
about it until the reports came out in
the newspapers. This s2s00oo never
passed through tfx hands of the National
Committee, but went direct to the New
York State organization.
While Mr.. Cortelyou gave every EVIL
dence of a Eesre TO help the committee.
they learnId very little from him in re-
gard to the sources of the N.so.00 coo raised
for Roosevelt. Mr.. Cortelyou said that
the details OF raising the money had
lal ,,- NJ PEas and that he
CCortelyou had little or no information
in regard to Ihe individual contributors.
He could not recall that any of the big
corporations had contributed TO the
Roosevelt fund.
Insurance Companies Contributed.
Mr.. Cortelyou declared that he person
ally had no knowledge of the contribu-
tons to the Roosevelt fund by the life
insurance companies. These contributions
were brought out in the life insurance
investigation and included about $4,000
from the New York Life and large con-
tributions also from the Equitable and
the Mutual.
I never heard OF an insurance con-
tribution of any sort during the cam
paign.' said Mr.. Cortelyou.
The former national chairman testified
also that he knew of no contribution
having been made directly by J. p. Nor
gan or by any one in his behalf. He
knew nothing also of any contribution
having been made by George W. Perkins
Mr.. Perkins is supposed to have made the
contribution for the New York Life in
that campaign.
Mr. Cortelyou had not heard of any
by II. II. Rogers, John A
Archibald. William Rockefeller. or Speyes
& Co. Mr.. Cortelyou added that il was
possible that some of these gentlemen
might have made contributions. but he
was not in a position to recall anything
in particular about them.
Question. Did you subsequently learn
that any of these parties made contri-
buttons?
Answer. Yes. sir. In the case of the
insurance companies II developed in the
insurance investigation that certain COM
panies had contributed. | have never
pretended to understand fully the matter
of the so-called Hartman fund. What
ever happened in that case happened
while was in Chicago, at the very end
of the campaign. closing up the affairs
of the Chicago headquarters. The New
York State committee, think. had ap-
piled for funds and ] had declined to
give any more. feeling that what had
been allotted was ample. Fur
thermore. / did not wish to give any
funds to State committees at the very
end of the campaign. which rule We alb
lived up to.