The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1912-01-26
ACCUSES THE G. 0. P.
TEXAN DEMANDS A PROBE OF
CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES
OF 1904 AND 1908.
cULBERTsoN EMPHATIC
Says Diplomatic Jobs Were Bestowed
For Funds-G. o. p. Probably
Spent s11,ooo,ooo in
1904.

Washington, ID. G.. - Demanding
an investigation into campaign ex-
penditures in 1904 and 1908, Senator
Culberson of Texas, in the senate,
made sweeping charges of corruption
against the Republican committees of
those and other years. Indirectly he
charged that foreign ambassadorships
were bestowed as reward for cam
paign contributions and theoretically
he charged that former President
Roosevelt had condoned the use of
money in politics.
Mr.. Culberson's address was made
in anticipation of an unfavorable re-
port by the committee on contingent
expenses on his resolution providing
for an investigation. He said that the
limitations of the proposed inquiry to
1904 should not be construed as con-
fession that there had not been inn
proper practices before that period.
Referring especially to the cam
paign of 1908, Mr.. Culberson said that
the contributions to the Democratic
fund had been made by $4,000 persons
with $4,000 as the largest, while those
of the Republican fund were made by
1880 persons, with Charles P. Taft,
brother of the Republican presidential
candidate, at their head with a dona-
ton of $4,000. Among the contribu-
tors mentioned were Ambassadors
Reid and Kerens and Minister Lars
Anderson.
Alleges Extortion.
In the course of his speech, Mr..
Culberson referred to the fact that
George B. Cortelyou, in the 1904 cam
paign, had held the position of chair
man of the Republican national COM
mittee while he was secretary of COM
merce and labor, and intimated that
Mr. Cortelyou had taken advantage of
the secrets of corporations affairs
that might be investigated, and the
federal law, to procure money for the
campaign.
1T has been estimated" he said,
that the enormous and unconscion-
able sum of 81, 100000 was raised and
probably expended that year by the
committee of which he was chairman.
The very size and audacity of this
fund, if approximately correct, smacks
of extortion, profigacy and corrup-
ton.
He went into some detail regarding
the newspaper charges that the late
E. H. Hartman had raised the fund
of $260,000, to which he himself had
frih in IF
Republican ticket in the campaign of
1904.
Fixes Limit.
Contending that his resolution did
not go back of 1904. Mr.. Culberson
said this was due to the necessity of
fixing a limit, and was not because of
the fact that money had not been
corruptly used prior to that time. In
this connection he said:
Men high in party councils, one of
them afterwards attaining the vice
presidency and then the presidency,
laughed and rejoiced in 1880 around
the banquet board that soap was pc.
tential in election. 1t is well remem.
bered how James B. Foster, president
of the Republican league in 1888,
would have fried the fat out of special
and protected interests to force cam.
paign contributions. Honest and pa.
triotic men will never cease to recall
the shame and modification that with
81 notes, Dudley floaters were or.
ganized into blocks of five in the cleo.
ton in Indiana in that year Nor have
foreign ambassadors been only re-
Gently measured by fat contributions
for the public revolt against Van AL
len and Hyde is fresh in the memory
of the well informed"
In response to questions from Sena
tor Gallinger, Mr.. Culberson said that
the figures regarding campaign contri
buttons had been taken entirely from
newspaper reports. He added his con
viction that they were fairly well au
thenticated, but expressed the opinion
that they should be officially investi
gated.
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