The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1912-10-03

SHELDON saw
ARCHBOLD GIFT
Tells Probsrs Of 100000 on
Bliss Lost Books.
DIXON Anglers SENATORS
Says Taft's Brother Spent 100000 In
Campaign and That Committee Is
Only .vestigating Roosevelt.

Oniy .seStiSdtiH9 nooSSSSie'
Washington, Oct 3. George R.
Sheldon, who was treasurer Of the Re
publican national committee in 1908.
testified before the senate sub-commit,
tee investigating campaign funds that
in 1904 the Standard Oil company had
contributed 100000; J. P. Morgan &
Co., 100000; H. c. Frick, 100000.
and George j. Gould, 100000 to the
campaign fund of Colonel Roosevelt.
The Standard Oil contribution, said
Sheldon, was not credited to the big
corporation, but to John ID. Archbold.
This assertion caused a sensation
in the committee. 1t was direct con-
firmation of the testimony recently
given by Archbold before the com.
mittee, which at the time was chal-
lenged by Colonel Roosevelt.
Mr.. Sheldon said he had no perl
sonal knowledge of these contribu-
tions, but that the late Cornelius N.
Bliss, who was treasurer in 1904, and,
with whom he was closely associated. .
had shown him his report.
when | took charge of the treas
urership in 1908, Mr.. Bliss handed me
list of large contributors of 1904"
What percentage was contributed
by corporations?" was asked. "To be
frank, 1872 per cent" replied SheldonI
Senator Paynter took up with tn e
witness the Hartman contribution of
1904, and asked him to detail its cir
cumstances as he had given them On
his appearance before the committee
several weeks ago. Sheldon said that
his letter about the Hartman funa
was written as the result of a talsz
with Colonel Roosevelt.
81 met the colonel at the Uniol
land I said to him: Colonel, here's
that Hartman story again. Some onel
ought to tell the truth about that. !
Colonel Roosevelt told me that he felt,
rather sore that neither Cortelyou nor|
Bliss had told what they knew about
it. Then l told him that I knew ALI
about the matter and would be willing
to tell about it, AS a result wrote that
letter."
The letter gave an account of B. b.
Odell getting the late Mr.. Bliss to'
raise $240,000, which was turned overI
to the New York state committees
Sheldon said the records of RlisS
showed that e fund of s24O, 900
been paid dlfSetly to Bliss, "and paid
by him direct to the state commit
tee.''
He said that the Hartman fund had
for and spent by the Republican ma
tional committee for the Roosevelt ma
tional campaign.
THAT fund was collected at the di-
rect request of Benjamin B. Odell,"
said Mr.. Sheldon.
Mr.. Sheldon could recall no specific
contributions by life insurance COM
panies to the 1904 campaign, but he
would not say there were none. He
could recall no contribution by Mr..
Havemeyer or by the sugar trust"
= In reply to a question from Senator
Pomerene, Sheldon said there were
about IT'S names on Bliss list of men
who had contributed sums in excess of
$1,000. He placed the total national
committee fund at $1,800,000.
Dixon Causes Storm.
Prior to Sheldon's appearance on
the stand, Senator Dixon, Colonel
Roosevelt's campaign manager, told
the committee he had been reliably in
formed that Thomas F. Ryan and A.
H. Plant, auditor of the Southern
railway, had contributed heavily to
Oscar w. Underwood's pre-convention
campaign for the Democratic pres-
Dental nomination, and that Joseph F..
Davis spent $4,000 in Governor Will
sons pre-convention campaign.
Charles P. Taft, he asserted, had
spent 100000 for his brother, the
president, and that leading financiers
of New York had spent large sums for
Governor Harmon"
Dixon charged that Taft men and
the Democrats had purchased the edi-
torial pages of hundreds of newspa-
pers throughout the United States
published in foreign languages and
hau tiSu liSiii up oO IhdI IuOy COulu
not print anything antagonistic to
those interests. He asserted that the
Standard Oil and tobacco interests
furnished the money to buy up the
newspapers.
Dixon further suggested that the
committee call a number of Demo
cratic leaders whom he named and
who he said could tell about "a gen
tleman named Penfield," of Philadel-
phia, who had given $4S,OOO to Will
sons pre-convention campaign and
$4,000 since. Later Dixon said he
might have been mistaken and that
1t might have been Mrs Penfield who
gave the $4S,000. He did not give Pen
fields first name, but it was believed
he referred to Frederic Courtland
Penfeld, of New York, who married
Mrs. Anne Weightman Walker, of
Philadelphia.
Dixon had stormy session with
the committee and had such a bitter
clash with Senator Pomerene that the
Ohio Democrat invited him outside
to settle it, The affair closed without
a fistic encounter. He testified he per.
sonally had sDent $4,000 in the Pro