The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-08-30
ROOSEVELT WILL
HIT BACK HARD
Colonel Is Preparing Answer to
Archboid's Charge.
ASKS CONGRESS TO BE HEARD
Requests Permission to Appear Be-
fore Senate Committee, But That
Body Cannot Hear Him
Before October /.

Oyster Bay, Aug. 27.-Colonel Roose-
welt is about to make an onslaught
against his accusers, who have insinu-
ated that he conjured at obtaining
Standard Oil support for the campaign
OF 1904, and will endeavor to free him
self of the odium of such a charge.
The ex-president, stung by the
blockade put up by the senate com
mittee against his appearing before
it, and on Sunday that he will write
out comprehensive defense embody-
Ing all he intended saying before the
fnquisitorial body. In it he will bring
out correspondence that passed be-
tween him and various statesmen,
showing their relation to the Standard
Oil company and on his part, the firm
adherence which he says he as presi-
dent maintained against corporation
influence
A sharp attack upon the Standard
Oil company for its attempt to frus-
trate the administration prosecution
against 1t will form conspicuous part
of the colonePs assault. The ex-presi-
tive records to spring letters that
were written to him by agents Of the
oil octopus. He intends, SO he said,
to use some of these letters to bring
out clearly the sinister attitude Of the
Standard OIL toward the government.
Mr.. Roosevelt has received no di-
rect word from Senator Clapp in re-
Spouse to his telegraphed request for
permission to appear before the in
vestigating committee, but he did
learn, through his campaign secretary
in New York, o. K. Davis, that the
committee would not be able to hear
him before October /.
Davis telephoned that Senator
Clapp had conveyed information by
telegraph that he could not assemble
the committee On Monday and that the
colonel would have to wait. This put
Mr.. Roosevelt in a militant mood. He
dictated a statement telling of his in
tent to spread his defense before the
country in detailed fashion. In the
course Of his statement, the ex-presi-
dent let it be known that Saturday
night he had held . secret conference
at Sycamore Hill with George B. Cor
telyou, chairman of the Republican
national committee in 1904, and that
Cortelyou had backed up all that
Roosevelt said III his utterances con-
corning the Standard Oil company in
the last few daya.
Mind you," Quoth the colonel in
relating the visit of Corte1you, 81 have
never said at any time that there was
no contribution made by the Stand
ard Oil in 1904. l want that made ex-
plicit. What | have said all along,
and in this Mr. Cortelyou bears me out,
that took stand against the &C
ceptance of Standard Oil money and
ordered any contribution it might have
made instantly returned. I was in
formed that my wishes had been COM
piled with. Mr. Cortelyou told me
that I was exactly right; that l had
written to him just as l said, against
accepting the Standard Oil money and
had directed its r4tIIrn if any contri-
button had come "a. Mr.. Cortelyou
says he knows et no Standard Oil
money being tak&E for our compaign.
Mr.. Cortelyou supports everything
have said in ms statements concern
ing the StandaRS Oil.