The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-01
CLAPP COMMITTEE
 LEARNS LITTLE FROM WITNESSES
fContinued from Page one)

less intimate nature. These he handed to Chairman Clapp.. One was from President Roosevelt, another was from William H. Taft as Secretary of War. The committee suspended work for a few minutes while the members read the letters privately. Senator Clapp had the letters placed in the record as exhibits. They were not read aloud and their contents were not diyulged at the time. aS
 Mir. Bliss said he had no other docu- ments and no recollection of any con .versations with his father which would throw any light on'the subjects un- der investigation.
 The contents of two of the letters later became known. That from secrc- tary Taft written May 6, 1904, urged the late Mir. Bliss to take the chair manship, saying President Roosevelt twas most anxious for it." and adding, that as chairman Mir. Bliss would se- cure the confidence of those from whom contributions may be expected"
 The letter from President Roosevelt dated the same, likewise urged him to take the place.
 Under examination by Senator Payn- ter witness said that his father had told him that he allowed the books oR the treasurers office of the republi- can national committee to be closed because he lthe elder Bliss) believed the records useless and should be de- stroyed. He said they contained the names and amounts from various con- tributors The witness did not know who destroyed them. He could not re-. member having talked with his father about the much discussed $100,000 stan dard oil company contribution. Mir Ifl T l,f.. |, had destroyed a great many of the papers left by the parent.
 Destroyed Letters of No Value
 'I know of nothing that I destroyed that would in any way assist this com 2 mittee,n he declared emphatieally H@ ..s
 Vigorous cross-examination by Senator Pomerene failed to shake this statement
 NJ. H. Libby of New York, foreign rep resentative of the Standard oil company was sworn.
 It was announced McHarg's testimony would be postponed until october & Tuesday.
 While the committee at first seemed con fused as to the disposition of the three letters to MT. Bliss put in evidence, the substantial portions of them were finally made public. Two were of no particular import, but the third. dated March 26 1906, written by President Roosevelt, from
  York, made specificic denial that he had ever been influenced for or against any persons or interests as result of con- tributions to the 1904 campaign.
 Tt is not only true that there has come to me no suggestion that the giving of contributions entities any giver to any consideration beyond his fellow man, President Roosevelt wrote, but it is fur thermore true that on number of oc- casions as for instance in connection With the tobacco interests and in connection with a wealthy man who wished to be considered for the position of minister to Belgium, contributions were immediately declined when it was found either that the donor hoped for some favor or the government was about to take some ao- tion which affected the donor or donors while as soon as it was known that certain big financiers as well as iniiu- ential politicians like MT. O'Den had urged the appointment of James H. HXde as ambassador to France, MT. Cortelyou and, believe. you also protested strong iy and the financiers in question at once accepted my explanation of why it would be impossible to put so young and un-