The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1912-09-04
my SKIRTS ARE
CLEAN" R.
Makes Sweeping Denial Of Pen
TOse-kTChbOld Allegations
GIVES OUT LETTER TO CLAPP
Penrose Compared to Grating Cop
Colonel Promises Full Publicity of
His Spring Primary Contributions.


ter which he has sent to Senator ClaDp,
chairman of the senate committee in
vestigating campaign contributions,
before which Senator Penrose and
John d. Archbold charged that Mr.
Roosevelt had been party to the solicit
ing and accepting of Standard Oil
campaign contributions in 1904.
Mr. Roosevelt almost at the opening
gives the lie in these words:
"As regards the statements of Mr..
PenrOse and Mr. Archbold that with
my consent or knowledge Mr.. Bliss
asked the Standard Oil people for
100000 or any other sum, or received
such sum from them, it is an unquali-
fed falsehood."
Further on Colonel Roosevelt COM
pares Senator Penrose to a grating
policeman and adds
"His language is precisely the
language that might be used by
blackmailing police officer in big
city in advising the keeper of law
breaking liquor saloon or a gambling
house to contribute literally, because
other wise he might incur hostility in
certain quarters. II this language
were proved against the policeman
he would be removed from the police
force and as it is admitted by the SEN
ator he should be removed"
Mr.. Roosevelt promises that there
shall be full publicity of contributions
in his primary campaign last spring
81 wish to emphasize the fact" he
continues, that the testimony of Mr..
Archbod and Mr. Penrose in this mat
ter is an attack on Mr.. Bliss, who is
dead, and is also, unwittingly, the
severest possible reflection on them
selves, but it is in no sense any attack
on me, except insofar as they assert
that the dead man said that knew of
his request for money from them.
az do not believe that Mr.. Bliss said
this any more than believe their ac-
cusation that Mr. Bliss deliberately
tried to blackmai the Standard Oil.
But please keep in mind that this is
an assault on Mr.. Bliss and not on
me-"
After sweeping denial of know
ledge or consent to any of the steps
in the transactions as set forth by the
two witnesses he pays glowing
tribute to the memory of Mr.. Bliss
but adds that of course he could not
say whether Mr. Bliss had asked for
or had received the money.
Further to prove that his skirts are
entirely clean in the matter, although
the skirts of others might not be so
clean, Mr.. Roosevelt quotes from what
purported to be an interview with Cor
nelius ~ Bliss, published in the New
York Herald of Dec "a, 1911. In this
Mr. Bliss is quoted as correcting Ed
ward II. Harriman's assertion that In
1904 he received word of the desperate
state in New York from Roosevelt.
Mr. Bliss said that he conveyed that
information to the railroad man. He
discussed the situation and the steps
taken to raise the 100000. At the
conclusion Of the interview this ques-
tion was quoted in the Roosevelt let
ter which apparently further involves
Mr.. Bliss:
"Then the president had nothing 20
do with the raising of the money!"
Answer: "Not once in the confer
ence Of the committee was there any
suggestion that he was doing It, The
only thing that Mr.. Roosevelt had to
do with such matters was to issue
orders that money was not to be ac-
cepted from this or that person. His
orders were ignored, as it was recog-
nized that this was something about
which he must not interfere and
brooked no interference"
The letter to Senator Clapp, which
Is about $1,000 words long, goes ex-
haustively into his correspondence
with Chairman Cortelyou of Oct. 26
and p, in which it is ordered that the
from the Standard Oil com
pany be returned at once, although
the sum is not mentioned, all of which
was just AFR the time that Alton b.
Parker had first made his charge that
the Republican nominee and his chair
man were obtaining money from the
great corporations in an unusual way.
The often printed Hartman corre-
spondence is reprinted in full and
liter announcing Collector Loeb. then
private secretary, as corroborating
with H., mention Is made of Senator
Jonathan Bourne as an intermediary
for the Standard Oil at about the time
the suits were to be brought
Incidentally a paragraph is injected
to give the colonel an opportunity to
praise William r. Hearst for his pub
lie service Of high Importance and Mr.
Hearst is requested to publish every
thing he has of the Archbold letter
files.
The last part of the letter is taken
up with third party propaganda and a
tribute to George w. Perkins. The
colonel goes on record as being against
the limitation of contributions to $500
or $4,000. He does not think the
amount of money has anything to do
with improper use or purpose.
"We are anxious to have the help
of honest men of means SAYS the
colonel as he draws near the end