The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-10-05
l. IL.

corporations were contributing to the
Republican cause.
MIR. Roosevelt asserted that before re-
plying 10 Parker in the 1904 campaign
he got personal assurance from Mr.. Bliss
and Mr.. Cortelyou, that no promise of any
kind. sort or description, express or i'm
Piled" had been made in connection with
any contribution
He called the committees attention to
the fact that it was entirely legal for the
corporations to contribute in 1904 and
that in 1895 it had been hailed as a pa
triotic act. The Democrats on the COM
mittee equirmed when Mr.. Roosevelt
called their attention to the testimony of
the late John A. Mccall. president of the
New York Life Insurance Company.
before the vestlgating committee of the
New York Legislature. Mr.. Mccall said
that his life was made weary by the
Democratic candidates chasing for money"
in that 1904 campaign. The Colonel con-
tinued reading the Mccall statement,
now and then grinning with evident salts
faction.
This seemed a bitter pill for the Demo.
cratic members of the committee but they
smiled as the Colonel looked at them and
added:
Corporations Aiding Both sides.
Il submit that because / wish to en-
phasize the fact that il was a matter of
common knowledge that in that cam
paign corporations were contributing on
both sides
Mr.. Roosevelt turned then to state
mentS made by Senator Penrose and
Mr.. Archhold in regard to the late Cor
nelius \. Bliss = alleged representations to
the Standard Oil man.
Il wish to call your attention to this
EnnsnValf t1p
with Mr.. Archbold's testimony as in
connection with MIR Harriman's q testi-
mony. that each testified that they got
no improper consideration from the
Administration. Mr.. Archbold and MIR
Hartman alike complained. not that the
Administration did what il ought not "a
have done. Their complaint is that the
Administration refused to do what il
ought not to do. The complaint of Mr.
ArChbold and Mr., Hartman is that they
did not get anything from the Admins
trat ton
SIR. Roosevelt paused and added en-
phatically:
THAT is true Mr.. Archbold test ifies
that Cornelius Bliss. who is dead
attempted TO blackmail him and that
Cornelius Bliss told him that ! knew Of
IL. do not for one moment believe that
Mr. Bliss ever tried To blackmai him
In any event. not only did ] not know
of any such efforts. if they were made
but. as you see by the letters | have sent
to YOU or put before you. | explicitly
directed as soon as there was any rnmor
about any such contribution that il
received il should be returned. and had
the assurance of Mr., Cortelyou. reiterated
the other day, that no such contribution
had been received. and Mr.. Loeb had
over the phone from Mr.. Bliss n similar
ass,irance-that no contribution from the
Standard Oil would be received"
Now" said MIR. Roosevelt. sliding
forward in his seat toward the committee
Il want to call the attention of this CON-
mittee to the testimony Of Messrs. Arch
bold and Penrose against themselves
"Mr. Pcnrose testitieS that he advised
Mr.. Archbold 10 have the Standard Oil
Company submit TO the blackmail and that
he did it for fear they would incur hos
tility in certain quarters. They could
only incur host ility of myself as the Presi-
dent, Of tthe Attorney General and of
the Commissioner of Corporations with
| suppose his superior. the Secretary of
Commerce and Labor.
"Now ] want to call your attention to
the fact that they could incur my hosit lty
only if they violat ed the law ! could not
br hostile to them and | had no way of
being hostil to them If they obcyed the
law. any more than a policeman can be
hostile To any man here unless he dis
obeyed a law. SO that the purpose OF
Mr.. Penroseiin advising Archbold to have
the Standard Oil make that contribution
could only have been to secure IL agains,
Government action, taken because !,
had violated the law
should Throw Penrose OPT.
Again Mr.. Roosevelt gave evidence
Of considerable feeling as he exclaimed
Il have been Police Commissioner
If il were proved to me when Iwere Polio,
Commissioner that any policeman haC
seller or gambler what Senator ,Penrose
admits he did he, Senator Of the Uniteo
Statee-in connect ion with the STANDARD
oil Company | would have thrown thai
policeman off the force. and hold that thu
Senate of the United States should throw
| MIR penroSe out of the Senate on the ad
mission that he has himself made before
| this committee
! Ry the time Mr.. Roosevelt finished this
sentence he had partly risen from his
chair. Every word had been hurled out
with force and had been backed up with
a Characteristic bang OF the fist, Again
| tlmo Was called while Mr.. Roosevelt wiped
! Representation from his face.
| Now az to Mr.. Archbod." he went on
"hc testiiles that he made this contri.
| button and expected some kind of abso.
| lutelv improper consideration. He testi.
iic' that MIR Bliss tried to ,blackmail him
and yet he testihes that he regarded MIR
, Bliss as an excellent fellow, He evidently
! does not see that there IL anything oh.
ject ionable in what he alleges Mr.. Bliss
did He has not n word of complaint
to make against Mr., Bliss for attempting
to cytort from him contribution
contribution for improper purposes
His complaint is that he did not get any
thing for the contribution he made. The
l.as
done for him by the Administration
! call your attention to his testimony
| where he says that darkest Abyssinis
has nothing to show comparable to the
treatment administered to tho Standard