Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-02

! Oil affairs. ! shall be delighted to have
| them published; and if any one can
suggest any question as to any letter l
have ever written or received on the
subject, and will give me the approx
mate date, l will at once try to look
it up, and if | can find it, will publish
| it,
Il wish to emphasize the fact that
the testimony of MIR. Archbold and Mr..
Penrose in this matter is an attack on
Mr.. Bliss, who is dead, and is also un-
/ Willingly the severest possible reflec-
ton on themselves.
Mr.. Bliss never asked me for favor
Of any kind, and all his public and pri-
vate acts, so far as l had knowledge of
them, were on the highest plane of
just and honorable dealing. Mr. Bliss
never even asked me this about the
Standard Oil Company, and never in
any way alluded to the Standard Oil
Company to me. | never heard Mr..
Archbolds name mentioned in connec-
ton with Mr.. Bliss. But year or so
after the election | heard a report that
| Mr.. Bliss had accepted a contribution
from Mr.. Rogers, alleging as his justi-
fcation that this was not money from
the Standard Oil Company. but from
Mr.. Rogers personally, Mir. Rogers be-
ing an old friend and party associate
of his"
Colonel Roosevelt here quotes a
lengthy extract from an interview with
Mr.. Bliss, on tine Hartman Roosevelt
controversy, published in The New
York Herald on December ?, 1911, pur-
porting to have been given by Mr.. Bliss
a few months before his death. He
follows this with a tribute to Mr..
Bliss for his services to the party in
"irksome, isagreeable and laboriOus
tasks which bring no rewards, but
which it is entirely Indispensable to
have done and warmly defends his
character. He then continues;
What Archbold's Testimony Means.
Mr. Archbold's testimony can only
mean that Mr.. Archbold had made his
contribution in the hope of getting
some special consideration to which,
as a ma tier of fact, he was not en-
titled; that he believed that if he had
made the extra contribution he would
have had this special consideration.
and that Mr.. Bliss thought SO, too.
Mr.. Penrose says that he a mem
Der of the national Republican commit
tee and United States senator, advised
Mr. Archbold that it would be a mis-
take for the Standard Oil Company not
to contribute, and if they did not make
iyht inn
hostility in certain quarters. Surely
no more eXtraordinary testimony was
ever submitted by United States SEN
ator under the impression that he was
testifying in his own behalf. 1t en-
bodies a far worse accusation against
him than / ever should have dreamed
of making
! This language is precisely the Ian
guage that might be used by a black
, mailing police officer in a big city in
advising the keeper of a law breaking
liquor saloon, or a gambling house, to
contribute literally because otherwise
he might incur hostility in certain
quarters If this language were proved
against the policeman, he would be
removed from the police force, and as
it is admitted by the senator, he should
be removed from the senate.
About Connection With G. w. Perkins
In concluding, l want to say a word
about my connection with Mr. Per-
l<ins l have known him about four
teen years. / have never in my life.
directly or indirectly, asked him for
a contribution, or asked him to as
always assisted me and backed me up
of his own accord. Until after the
statement of Mr. Penrose, in the senate.
never asked him if he had ever con
tributed to my campaign fund at any
time, although l was morally certain
that he had done SO.
During the past fourteen years, as
far as l remember, he has but twice
spoken to me Of any matters in which
he was interested The first time
was at the very beginning of our
acquaintance, when l was governor Of
New York. He then came to Albany
and protested against my signing d
certain bill for the limitation of the
aggregate amount of insurance that an
insurance company could assume Aft
er investigation, / came to the CON
clusion that his protest was just, and
refused to sanction the bill.
"On the other occasion he came TO