The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-17
THE HARTMAN BIOGRAPHY.

II
IT is stated in a special dispatch to
The Tribune of yesterday morning that
the forthcoming biography OF f. H.
Hartman will be issued within few
months. A special point of interest
in that dispatch was the report that
this biography would not contain Mr..
Hartman 3 version of the Roosevelt
Hartman controversy over the $3.50
600 campaign contribution of 1904, be
cause OF hcsitancy on the part of Mr..
Hartman Is family to figure in a politi.
cal campaign in which tho Colonel is
again candidate for nomination. But
this rumor was set at rest BY Mr. {. +.
TeRctboff. Mr.. Hartman S personal
agent. who said that "in .IT. Harri.
man s biography nothing will he omit
ted concerning his life: il viii be n his
tory of all his connections with men
and affairs.
This is precisely as it ought TO be,
There is no reason whv anything should
be hidden. and we are confident that
Mr. Hartman had nothing to hide.
Certainly. in the matter referred to, il
was Col. Roosevelt who solicited Mr..
Hartman g aid, and not Mr.. Harri-
man g voluntary act in prccipitsting ng
himself into politics; in fact, Mr., Har-
riman avoided politics all that he
could. and no one can trutbfully say
that he ever made any political moves
on his own account. So far as known,
the only political venture he ever en-
oaoed in at all was the one in response
to Col. Roosevelt's fervent appeal for
money to use in the campaign of eight
wears ago, especially in New York.
The later explanation Of Col. Roose
welt. that the money was to be used
to help the Republican nominee for
Governor, Mr.. Higgins. and not to belp
him as the Republican nominee for
President, is altogether too thin; for
both were candidates Of the same
party, both were on the same ticket
and what would help the one would
necessarily help the other So far as
the returns 90. it would seem that the
contribution helped Roosevelt far more
than it helped Mr.. Higgins, the then
candidate for Governor Of New York
for Roosevelt had 1852 plurality
whereas Mr.. Higgins had but 80,560
It is often said that "money talks.
In this case the money spoke most fer
vcntly and eloquently for Col Roose
welt rather than for Mr.. Higgins. and
the dodge that the S250,000 was to be
raised to help Higgins Will hardly
serve.
We trust that the biography of Mr.
Hartman will not fail to include the
fervent appreciation OF him written by
the great naturalist and nature-lover
Mr.. John Muir, between whom and
Mr.. Hartman there was very close
friendship. Mr.. Hartman always liked
to meet Mr.. Muir, invited him to meet
him wherever it was possible, and to
spend such time as he could in Mr.
Hartman s resorts and homes A very
affectionate and indeed importunate let
fer from Mr.. Hartman to Mr.. Muir Is
quoted. where Hartman strongly urged
Mr.. Muir to write more than he was
doing. saying to Mr.. Muir that he was
too much inclined to hesitate and post
pone. that he ought TO get right ia
work in writing. iot down whatever
came to him, and keep at it all the
time, then trim 1t up, rewrite it, expand
it. revise it to suit himself, but alway,
to keen at it. The public, Mr. Harri
man assured Mr.. Muir, was anxious to
get all that it could from him, and
Hartman considered that the best way
To reach results was to keep working
There is no special evidence that this
plea of Mr.. Hartman S had much eff
feet upon Mr., Muir; but. AT all events
it was good advice for Muir, although
for the average, impulsive. writer il
would be the worst advice possible
But Mr.. Hartman IS distinguished trai,
was that he could deal with every on,
on the basis OF the individuality OF
that person, and in so dealing with Mr.
Muir. he considered Mr.. Muir from the
strict Muir standpoint, and did not un
dertake to make the advice general. So
that in this, as in most matters, Mr.
Hartman knew precisely what he was
talking about, and talked to good eff
feet and purpose.
The public will welcome Mr.. Harri
man s biography as likely to be one OF
the most stirring and interesting books
of the time