Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-01-26
REPUBLICANS
ARE ACCUSED
TEXAN DEMANDS A PROBE OF
CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES
OF 1904 AND 1908.
uuLBERTsoN EMPHATIC
Says Diplomatic Jobs Were Bestowed
For Funds-G. O. p. Probably
Spent $1,000, 600 In
1904.

Warrington, Jan. 24.-Demandlng
IN investigation into campaign ex-
Denditures in 1904 and 1908, Senator
Culberson of Texas, in the senate,
made sweeping charges Of corruption
against the Republican committees of
those and other years. Indirectly he
charged that foreign ambassadorships
we're bestowed as a reward for cam
Daign contributions and theoretically
he charged that former President
Roosevelt had condoned the use Of
money in politics.
Mr.. Culberson's address was made
IN anticipation of an unfavorable re-
port by the committee on contingent
expenses on his resolution providing
for IN investigation. He said that the
limitations of the proposed inquiry to
1904 should not be construed as con-
fession that there had not been i'm
proper practices before that period
Referring especially to the cam
paign of 1908, Mr. Culberson said that
the contributions to the Democratic
fund had been made by $4,000 persons
With $4,000 as the largest, while those
Of the Republican fund were made by
1850 persons, with Charles P. Taft,
brother Of the Republican presidential
candidate, at their head with a dona-
ton Of $4,000. Among the contrbu-
tors mentioned were Ambassadors
Reid and Kerens and Minister Lars
Anderson.
Alleges Extortion.
In the course of his speech, Mr..
Culberson referred to the fact that
George B. Cortelyou, in the 1904 cam
paign, had held the position of chair
man Of the Republican national COM
mittee while he was secretary Of COM
merce and labor. and intimated that
Mr.. Cortelyou had taken advantage Of
tho secrets Of corporations affairs
that might be investigated, and the
federal law, to procure money for the
campaign.
1T has been estimated" he said,
that the enormous and unconscion-
able sum of $11 100000 was raised and
probably expended that year by the
committee Of which he was chairman.
The very size and audacity of this
fund, If approximately correct. smacks
Of extortion, profligacy and corrup-
ton.
He went into some detail regarding
the newspaper charges that the late
=. H. Hartman had raised the fund
Of 3260,0OO, to which he himself had
contributed $4,000, in support of the
Republican ticket in the campaign Of
1904.
Fixes q Limit.
Contending that his resolution did
not go back of 1904, Mr.. Culberson
said this was due to the necessity Of
fixing a limit. and was not because Of
the fact that money had not been
corruptly used prior to that time. In
this connection he said
Men high in party councils, one Of
them afterwards attaining the vice
presidency and then the presidency.
laughed and rejoiced in 1880 around
the banquet board that soap was pc.
tential in election. It is we'll remem-
bored how James B. Foster, president
Of the Republican league in 1883,
would have fried the fat out of special
and protected interests to force cam
paign contributions. Honest and pa
triotic men will never cease to recall
the shame and modification that with
81 notes, Dudley floaters were or
Sanized into blocks of five in the cleo
ton in Indiana in that year. Nor have
foreign ambassadors been only re-
Gently measured by fat contributions.
for the public revolt against Van Al
len and Hyde is fresh in the memory
Of the we'll informed"
In response to questions from Sena-
tor Gallinger, Mr.. Culberson said that
de figures regarding campaign contri-
buti0ns ID been taken entirely from
newspaper reports. He added his con-
viction that they were fairly well au-
thenticated, but expressed the opinion
that they should be officially investi-
gated.