The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-30
SENATE PROBE COMMITTEE CRILLS CORNELIUS BLISS, JR.
 ON FATHERS CAMPAIGN FUNDS

of Bliss work in the 1S96, 1900 and 1904 campaigns.
 t:I have persistently refused to make the accounts public said Bliss in the letter, because the contributors have the same right to privacy of their gifts as they have to the secrecy of protests of sensational journals and disappointed candidates. Some of the reports given out are the result of was conducted on 8 high plane
 The Bliss letter Says the receipts Of the 1904 campaign were S2,0S8, 900 and the expenditures $2,098.000, a balance of $107,000 having been re- ceived from the 1900 campaign- In 1900 the receipts were $3,000,O00, in 1896 $3,450,000, and in 1892 1,460,- 900. Bliss also submitted three let ters of his fathers which he said con- tained politics
 The committee mem bers called time to read the three letters care fully The Senators perused the Bliss letters for at least five minutes. Then marked exhibit c, addressed to his father and signed by Theodore Roose- welt. The Roosevelt letter was grab bed by Senator Pomerene and read with interest
 ssBetween 19o4 and your father s death, do you remember any con- versation with him re&garding & ing ea.n5 al G,, the witness. Clapp called the wit ness' attention to newspaper inter view given by his father in 1907 He
 
 in regard to contributions. Do you recall anything during the 1904 cam paign about contributions, asked
 Bliss insisted he had produced all the papers he could find. He said he was not with his father in the 1904 campaign.
 Did you ever hear your father mention the names of H. H. Rogers or John D. Archbold in connection with the 1904 campa ign 2'' asked Sen a PzUnfar air ? said RIiSC
 Who assisted your father ?" MT. Robert Dixon was one assistant,
 Have you any knowledge of what became of the books?'' My father allowed them to be destroyed. Wien he knew he was about to die he had them to become the subject of political controversy"
 Were the records of 1904 destroy ed?,' asked Paynter. T suppose so.' said Bliss.
 One of the letters Bliss submitted was written by President Taft on May 6. 1904, when he was Secretary of War. It asked Mr. Bliss to become chair man of the national committee, say ing: President Roosevelt was most anxious for it.''
 May 6, 1904, asked Bliss to take the hchairmanship, and attend to the of flee routine of national headquarters. | sPomerene Questioned Bliss closely. why did your father discuss with you his plans for destroying the books ?'' sT was his executar--''
 ssLs0 you know of anyone who had access to the .books?'' "No, sir"
 Have you talked with any of the members Of the national comnfttee about this?.' Yes. sir. I talked with George R. Sheldon
 Bliss said James J. Cannon, of the 4th national bank of New York audit ed the books.
 What did Cannon say about thern?'' insisted Pornerene. Cannon knew nothing about the contributors"
 Then Pomerene reverted to Standard Oil contributions in 1904. eff I talked with my father about such gifts I don't rernember,'' said Bliss
 Bliss was again quizzed by Paynter. The latter wanted to know about the connections of Duen and Dixon with the 1904 campaign books
 why did Cannon audit the ac- counts?" asked Paynter. He was associated with my father in the banking business"
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