Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-13

The following letter to the chairman
OF the United States senate lnvestigat-
ing committee explains itself:
January ). 1913
My Dear Senator Clapp:
beg to acknowledge receipt of your
letter Of the Sd inst.
In response to your request for q
formal statement to the effect that l
have furnished the committee with all
letters and copies Of all letters In my
possession which are covered by the
terms Of the resolution, copy OF which
You tnclose, / state that I have fur
nished the committee all such letters
and copies OF letters. This includes, ir-
respective OF subject matter, all letters
and copies of all letters between John
d. Archbold, George ". Perkins and
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. and rep
resentatives in congress and members
Of the senate, from the year 1900 TO the
date of the investigation, and all re-
latinG directly or indirectly to any
statements or questions of fact re
fer8ed to in the statement OF personal
privilege made by the senator from
Pennsylvania, Mr.. Penrose, on the floor
Of the senate, August Il, 1912.
With respect To the other inquiry
in your letter asking FOR a letter con-
corning Mr.. Foraker's return OF the
$4,000 which he borrowed from Mr.
Archbold, I state positively that / have
not any such letter, and, upon the most
careful consideration and reflection and
investigation, AIN convinced that never
did have or see any such letter if such
a letter ever existed.
The circumstances In connection With
the letters relating TO the various
amounts given Mr. Foraker and the
$4,000 loan to. Mr. Foraker by Mr
Archbold are as follows:
No Record of Loan Repaid.
When was speaking throughout the
country in 1908 and revealing In one
letter after another the various amounts
received by Mr.. Foraker from the
Standard Oil Company, mentioned as
one item among other amounts this par
ticular sum Of $4,000.
I believe, Mr. Foraker then said that
this one payment of $4,000 was not a
fee, but q loan. and that he had paid it
back.
/ think that then replied, In my de-
sire to he absolutely fair to Mr.. Fora
L ff.rt I
occasion Mr.. Foraker had told the truth
as I had a letter in my possession which
indicated that this $780, 900 was loan.
This letter that I had in mind was
the letter Of January %, 1902 (your ex-
hibit No HID, which specifically de-
scribes the transaction as loan.
1t is possible that in the excess Of my
desire to be fair to Mr.. Foraker l was
willing to accept his unsupported state
ment that he had paid that $50, 600 back
but the copy OF the letter that had In
my possession. as You can see by re-
ferring to it, spoke OF this $4,000 as a
loan, without making any mention OF
its having been paid back.
Oil Letters Bought Back.
Pam Informed by the police OF Chi
cago that Mr.. Foraker and the Stand
ard oil Company nave recently bought
back from their negro friends and asso-
ciates all OF the letters which they had
not previously bought back, and that
these letters were last week delivered
by the negro Gilchrist Stewart to Paul
d. Cravath, of this city.
I should think, therefore, that Mr..
Foraker would have in his possession,
or available In the possession Of his
Standard Oil connections. the letter you
require, if there is any such letter In
existence.
I venture to suggest that you might
properly ask Mr.. Foraker and Mr..
Archbold and the negro lawyer Gil
christ Stewart. and the white lawyer,
Paul d. Cravath. to appear before your
committee and produce the originals of
these Standard Oil letters, inasmuch as
the originals ought to be Of more value
to you and to the real purposes Of your
investigation than any Photographic
fac SMILES can possibly be.
Since your committee is so anxious
to get every possible fac smile that
may directly or Indirectly relate to the
undue political influence of privilege
seeking corporations upon amenable
public men, 1t must, of course. be more
anxious to get every possible original
relating to that important subject.
When l went before your committee,
In the hope of aiding your lnvestiga-