The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-09-30
POPULATION OF NORTH DAKOTA is ANNOUNCED
SONS OF TWO FAMOUS MEN ENGAGED
IN HOT FIGHT OVER BIG SHIP DEAL
Kermit Roosevelt and w. A.
Hartman Scrap as Fathers
Did--Fifty-iifth Contract with
German Steamship Line
Cause.
by JAMES HENLE

New York. Sept 30.--It isn't very
uncommon for fight between two
boys to involve their fathers in Il
squabble
More unusual is it for the quarrels
OF fathers to descend to their sons,
but striking example of this has
Just developed in New York.
In one corner there is Kermit Roose-
welt, son of the fighting father.
In the other there is w. Averill
Hartman, son OF K. n. Hartman,
who, in his day. had reputation for
dealing Furnishing body blows.
+ The two young men are at it ham,
ner and tongs. but it seems likely
the quarrel will be settled not by
tisticufls but by long and tedious liti~
cation. Roosevelt, secretary of the
Kerr Steamship Co.. charges that the
old high -handedness of the Hun" is
visible in the pact between the Har-
''lman interests and the Hamburg
American Line Hartman has retort-
ed that the agreement provides every
Legitimate protection for American in
terests.
Fireworks Missing
But the quarrel between the two
striplings still lacks the fireworks
that characterized the spectacular
clash between their fathers when the
late Colonel Roosevelt was president
and Hartman was the nations lead
ing railroad magnate. 1t was on that
occasion that the former coined one
of his best-known phrases. Re
ferring to charges made by Hartman
he declared:
ANY such statement is deliberate
and willful untruth-by rights II
should be characterized by an even
shorter and more ugly word"
The dispute between the two con
cerned some 100000 which Harli~
man claimed he had raised (contribut-
ing $4,000 of it himself) to aid the
Republican campaign in New York
state in 1904. when Roosevelt was
opposed by Alton B. Parker. Harri-
man said Roosevelt promised at thai
time to appoint Chauncey NJ. Depew
ambassador to France and later re-
fused to keep it,
Made Ananias Member
Roosevelt Immediately elected Har-
riman to the Ananias Club.
But only 100000 figured in the
dispute between the elder men. Now
their sons are at war over $4,90O,00O
That amount was seized by the gov
ernment to insure payment of the ex-
cess profits tax. after the money hat
been paid by the Hartman interests
to H. r. Kerr and A. E. Clegg for the
purchase of their stock i'll the Kerr
Navigation Co.
Roosevelt, who is associated with
the latter two, insists that they have
no intention of evading any taxes and
hints that the Hartman interests in
formed the government of the trans
action in order that the money might
be tied up. In that way Roosevelt
and his friends would be hindered in
buying ships and competing with the
Observation-Disclosures combi-
nation.
Aiding German Line!
The colonel's son also charges that
American money is being used to
restore the German line to it's former
dominance of South American ship
ping and asserts the Ship and Com
merce Corporation, headed by young
Hartman, is "only the American
agent of the Hamburg-American Line" !
On the other hand, the agreement into
which the Hartman interests have
entered has been endorsed by the
Shipping Board, which says that
American interests have heen amnIy |
protected.