The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-04-07
THAT SINCLAIR CAMPAIGN
 CONTRIBUTION.

In spite of the circumstance that Will H. Hays accepted very large contributions rom Harry Sinclair to apply OH he liquidation of 1he Republican National Committee debts con tracted in the campaign of 1920. we do not be- lieve that thoughtful people believe that he Is or was d crook It does not necessarily imply that he intended 10 protect the donor in any illegal thing. The circumstance that there had been bribery in connection with the oil leases was not developed until after the transactions with Sin clair occurred. Il is fair 10 assume that MT Hays simply regarded MT Sinclair as a very large beneficiary Of Administration policies hon estly executed. IL is true that the former Re publican National Chairman and Secretary Mel lon are probably eensurable for not explaining the whole transaction when they were on the witness stand in 1921 However the temptaton 10 save the reputation of the party, particularly at a time when 1t was already engaged in Presi- dential campaign it one that is difficult to overestimate The New York Times declares that not only Air. Hays, but President Coolidge Secretary Mellon. Secretary Hoover. and others, who must have known about the matter, have been guilty of excessive" loyalty to the Repub- hcan Party. But il is generally not difficult to excuse people for loyalty that goes all the way Technically, at least there is doubtless such fhng as "exeessiveo loyalty. but one is near the line of dangerous ground wh1ns he begins to discriminate in degrees of loyaify.sss The writer remembers (and still gets kick out of it) the thrill that swept meeting not so many years ago in San Francisco when friendship and loyalty were under discussion and speaker declared that a real friend was one who stood with and was loyal to a friend when the friend was wrong.
 This is not the first time that unsavory things have occurred in connection with campaign funds and AIr Hays is not the first to show over enthusiasm in the gathering of money for polit- ical purpose It has not been so long ago that the shake-up of the insurance companies, directed by Charles Evans Hughes. disclosed that prac- tically every of the great New York com panies had contributed heavily to the Roosevelt campaign in 1904. II developed, also that in- directly at least they contributed at the solci- tation of President Roosevelt himself. The money was actually collected by D. II Hartman, the great railway magnate and financial wizard. MT. Hartman Was called to Washington by the Presi- dent who personal j. lsked him 10 collect large several hundred thousand dollars for the campaign MT Hartman said that he told the President that he could net get money except from Big Business" He said. further that the President said that Big Business had pros pered under his Administration, and told him te gel the money
 No one has ever accused President Roosevelt of being crookat least when money matters were under consideration. He is claimed by the insurgent Republicans, who trying to make the present Administration unpopular as the Thomas Jefferson of modern Progressyeism in the United States and the enemy of everything that is not about loo per cent right and honest