T
'APRIL 12, 1007
The Commoner.
5
inr jkiff.
THE HARRIMAN-ROOSEVELT CLASH
The correspondence and the story of the sensa
tion is told by the Associated Press In this way:
TUB IIARRIMAN LETTER
New York, April 2. A sensation was created
here today by the publication of a letter written
in December, .1005, and addressed to Mr. Sidney
Webster of New York and signed "E. H. Ha'rri
man." Following 4s the letter:
"Mr." Sidney Webster, No. 5 East .Seventeenth
Street, New York. Dear Sir: I am glad -to see
that you are in town and hope soon to have an
opportunity of talking matters over with you. X
had printed copies of The testimony sent you, in
hopes that you would, after reading them, give
me some idea of where I stand, for I confess that
I feel somewhat at sea In the whole insurance
matter. The trouble originated in allowing my
self to be drawn into othor people's affairs, and
partly from a desire to help them at their request
I seem to be like the fellow who got in beftveen
the man and his wife in their quarrel.
"As to my political instincts, to which you re
fer In your letter of December 13, I am quite sure
I have none, and my being made at all prominent
in the political situation is entirely due to Presi
dent Roosevelt and because of my taking an active
part in the autumn of 1904, at his request, and his
taking advantage of conditions then created to
further his -own interests. If it had been a pre
meditated plot It could not have been better started
or carried out.
"About a week before the election In the au
tumn of 1004, when it looked certain that the state
ticket would go democratic and was doubtful as
to Roosevelt himself, he, the president, sent me a
request to go to Washington to confer upon the
political conditions In New York state. I com
plied, and ho told me he understood the campaign
could not be successfully carried on without suifl
clent money, and asked if I would help them in
raising the Accessary funds as the national com
mittee, under control of Chairman Cortelyou, had
utterly failed of obtaining them, and there was a
large-amount due from them to thof-New York state
committee.
"I explained to him that I understood the diffi
culty here was mainly caused by the up-state lead
ers being unwilling to support Depew for re-election
as United States senator; that if he, Depew,
could be taken care of in some other way I thought
matters could be adjusted and the different cdn
tending elements in the party brought into alliance
again. We talked over what could be done for
Depew, and finally he agreed, If found necessary,
he would appoint him as ambassador to Paris.
"With full belief that he, the president, would
keep tills agreement, I came back to New York,
sent for Treasurer Bliss, who told me that I was
their last hope, and that they had exhausted every
other resource. , In his presence I called up an in
timate friend of Senator Depew, told him that it
was necessary, in order to cany New York state,
that $200,000 should be raised at once, and if he
would help I would subscribe $50,000. After a
few words over the telephone the gentleman said
he would let me know, which he did, probably in
three or four hours, with the result that the whole
amount, including my subscription, had been
raised. -
"The checks were given to Treasurer ' Bliss,
who took them to Chairman Cortelyou. If there
were any among them of life insurance companies,
or-any other like organizations, of course Cortelyou
must have informed the president. I do not know
who the subscribers were other than the friend of
Depew, who was an individual. This amount
enabled the New York state committee to continue
its work, with the result that at least 50,000 votes
were turned In the city of New York alone, mak
ing a difference of 100,000 votes in the general
"There are between 2,200 and 2,300 districts
in. Greater New York and in a campaign such as
that the expenditure of, say $50 in each district
for campaign purposes, not including the watchers
on election day, would take more than $100,000.
"Some time In December, 1904, on my way
from Virginia to New York, I stopped and had a
short talk "with the president He told me then,
that he did not think it necessary to appoint De
pew as ambassador to Paris, as agreed; In fact
favored him for the senate. I had not expected
that he was the one to say as to what would be
necessary, but he arrogated that to himself, and
I, of course, could say nothing further. After that
I used what influence I could to have Depew re
turned to the senate, as I considered there had been
tax implied obligation which should be lived up to.
"Tills Is the way I was brought to (he surface
In the political matters, as I had never before
taken any active part and had only done what I
could as any private citizen might, so you see I
was brought forward by Roosevelt In an attempt
to help him, at his request, the same as I was In
the insurance inatter'Tjy Hyde and Ryan by their
request for my help; and in the case of Ryan I
probably would have dropped the matter after
our first interview had it not been for my desire
to save Belmont from taking a position for which
he could have been criticised by the public press,
as ho was the one Ryan desired me to influence
from opposing Morton for election as chairman of
the Equitable board, and Belmont afterward
thanked me for taking his part, as, if "he had
voted against Morton in view of his local traction
contentions with Mr. Ryan, it would have been
misconstrued.
"Ryan's success In all his manipulations, trac
tion deals, tobacco combination, manipulation of
the State Trust company Into the Morton Trust
company, the Shoe and Leather bnnk Into the
Bank of Commerce thus covering up his tracks
has been done by the adroit mind of Ellhu Root,
and the present situation has been brought about
by a combination of circumstances which has
brought together the Ryan, Root, Roosevelt ele
ment. "Where do I stand? Yours sincerely,
"E. H. HARRIMAN."
Sidney Webster is a lawyer and a writer on
political subjects. His wife is a sister of Stuy
vesant Fish, who lost the presidency of the Illi
nois Central railroad a few months ago after an
tagonizing Mr. Harriman.
Mil. ROOSEVELT'S RESPONSE
Following is an Associated Press dispatch:
Washington, April 2. President Roosqvelt to
day emphatically denied the statements contained
in a letter published tills morning purporting to
have been written by E. H. Harriman to Sidney
Webster of New York, in the latter part of Decern-,
her, 1905. In Mr. narrlman's letter the statement
is made that at the request of President Roose
velt, he, Harriman, assisted. In raising a fiind of
$250,000 to be used in carrying New York for the
republican party in the election of 1904. This
statement the president characterizes as "a de
liberate and willful untruth by right It should be
characterized by an even shorter and more ugly
word. I never requested Mr. Harriman to raise
a dollar for the presidential campaign of 1904."
The president's denial was contained in a brief
statement, and copies of letters written to Repre
sentative Sherman of New York. The letters are
dated October 8 and October 12, 1900, respectively.
The president, after furnishing the letters to
the press, dictated the following statement:
"After writing these letters to Congressman
Sherman the president was assured that Mr. Har
riman had not made the statements which Mr.
Sherman credited him with making. Inasmuch as
the same statements appear in the major part of
the letter of Mr. Harriman, now published, the
president deems it proper that the letters he sent
Congressman Sherman last October shall now
themselves be made public."
In the first letter reference Is made to a con
versation between Mr. Harriman and Mr. Sher
man, which was repeated to the president, in which
Mr. Harriman is said to have given as a reason
for his personal dislike of the president, partly
the latter's determination to have the railroads su
pervised and partly the alleged facts that after
promising Mr. Harriman to appoint Senator De
pew ambassador to France, he, the president,
failed to do it. It appears from the conversation
repeated to the president that Mr. Sherman had
gone to Mr. Harriman. to ask him for a .contribu
tion for the campaign. The president says that
Harriman also urged, him to promise to make Mr.
Depew ambassador because this would help Gov
ernor Odell by pleasing certain big financial In
terests. The president said he informed Mr. Har
riman that he did not believe It would be possible
to appoint Mr. Depew and furthermore expressed
his surprise at his (Harrlman's) saying that the
men representing the big financial interests of New
York wished the appointment made, Inasmuch as
a number of them had written asking that the
place be given to Mr. Hyde. Mr. Harriman, on
learning Mr. Hyde was a candidate, hastily said
that; he did not wish to be understood as antag
onizing him.
The president, it appears, was unwilling to ap
point either Depew or Hyde as ambassador, and
also left unchanged his recommendations to con
gress concerning the Interstate commerce law, not
withstanding suggestions and criticisms, by Mr.
Harriman of (lie president's course in that regard
as expressed In certain letters which Mr. Harri
man wrote to the president
"So much for what Mr. Harriman said about
mo personally," says the president In concluding
his first letter to Mr. Sherman. For more import
ant the president regards the additional remarks
which Mr. Sherman said Mr. Harriman made to
him when he asked him if ho thought it was wMl
to see Ilearstlsm and the like" triumphant over
the republican party.
"You," says the president, "inform me that ho
told you that he did not care In (lie least because
those people were crooks and he could buy them "
and other similar remarks. This, the president
says, was doubtless partly In 'boastful cynicism
and partly In a burst of bad temper, but It showed'
in tiie president's opinion, a cynicism and deep
seated corruption which he denounces In strouir
words. b
The second letter to Mr. Sherman simply con
tains an addenda to the first.
The text of the first letter to Mr. Sherman Is
as follows:
"October S, 190G. My Dear Sherman: Since
you left tills morning I succeeded in getting hold
of the letters to which I referred and I send you a
copy of Governor Odell's letter to me of Decem-
,i , "$BJ am ent,rc,y willing that you should show
tills letter to Mr. E. H. Harriman, I shall begin
by repeating what you told me he said to you on
the occasion last week when you went to ask him
for a contribution to the campaign. You informed
mo that he then expressed great dissatisfaction
with me, and said In effect, that so long as I was
at the head of the republican party or as it was
dominated by the policies which I advocate and
represent, he would not support it, and was quite
Indifferent whether Hearst beat Hughes or not,
whether the democrats carried congress or not
He gave as a reason for his personal dislike of me
partly my determination to have the railroads su
pervised, and partly Uie alleged fact that after
promising him to appoint Depew ambassador to
France I failed to do it, and I understand you to
say that he alleged that I made this promise at' a
time when he had come down to see me in Wash
ington, when I requested him to raise two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars for tiie republican pres
idential campaign which was then on.
J'Any such statement is a deliberate and will
ful untruth by rights it should be characterized
by an even shorter and more ugly word. I never
requested Mr. narriman to raise a dollar for the
presidential campaign of 1901. On the contrary
our communications as regards the campaign re
lated exclusively to the fight being made against
Mr. Higglns for governor of New York, Mr. Har
riman being immensely interested in the success
of Mr. niggins because he regarded the attack on
Iliggins as being really an attack on him,
Mr. Harriman, and on his friend, Governor
Odell, and he was concerned only in getting me
to tell Mr. Cortelyou to aid Mr. niggins so far as
he could, which I gladly did. He also (I think
more than once) urged me to promise to make Sen
ator Depew ambassador to France, giving me in
detail the reasons why this would help Governor
'Odell, by pleasing certain big financial interests.
I Informed him that I did not believe It would bo
possible for me to appoint Mr. Depew, and furth
ermore expressed my surprise, at his saying that
the men representing the big financial interests of
New York wished that appointment made, inas
much as a number of them had written to me ask
ing that the same place be given to Mr. Hyde,
and that, as a matter of fact, while I was not pre
pared to announce any decision, I doubted whether
I could appoint either Mr. Depew or Mr. Hyde to
the place. As soon as Mr. Harriman heard that
Mr. Hyde was a candidate and had asked the
names of his backers he hastily said that he did
not wish to be understood as antagonizing Mr.
Hyde, and would be quite willing to support him;
and though I understood that he still preferred
Mr. Depew, he left me strongly under the Impres
sion that he would be almost as well satisfied
with Mr. Hyde and was much discontented at my
Informing him so positively, not once, but repeat
edly, that I did not think I should be able to ap
point either."
"His and my letters now before me of the fall
of 1904 run as follows:
"On his return from spending the summer In
Europe on September 20, he wrote me stating that
If I thought It desirable he would come to see mo
at any time, either then or later die had been,
as you remember, a delegate to the republican na
tional convention, having voted for my nomina