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The Commoner.
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 3g
tJl
wTfTKIty
w-
ing publicity of campaign contributions after
election. Mr. Upham iB a member of the Illi
nois board of rovlow, wbich passes on tho taxes
of corporations and wealthy individuals. The
congressional campaign committee will bo under
tho control of Speaker Cannon, and Mr. Sher
man, cundidate for tho vice presidency1, theso
two men, through tho committee on rules, of
which ihey are members, being dictators to tho
house of representatives. Wo doubt whether
thoro has in the whole course of our political
history been a moro effective organization. It
covers (ho whole ground, and touches all neces
v sary points.
"But thero is still moro to it than this.
Wo now have an oxocutivo committee announced,
which is made up of tho following gentlemen:
Charles F. Brooker, of Connecticut; T. Coleman
Dupont, of Dolawaro; William E. Borah, of
Idaho; Frank 0. Lowdon, of Illinois; Charles
Nagol, of Missouri; Victor Rosewater, of Ne
braska; Edward C. Duncan, of North Carolina,
and Boise Penroso of Pennsylvania. Mr. Brook
er is an old member of this committee, having
served in tho year 1900, so ho has had a valu
dblo oxporlenoo. lie is a very worthy gentle
man with very desirable connections from tho
point of view of tho treasurer of a political com
mittee. Ho is interested in manufactures, rail
ways and banks, is a member of tho New York
chamber of commerce and of tho Union League
club, and vice president of tho board of New
York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad com
pany. That ho will in every way measure up
, to tho responsibilities of his position we can not
doubt. Mr. Dupont is known chiefly by his fam
ily connection. Tho family Is engaged in the
manufacture of powder, which it sells to tho
government as well ns to other customers. It
has oven boon said that thero is a powder trust.
Certain it is that the affairs of the combined
powder makers have been sjmrply assailed in
congress and outside of it. The Dupont family
Is rich, ono member of it now being senator ,
from Delaware. William E. Borah is senator
from Idaho. He was recently indicted for com
plicity in land frauds, and was very promptly
v and properly as far aB wo know acquitted.
Ho is chiefly famous for, his prosecution of one
qf. tho men charged with tho cowardly murder
of the late Governor Steunenberg. Mr. Lowden
Is a member of congress, has been actively in
terested for some years in both state and na
tional politics, and is connected by marriage
with tho Pullman family. Charles Nagel is a
St, Louis lawyor, has served in the state legis
lature and been president of the St. Louis city
council. Victor Rosowater is an editor and
publicist, with a keen interest in politics. Ed
ward C. Duncan was collector of customs at
Beaufort, N. C, from 189,0 to 1894, and is
jiow a collector of internal revenue. He has
no profession, but is a director of the Atlantic
nnd "North Carolina railroad. Every one knows
Boise Penroso, senator from Pennsylvania He
' 1b a product of the Quay school of politics, and
is the central flguro in the republican rings
of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. Ho is said
to have closo relations with tho Standard Oil
company. His ring has .assuredly had close
connections with the public treasury. It is be
,JJeved ihat ho is quite as skilful as was his
mastor Quay, in shaking tho plum tree.
"So wo have this now committee, the execu
tive committee of the national committee
Brooker, Dupont, Lowden and Penrose in par
ticular seem to be in every way qualified to con
duct a most effective campaign. Whether they
will work under tho famoun Now York statute
which is supposed to control Treasurer Sheldon
Tr0.! fU(JtJUl0W No one of tliem is a citizen
or that state, as tho assistant treasurer, Upham
. ,not, U is a great commUtee. When we con
sider its personnel in connection with the fail
ure of the republican congress to enact a pub
licity law, of the overwhelming defeat by the
republican convention of a publicity plank of
the i very timid handling of tho subject by Mr
Taft in his speech of acceptance, and of the
appointment of Sheldon at the suggestion of
Harriman's lawyor, wo think tljat oven the most
unsuspicious and trusting soul will see creat
-possibilities In tho situation." S
The announcement of the appointment aq
western treasurer of Mr. F. W. Upham, of Chi
cago (who since his appointment has reduced
the valuation for taxation of the street railwavs
of Chicago $8,597,534 below tho appraisement
made by the county assessors), called for the
following editorial from the Indianapolis News:
"With two headquarters, ono in New Ynrir
attdjB&ther in Chicago, it seems fitting that tho
raMMican committee should have two trnnn-
No doubt this precedent will be followed
by tho democrats, though they havo not as yet
had time to select their second treasurer. But
the republican committee is already thus doubly
equipped. For Mr. Hitchcock, chairman of tho
Taft comniitteo has appointed Frederick W.
Upham of Chicago, to bo treasurer of tho west
ern headquarters. Tho Cincinnati Enquiror is
of tho opinion that 'Mr. Hitchcock's action in
placing the raising of money in the west in tho
hands of Mr. Upham will cause more comment
than anything else among practical politicians.'
He is reputed to be a wealthy- man and it is said
that 'his chief qualification for "frying out the
fat" Js that ho is a member of the board of re
view, which passes on the amount of taxes cor
porations and largo estates shall pay in Chicago
and the state of Illinois.'. It is thought that
'Mr. Hitchcock's organization will get slathers
of cash from Chicago if Mr. Upham is sufficient
ly tactful.' 'Tactful' is, we think, a good word
in this connection.
"Undoubtedly a man who wields the taxing
power of a great state is an important and in
fluential personage. A man with this power
would be moro likely to get the money he asks
for than a man without it. -For every one
wishes to stand well with tho taxing officers.
This is human nature. It is not necessary that
such an officer should abuse his power in any
way, not necessary for him to make promises
or to indulge in threats. AIL that is necessary
is that he should have tho power, and that men
should understand that he can reward or pun
ish. As long as men feel as they will feel
that they may bo rewarded or punished they
will be likely to contribute liberally to the west
ern headquarters. It ought not to be difficult
for a member of a tax board to get money from
those whose taxes he helps to fix. He can not
he thought of apart from the position which he
fills, and whenever he approaches a prospective
contributor it will be as' a member of the board
of review as well as treasurer of the western
headquarters.
"It must, therefore, be freely admitted that
Mr. Hitchcock has made an admirable selection.
Nor should it be forgotten that Mr. Upham will
operate in a jurisdiction unembarrassed by any
law requiring publicity in the matter of cam
paign funds. Mr. Sheldon, treasurer of the
committee, will, he insists, be bound by the
New York law, compelling publicity after the
election. But it is not so with Mr. Upham. He
may, indeed bo somewhat limited by the law
making it a crime for corporations to contribute,
hut. even so, his field of usefulness will be large.
With two treasurers, one chosen on the recom
mendation of Harriman's lawyer, and the other
a member of the Illinois board of review, the
Taft committee ought to do very well. We
doubt very much whether there will be any
serious stringency. On the contrary, the indi
cations all point to a liberally financial cam
paign." . On September 25 T. Coleman Dupont of the
powder trust resigned as head of the bureau- of
campaign speakers for the republican national
committee.
& & & &
FORAKER'S REPLY
Senator Joseph B. Foraker issued Septem
ber 25 a carefully prepared statement in which
statement he attacked Messrs. He,arst, Roosevelt
and Taft. Senator Foraker devoted considerable
space to the defense of his 'relations with Stand
ard Oil. He said that Mr. Hearst had other let
ters in addition to those which he gave out, and
that these other letters, if made public at the
same time, would', have showed how harmless
was his connection with tho Standard Oil people
But Senator Foraker ig not content in
merely defending himself. He plainly intimates
that there is a good deal of hypocrisy on the
part of certain prominent republicans who are
just now censuring him.
The following is an extract from Senator
Foraker's letter:
"But 'what manner of man is Judge Taft
anyhow? I have known him for a great many
years and I though intimately, and yet at times
I feel as though I did not know him at all
"July 10, when ho wrote tho letter the nrpc
ident publishes ho was so devoted to the trust
smashing policies of the administration that ho
could not consent to be made president, if as -a
part of the same movement I was to be hdnored
with a re-election to tho senate, becaiise of inv
opposition to that special feature of 'my policies
and now since the Standard Oil company mat
ter there is man! ested the most unusual inXl
nation. Apparently every man who 5 g
Nation to the company I to be ddven out of
public. life. If so, I shall probably have ?n 5 J
deal of company. aY0 a grea
ui
'Only ono month aero, when Mr rn0,. . .
Mlddlo Bass and Toledo, he was the guest no
T. Lewis, of the law firm of Doyle & Lewis i
havo been tho attorneys pf tho Standard 7
many years, standing next in rank to Mr viwii
P. Klino, and when Mr. Taft has occasion 'to nS
back and forth between Middle Bass and Toledo
where I had the pleasure of monii, m- '
traveled on tho yacht of Mr. Richardson, a nrom
inent magnate of the glass trust, and while Z
doubtless paid his fare, at least tho papers so
announcod, when traveling from Hot Swine
to Toledo on his way to Middle Bass, yet never
theless he rode in the private car of one of the
officers of the road of which Messrs. Doylo and
Lewis are attorneys. What a series of unnar
donablo crimes! , .
'"There did not seem to be any such right
eous dislike of these Standard Oil and other
trust representatives rankling in the bosom ol
Mr. Taft on tho occasion to which I refer. On
the contrary, he acted like a good, square' sen
siblo, honest-minded man, who really enjoyed
the company he was keeping and the entertain
ment he was receiving, and who recognized, as
the late Senator Hanna was accustomed to say
that there were 'good trusts as well as bad' and
oven decent people in the employment of the
Standard Oil company as well as objectionable
people, and all that is to his credit.
"It is also highly to his credit that when
three years ago the president had occasion to
appoint a United States district judge for tho
northern district of Ohio, Mr. Taft, knowing the
ability of John H. Doyle, of the Standard Oil
firm of Doyle & White, did not hesitate to recom
mend him to the president for the judgship.
"The Standard Oil relation to Judge Doyle,
then well known to Mr. Taft, did not prevent
Mr. Taft from recognizing his high character
and general fitness for such a sacred trust, and
I happen to know, as did Mr. Justice Moody,
who was then attorney general, that the attor
ney general, upon the recommendation of Judge
Taft, was intending to appoint Judge Doyle and
would have done so, no doubt, except that for
reasons which did not reflect on' Judge Doyle,
he finally appointed Judge Robert W. Taylor.
"But if the Standard Oil company was in
good enough repute only three' years ago to
warrant Judge Taft in recommending Judge
Doyle, and President Roosevelt in appointing
him to a judgeship, much more was it in suffi
ciently good repute when 'sjx or seven years
earlier, before any of the recent virulent at
tacks were made on it, to warrant me in em
ployment of the character mentioned.
"What a pity it is that Judge Taft's letter
was not allowed to continue' its slumber until
after the election!"
Senrtor Foraker refers to that portion of
Mr. Taft's letter made public hy Mr. Roosevelt
in which Mr. Taft made light of Foraker's efforts
in the Brownsville matter. Senator Foraker
says that it is unfortunate for Mr. Taft that
Mr. Roosevelt just at this ;time revives this
matter when efforts were being- made to smooth
it.over. Senator Foraker asks: "Does the pres
ident want to defeat Judge Taft."
Referring to Mr. Roosevelt's statement that
the Brownsville matter was pnly a commotion
stirred up by "law-defying corporations," Sen
ator Foraker says:
"This is worse than the president's claim
that the panic of last October was precipitated
by a lot of rich menMn Wall Street, who wanted
to bankrupt themselves and the whole country
that they might discredit him, and worse even
than the story that these same men raised a
fund of five million dollars with which to pre
vent him from naming his chosen successor. I
happen to know better than anybody else can
know, that there is not the slightest ground for
such a charge. It is invention, pure and simple,
and, judging by the frequency With which the
president is bringing the matter td the front,
born of that disquiet which comes to the con
science when there is consciousness of having
done a great wrong."
Senator Foraker concludes as follows:
"If in making this defense' I have said any
thing that will work the slightest injury to tW
republican party I shall regret it, but I snail
always feel that those who have no considera
tion for me, my family or good name, but would
gloatingly rejoice if they could accomplish tno
shame and humiliation they have attempted, are
not entitled to any consideration at my hands,
and that my duty to my party should be subor
dinated to duty to family and the good name
I have str'ived to make that H may leavo It g
them as their heritage, more .priceless in tneir
estimation than anything else- Syithin; my Powgr
to give them." N. ' ' '
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