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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1908)
iimmmmirzmmmm!l9G!irr' hi' 5 f"" 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. ' ' ' f w J tvtfli. m v tS.f M u tmi t iJii 7 - H X. jrxnf ti1irf&iiiiMWiiiltnltirt((