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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1908)
- V -7 T" m ,V,?B? 1 VOLUME' 8, NUMBER 48 a The Commoner, REPUBLICAN "MONEY TO BURN" The New York Herald, a Taft Organ, Says the. President is Adding Fresh Fuel to the Flames , Tho following article appeared in the New York Herald of Sunday, October 18: Herald Bureau, No. 1, 502 :. Street, N. W., Washington, D. C, Saturday. When Mr. Taft takos breakfast with President Roosevelt at tho White Housn tomorrow, he will learn, among other things, that his campaign has been well financed, and that Frank II. Hitchcock has ample funds to carry on the canvass in the doubtful states. Tho Herald reporter is informed that the republican campaign fund now numbers 6,000 contributors and that additional subscriptions are coming in hourly, not only from Now York City, but from the larger cities and indeed from every state in tho union. This is quick action as a result of the con ference between the president and George R. Sheldon, tho treasurer of tho republican na tional committee, and the collections are due first to a comprehensive scheme approved by tho president and to a final plunge toward Taft oh the part of the business Interests. This change is understood to have been due largely to tho fear on the part of business men that if Mr. Bryan wero elected he would have the appoint ment, of four or five members of the supremo court of tho United States and would probably pick men on whom he could rely to carry out the Gompers policy regarding injunctions and boycotts. The final breaking of the ice in the matter of financial aid for Taft and Sherman is said to have been dramatic. It occurred at the Union League club last Sunday, where there was a largo gathering. Many of these men have been lukowarm toward Taft and had got used to say ing that they did not care whether Taft or Bryan wero elected, because Taft with the sen ate against him could do no harm. But at the League Sunday night there was some plain talk, not only about the prospect of the, senate going Bryan's way, in case, he also carried the house of representatives, but also a full discussion of the supreme court features of the campaign. The result 7as that the statement was ad vanced that the republican national committee needed money, and needed it badly. It was said that the democratic campaign fund was al ready larger than the republican fund and that about $400,000 ought to be immediately avail able. Various plans were discussed. A finance committee was organized, with instructionc to get "down to business" with men of means. As a result there were many meetings of boards of directors in New York Monday, Tues day and Wednesday. On Tuesday morning the report wag made that $350,000 had been raised and the amount was growing. Similar efforts were made in other states, and a prominent New Yorker who was here to day said that ns a result of the relax feeling toward Mr. Taft, a million dollars could be raised. It was the sudden accession to the repub lican campaign fund, all made In contributions not very large, by individuals that startled "the democratic campaign managers and made Nathan Straus say that George R. Sheldon was levying tribute on the Wall Street brokers. CAMPAIGN FUND "PUBLICITY" Prior to election day in 19.Q,4 .democrats charged that representatives of the special In tcrcBtB were providing tho republican party with campaign funds. Mr. Roosevelt hotly denied the accusation, denouncing the democrat who mado it as a liar. Later it developed that E. H. Harriman had collected $260,000 for tho use and benefit .of the republican party in that campaign. This money came from Standard Oil, Ibfflcials and others, the detailed contributions being as follows: Edward H. Harriman. ., . . . . ? 50,000 H- McK. Twombly (representing the Vanderbilt interests) ; 25,000 Chauncey M. Depew (personal) 25,000 "James Hazou Hyde 25,000 The Equitable Life Assurance Society 10,000 J. Pierpont Morgan 10,000 Georgo W. Perkins (New York Life Insurance Company) 10,000 H. H. Rogers, John D. Archbold, Wil liam Rockefeller (Standard .Oil Co.) 30,000 Cornelius N. Bliss (personal) 10,000 James Speyer and Banking Interests. . 10,000 "Seven Friends" of Senator Depew, $5,000 each 35,000 Sent to Mr.' Harriman in smaller donations ; 20,000 Total $260',000 Does any one believe that Mr. Roosevelt would havo dared tell tho people, PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY, that these mep had contribut ed $260,000 to his campaign fund? Will any one contend that the people were not entitled to know these facts PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY? Now in 1908 publicity concerning campaign funds is demanded, PRIOR TO ELECTION DAY. But Mr. Roosevelt insists that tho people must trust tho republican managers and that the source of tho republican party's campaign fund will not be revealed until AFTER THE ELECTION! And Mr. Taft Mr. Roosevelt's candidate for the presidency echoes this Roosevelt senti ment. The people must wait until they havo cast their votes for tho republican ticket before Hhqy are to.be told byJjl(Bpublicau managers of the. Interests by which the republican cam paign is being financed! Do you think they can fool the people again? w1 v W w , THE .WHOLE CABINET ON THE STITOFP Here is an Associated Press dispatch that tells the story of an administration's bad fright and the employment of the president and tho cabinet office to the aid of partisan poljtics: Washington, October 23. As a result of to day's cabinet meeting every member of tho president's official family will go out some time next week to make political speeches in the states where there Is doubt as to the outcome of tho campaign, in favor of Judge Taft. The president earnestly discussed the situation with six members of his cabinet, and at the end of the meeting it was learned that each of these officials next week will make several campaign speeches. tv xfifo V w 0 0 SHALL THTDY BUY IT? Mark how a plain tale shall put all republican professions of Integrity to rout and bring shame to every upright republican. Mr. Nathan Straus, head of the Democratic Business Men's League of New York, In Immediate co-operatio'n with the national democratic committee, Is a brother of Mr. Oscar Straus, secre tary of Mr. Roosevelt's department of commerce. He Is a merchant of the highest credit and a philanthropist who has done incalculable service to human ity. His word would pass anywhere that he Is known for as good as the bond of most men. He tells us that Mr. Georgo Rumsey Sheldon Is laying Wail Street under tribute to the republican campaign fund. Mr. Sheldon denies this. There upon Mr. Straus says that If Mr. Sheldon will name three respectable citizens as a court of Inquiry he will go before them and prove It. Mr. Sheldon, sullenly re fusing to do this, confesses judgment Henry Watterson in Louisville Courier-Journal. O DON'T LET T1IJDM FOOL YOU If a republican candidate for con gress, driven into a corner by the op position to Cannonism, promises to vote against Cannon ask him if he will voto against Cannon in the house as well as in the caucus. Mr. Cannon and his friends have given a number of republican congress men permission to make an anti-Cannon pledge, but that pledge does. not relate tb the vote in the house and unless your congressman promises to bolt the repub lican caucus if necessary to defeat Can non his anti-Cannon pledge is of no value. C q MB. BRYAN AT NEWARK, OHIO, OCTOBER 21 I am glad to come again into Ohio. I am glad to come at a time when democratic pros pects are so bright that even the republican na tional committee is compelled to confess that the republican candidate must come back to fight for his own state. He went out west to fight for the "west, but he now finds that he has difficulty enough at home and can not. spare any time for the west. I am glad they are be ginning to realize the forces 'that they have to contend against, and the greatest obstacle that they have is the record of the party that they must defend. Twelve years of complete power, with a president eulogized in the platform and a senate that they can not apologize for, and a house presided over by a despqt, and yet they can not defend their record. Twelve years of power complete, they have been able to pass every, law they wanted to pass, to repeal every law they wanted to repeal, and they have had republicans on nearly all the federal benches and yet, what Is their condition? They feel that in every state of this union the tide is running against them and they face deserved defeat for their betrayal of the American people by their officials. They have disappointed the laboring man; they have refused to listen to his plea; they have denied him the remedies that he de serves and now, when embittered by disappoint ment and indignant at mistreatment, the labor ing man attempts to show his- citizenship, de clare .his independence. and register his protest at the polls, they proceed with their attempts at coercion. This morning's paper gives an illustration of attempted coercion. He then read from a dispatch in a Columbus paper which stated that 500 workmen of the local "Big Four" railroad atBelle Fontaine, part of the New York Central system, had been called together in the shops and notified that if Bryan was elected there would be a ten per cent reduction in wages, but If Taft was elected there would be an increase In both pay and work. The dispatch stated that these officials were making a tour of the entire system for the purpose of making the same an nouncement to all the employes. There, my friends, said Mr. Bryan, is the statement of a great railroad system. They threaten to punish men for voting the demo cratic ticket by a ten per cent put in their wages and they promise to Increase their pay and their work if they will vote the republican ticket. I say to you that the little ward heeler who goes around and bribes a, man for five dollars is a moral character beside the man who attempts to use his power to threaten those who work for him. and to buy them by a promise of in crease or threaten them by a promise of de crease. I want the American people to under stand that we have something like a million and a half of railway employes, and if the managers of these roads can enter politics and coerce that many men, then independent elections are -past in this country, and if these men can put into office men hostile to the laboring man, then by these coercions they can 'force upon the labor ing man any antagonistic legislation that they desiro. The republican party has refused to givo tho laboring man a place in the president's cab inet, when our party promised him that If vvo succeed there will be a spokesman for the wage earner In the president's council chamber. When I say to the laboring man that If I am elected I want one of their representatives in my cabinet to adviso with me about labor; when I say that these men representing the railroads go out and tell you that unless you aTe wjlllng to relinquish your claim to representation in the cabinet they, iHPt ' . ... vt4AlJ!lHCJ-U,,, i:J.