Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1892 — WORSE THAN QUAY [ARTICLE]

WORSE THAN QUAY

IB CARTER, PRESIDENT HARRISON'S CHAIRMAN. BnHUvuklt Transaction of the Manager Of the Republican Campaign—What the People of lowa and Nebraska Think j of the Man Who is at the Helm of the G. O. P. 1 President Harrison has not been very successful in his selections of chairman to manage his campaign. He first selected W. J. Campbell, of Illinois, to head the national Republican committee. But Senator Vest, in a speech in the senate, exposed Campbell as a lobbyist and a hireling of the beef trust. This exposure drove Campbell out of the committee. Then Thomas H. Carter, of Montana, was ohosen by President Harrison to fill the place left vacant by Campbell’s retirement. Carter’s record was not known in Washington, but some of his victims in lowa have given to the public some startling inside history of the man who is to conduct the campaign for the ‘ ‘grand old party of morality.” It is said that Harrison is worried over the damaging disclosure of the questionable transaction of his late land commissioner and campaign manager, but he does not feel it prudent to make Carter resign. Two resignations from the committee within a month would be disastrous to the party. The Omaha World-Herald publishes a special from Tekamah, Neb., which says: Thomas H. Carter, once Mr. Harrison’s commissioner of the general land office, now the manager of Mr. Bat* risqffiß faporn, W«y remember the people of Bttrt county, but they remember him. There is a host of able-bodied men in Tekamah who have been hoping many years that the opportunity would come when they could punish Carter. Republicans here Who know him are indignant that he should be placed at the head of the national committee.

About twelve years ago “Tom” Carter appeared in this vicinity in the capacity of book agent, manager for R. T. Root, of “Foot prints of Time” fame. Soon after his arrival Carter engaged shrewd men and began operations by making a personal canvass of the town, procuring the names of all the influential citizens, whether they would accept the book on delivery or not. Then he would show in a confidential way to unsuspecting citizens that he had sold twent-five or thirty hooks in a single day, upon which there was a profit of $2 each. At the same time his men, too, were getting in effective work about the “money to be made.” Mr. Carter would then explain that he had territory to sell. Farmers Robbed of Their All. Many farmers were taken in and induced to deed their farms for territory and never realized a dollar in the venture. Those who deeded away their farms in in this county were : Frank Pratt, eighty acre/s; Moses Clark, 160 acres; Daniel Morrison (an old man), 160 acres; Rufus Bates, 120 acres; Marion Heath, eighty acres; H. V. B. Gibson, eighty acres; “Rube” Lee, his homestead; John Creagon, furniture store; Clint Smith, personal property; M. Brown, S4OO cash. Many others bought territory for land, cash and town property. In some manner the property was deeded to Root, who became an “innocent” purchaser. Today A. G. Davis, Frank Roth and H. C. Sawtelle, formerly of Burlington, la., own and are living on about 2,000 acres of this land out of which Carter traded the farmers. Republicans as well as Democrats are frank to express their opinions of Harrison’s best man, and say that if cunning and questionable methods will win the campaign, then Harrison will he elected.

Carter Once a Democrat. Carter was a Democrat when here, but he told friends he was going to Montana to get into politics, and inasmuch as there was nothing there for a Democrat he was going to drop into the grand old party. He dropped in. Judge Isaac Gibson, when asked what he knew of T. H. Carter, replied: “I know he ruined a great many good citizens, financially, among whom was my son, now in California. Carter induced my son to behave, there wa« a fortune in the sal© of the book ‘Footprints of Time,’ and sold him territory in Montana, taking a deed to the young man’s farm, all he had. The venture proved bad, and my son was completely broken up financially.” “De you know of others who bit at Carter’s bait?” the judge was asked. “Oh, yes,” was the reply. “He got Frank Pratt’s fine farm north of Tekamah, old man Morrison’s farm and Rufus Bates’ quarter section in the same neighborhood.”

Found Victims. J. P. Latta, president of the First National bank, asked in regard to the methods employed by T. H. Carter, when in this country, said: "Carter first came here as a canvasser for the book ‘Footprints of Time’ and was head agent for B. T. Root, the publisher of the book. He made a few days’ ■ales, then learned the names of property holders who had mortgages covering their lands for one-fourth or one-third Its value and were unable to meet their obligations. He would then open his books, showing the sales and enormous profits in the book, and almost invariably get a deed to the farms of his vio-

tlm in txqfeNßift the right to aril the book in a spedftaq territory." “Doo” Bene, a farmer living north of Tekamah, where a large tract of this land lies which has been won from the unwary granger, said: “1 had a talk with Lew Highley on this very subject some days ago and he told me just how this man Carter worked him into the “Footprints of Time.” Highley was mortgaged on a small amount of property and Carter advanced him money with which to pay off the mortgages and buy him a new suit of clothes and took the property in exchange for a part of Kansas, a sort of a patent right. Highley after a time gave up and returned here, heating his way on the railroad, not having the money to pay his fare. ” What loirani Say of Carter. A special from Burlington, la., to the the Chicago Herald says: The greatest amount of interest is taken among the citizens of Burlington in the appointment of Thomas H. Carter as chairman of the Republican national committee, and the drift of oomment is not all favorable to the Montana man. He was a resident of this city for eight or ten years, and in that time joined an alliance with one T. R. Root, a hook publisher, which did not tend to elevate him in the estimation of the public. Root came to Burlington some eighteen years ago and started up the publishing business, employing methods of disposing of books and canvassing territory that were, to say the least, questionable, and to this day there are farmers and country merchants all over lowa and Nebraska who hold bitter thoughts against Root et. al. for the manner in which, .as they claim, they were “taften hi.” It ft stated that Root’s method was to persuade his victims to buy county rights to sell a book called “Footprints of Time,” taking a mortgage on the purchaser’s farm, dwelling, store or stook of goods, as the case might be, one of the considerations being a large quantity of books. As a general rule the mortgage came due without a corresponding income from the sale of books and the mortgage was foreclosed. No extension of time was allowed and many a poor farmer or country merchant saw his home or land or stock of goods pass from him. Great indignation was caused, and it is said that Root was contantly on his guard against personal injury. Carter was faithful to Root throughout these deals, and although hut an employe, it is said, knew of and assisted his employer in the business.

It is stated that Carter expressed himself dissatisfied with Root’s methods and that as soon as he (Carter) had made a little money he would quit and go west. This he did about the time Root closed up his book business. This w& about ten years ago. He purchased a small law library and went to Helena, where he was shortly afterward admitted to bar. While in Burlington Carter was a rabid Democrat and took a lively interest in political matters. Upon arrival at Helena he foflnd that the great majority of the people of Montana were Republicans and Roman Catholics. He joined the Republican party, allied himself to the Roman Catholic parish and soon became very popular among the young Republicans and Roman Catholics of that state. By his sharp, pushing skill in political matters he soon won for himself a prominence that marked him for political pre? ferment. The result was his election to congress as a delegate and then as senator. He again ran as senator in 1890, bnt was defeated. Emissaries of the Democratic party in Montana were sent to this city in that year to hunt up Mr. Carter's record, it is supposed, to use against him in the campaign.