Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 October 1908 — TWO “PRACTICAL MEN” [ARTICLE]

TWO “PRACTICAL MEN”

The Whiteness of the Pot and ths Blackness of the Kettles.” From Theodore Roosevelt’s letter of Oct. 4, 1904, to Edward H. Harriman. Now, my dear sir, you and I are practical men, and you are on the ground and know the conditions better than I do. If you think there is any danger of your visit to me causing trouble or if you think there is nothing special I should be Informed about, or no matter in which I could give you aid, why, of course, give up the visit for the time being, and then a few weeks hence before I write my message, 1 shall get you to come down to discuss certain government matters not connected with the campaign. From Edward H. Harriman’s confidential statement to Sidney Webster.

About a week before the election in the autumn of 1904, 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 Washingr ton to confer upon the political conditions in New York state. I complied, and he told me he understood the campaign could not be successfully carried on without sufficient money and asked if 1 could help them in raising the necessary funds as the national committee, under control of Chairman Cortelyou, had utterly failed of obtaining them, and there was a large amount due from them to the New York state committee. We talked over wh>t could be done for Depew, and finally he agreed that if found necessary he would appoint him as ambassador to Paris.

With full belief that he, the president, would keep his 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 intimate friend of Senator Depew, told him that it was necessary in order to carry 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 be 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 todk them to Chairman Cortelyou. If there were any among them of life insurance companies, or any other like organisations, of course Cortelyou must have informed the president. Ido 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, making a difference of 100,000 votes in the general result