The San Francisco call. [volume], April 03, 1907, Page 4, Image 4

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
4
President Makes Public Letters
Explainins Depe w-H yde Affair
Continued from Page 1» *\u25a0'.
Th« President does not deny that th«
1200,000 -wras paid to the Republican
' managers, and so there, is no conflict
on that point, but still everybody would
like to see the checks. If Harriman
can produce them he may escape the
danger of being made a. life member
of the Ananias Club."
The belief here is universal that
those \rho are fighting the President
are responsible for the Harriman-
TVebster letter getting in-to the papers.
Plainly Jt has been floating' around
since last falL At least the sentiments
expressed came to the President's at
tention about ' then, and the answer
made then is considered to be sufficient
now.
JOURNALS' LAST RESORT
The opinion here is that the news
papers were used as a last resort to
fire a ehot at Roosevelt. The inquiry
often heard today is whether other'
letters of the came kind from the same
and other sources are to come.
• It is quite plain here tba't those who
are resorting to this method of war
fare hare been thinking of doing It for
months. There Is now and. will be in
the future dispute over the truth or
•Incidental statement*. •
There are accusations against Depew,
Root. OdelL' Hyde and. others. The
President accuses Harriman of falser
hood.' The fighters doubtless know that
the racket will bring out many un
pleasant things. Apparently they, are
ready to stand for these If they can
accomplish one thing; they want to dig
into the Republican campaign fund of
3904. / • • < .. j
• The opposition to President Roose
velt and Secretary Cortelyou has been
driving away.at. at this for a. long time.
The "purpose is t© force Cortelyou to
give names of big contributors to the:
campaign fund.' That 1s one of the
things thece Roosevelt lighters' want.
Probably many of them have personal
knowledge of some subscriptions. .If
they cannot make Cortelyou -tell they
will try. to find oot other ways to. get
the Information to public.
Harriman has told of his contribu
tions." He may have told a lot of other
-things, but this was in the bunch. He
says there were others, but gave no
names. Without a doubt the men. who
are fighting Roosevejt want to go along
on this line. :, - •
They are hoping to find other ways
of letting the public know who! gave
money for the Republican campaign in
l? 04. Ix-rf:^: ;-:*'. , • . .-\u25a0/• \u25a0:.-\u25a0--
litters Written to Sherman
Throw. Light on Controversy
President Roosevelt Makes Stren
uous Denial of \u25a0 Harriman's
; Campalgn : Fund Statement
WASHINGTON, April 2.— The text of
the first letter sent by President Roose
velt to Representative • Sherman _ and
which the latter was directed- to ma>ke
public today as' the President's "answer
to the statements .of -E. . H. Harriman
' regarding the" campaign fund, Is as
f olio ws :/;.' '-J.vj'v; '• •
October 8, 180 C. —My bear Sherman: Steee
you left this morning I succeeded- In getting hold
of the letters to which I referred and I sent yrtu
a copy of Governor Odell's letter to me of De
cember 10. 1904': • ' . • .
As I aa entirely willing that you show .his
letter to Mr. Harrimaa. 1 shall begia by .repeat
ing what yon-told -me he.s&Jd to you on the oc
casion last week when you went to ask. him for
a contribution to the campaign. Yon informed
tne that he then -expressed great dissatisfaction
with, me and eaid, ia -effect, that so' loiig as I
was at the head, of the B«publ lean party, or as'
• it is dominated by. the policies which I advocate
and represent, he would not support. It and was
quite indifferent whether Hearst "Beat Hughes ot
not, whether the Democrats carried Congress or
not. . . • . . . \u25a0
Hie gave as-a reason foe bis personal dislike of
me partly my determination to" have the railroads
supervised and partly the alleged fact that after
promising him to appoint' Depew as Embassador
to France. I failed to do It. and I understood you
to 6ay that be alleged that I made this promise
«t a time when be liad comfc down to. see me in
Washington,, when. I requested, him 'to raise $250.
000 for the Republican • \u25a0Presidential- campaign,
which was 'then on. ...
So much for what Mr. Harriman said about me
personally. • . • • ' \u25a0
The President regards the' remarks
which Sherman said Harriman maae to.
him", when he 'asked him if he thought
it was well. to see "Hearstlsm and the
like-" triumphant . over the Republican
• party .as- far "more important. The
• President continued:
\u25a0 - Too Informed me that be told you that he did
not c»re In the- leant because "-those- people were
orooVn aD<f he could buy them." and. made other
«in?tlar rf-rnarks. This was doubtless partly in
boastful cynicism, and. partly in a bnrst of bad
temper, but "It showed .cynicism "and deep seated
\u25a0. corruption..
The second letter to .Sherman simply
contains an addendum to the. first:
Any euch Statement" Is -a deliberate and willful
. .. cntruth — by rights it should be characterised Pi
nn ev^n shert»>r and more ugly word. I never re
. • quested Mr. Barrlman to raise a dollar for the
Presidential campaign of 1904. ' On .the contrary,
our commuslcatltm "as regards the campaign re
lated exclusively to the fight being, made against
Mr. Hlgglns.for Governor of >'ew York. Mr. Har
, riaan being immensely interested in the success
\u25a0 cf VMr. Hlggins because be frega,rded the attack
nn as being really an attack on him (Mr.
v Harrimant qnd on h]e friend. Governor Odell, an 4
x he was eoncernrd oaly-ln. getting me to tell Mr.
Cortelyou to aid Mr. Higgias so far as be'could,
which I gladly jlld. • .
SPEAKS FOR DEPEW
He also, (I think .more than once) urged me to
\u25a0 promise to make Senator Depew Embassador to
' Kranf'e, giving me in detail the reasons why this
. would help Governor Odefl, by pleasing certain
big financial Interests. " ,
" ' I informed him that I did not believe that It
•» would Be possible for me. to appoint Mr. Depew
, and furthermore that tn«>n representing the flnan
2 clal interests of New York had 'written to toe
I asking that* the nine place be given to Mr. Hyde,
\u25a0 ' and. as a matter of fact, while. I was not pre
-T>«red to make *ny declokm. L doubted whether
4 I <viuld appoint Mr. Defew or Mr. Hyde
I to the plac^
il As coon ax Mr. Harriman beard that Mr. Hyde
wss a candidate, and had asked the nsmer. of his
liackere. he hastily said that he did Dot wish to
he understood as antagonizing Mr. Hyde, and
would be quite . willing to . support him. and,
though I understand- that he preferred Mr. "De
pew, he left me -strongly under the Impression
that he would 'be almost as well satisfied with
Mr. Hyde, and was much discontented at my la
forming him so positively, not once, but repeat
• I edly. that I did oot tbisk I- would be able to ap
point either.
t On his return from spending the summer In
| Europe, on September 20,- he wrot« m« stating j
! that If I thought It desirable be would come to«
i see me at any time, either then or later.
I On September 23 I answered his letter, saying:
("At present there is nothing for me to ccc yon i
about, though there were or* or two point* In
< my. letter of acceptance which I should . have
I rlied to discuss with you before putting It out."
, - On October 1 I wrote him:
1 "In view of the trouble over the State ticket
• in New York:. I should IDee to have a few words
< with you. Do you think you cam get down here
', within a few days end take either lunch or
f dinner with meT" •
• The trouble I: spoke of b&d reference to the
• bolt against Hlggins— that i«, in reality against
i Mr. Barrlman. and Mr.^Harriman'a friend, Gov
• error OdeU. ' -- _ -.- \u25a0•. V
( A reference to . the fileg of -the New York
paper* at that time will show that it waa a
very extensive bolt against Mr. Hlggins on the
ground that Governor Odell had nominated him i
acd be had In some matter* favored Mr. Htrrl
maji over much — Delther ground. In my \u25a0 Judg
ment, being tenable. Mr. . Harnman't backing
of Governor OdeU .and- the extreme willingness
that be showed by •ecuring Hlggtna' election
waa a matter cf common notoriety and men
tioned In til the papers, notably ia the New
Jf York Suo. Ob October 12 Mr. Harrimaa wrote
| "I am rtrlnir a Terr large part of my time
.to correcting the trouble .here • aad ' Intend -to
? do «o If. toy eSort on my -part can accomplish
Mt. I wIU take occasion th*. first of next week
\u25a0 to run down to Bee yen, and think by -that time
; condition* will have . Improved. " • f V 4 .. .
PHBSIDEXT'S AJTSTVEr'
I wrotm Mr. Earrlman th* following letter,
• which I fire tn full: -v \u25a0 .\u25a0- ...-. •-.
'.. \u25a0 i "October. 1. 1904. ;
- "ilj Dear Mr. Harrlmtn: A suggestion has
| come to me In a roundabout way \u25a0 that , jaa \do
not think It wlee to come on to see me in
I tfeeae closing week* of tie campaign, but. that
you are reluctant to refuse, inasmuch as . I have
asked you. ., Now," my dear »lr,' you "and .1 are
practical men and you are upon 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 -aid,
why, of course, give up the visit for the time
being j and then. . a -few weeks hence, - before I
write. my message, I shall get you to come down
to discuss certain Government matters not con
nected with the combination." . \u25a0
You will see that. thin letter wu absolutely
incompatible with , any theory that I was ask
ing Mr. Harriman to oume down to see me in
my own interest, or Intended to make another
request of any kind for help from him. On
the contrary,, all I was concerned with in see
ing him waa to know if I could be of help in
securing the election of Mr. Higgius— a man for
wbom I had had the highest respect, and who,
I belirred. would be. as, in fact, he has been,
a most admirable Governor. -—- <
- Moreover, the following tetter will show that
Mr. Harriman did not have In his mind any
idea of my asking him to collect money, and
that, on the contrary, what he wis concerned
with in connection with my letter to him was |
the allusion I made to the fact "that: I "would I
( lik« to see him before -I wrote my message 'to
discuss certain Government I matters . not con
nected with the campaign. • ..-'*•'''
/..His letter, .which Is «f November 4, runs:
"Dear Mr. President: I have had a telephone
talk wltt Mr. Loeb, and requested him to give
you a message from me. I drew his attention
to the last paragraph of your" letter to me of
October 14 ; last, and explained that, of course,
I. did not vrant ,to make a trip to Washington
unless it should be necessary: that the only
matter I knew regarding which 'l had any ap
prehension and which might be ! referred •to in
your coming message to Congress is that xe
gardlng - interstate commerce and what -the. at
titucjo of the railroads should be toward it.
"I have communications from many'conserva
tive people In the West asking me to take the
matter up, they having Information -as to what
you propose to say in your message on . that
subject, and I am very apprehensive about' it.
. "Mr. Loeb stated that that part of the mes
sage could be sent to me, and I hope he will do
so. I sincerely believe It would be best for all
Interests that no reference be made to the
subject, ..and In any event, if referred to, in
such a way as not to bring about increased agi
tation. |t Is, at yon well know, the conserva
tive element, and the one on which we all rely,
which is the most eeldonY heard from quarter."
HARRMIAX MISTAKEN ' •
Thia letter was crossed by one t ram me,
which reads as follows:
"Strictly personal.— November 30..- 1904.— My
Dear Mr. Harriman: Mr 7 Loeb tells me that
you called, me today on the telephone and re
called my letter 1 to you of October 14, In which
1 spoke to you of a desire to see you before
sending In my message, as I wanted to go over
with you certain matters, and yon added that
you heard that I had referred to the Interstate
™?D? D £ r( i?,, CO rtB!?Is8lon;r tB !? Is8lon; that - you regretted this
and wlabed I had left it out.
tn.'tl«~ Wrltlnßr i t ? Ron r had to Tiew certain
matters connected with currency legislation and
\u2666 £ £?!•. ""'^K' 1 * o« discussing railroad mat
ter* with you. < However, if It had occurred to
me, I should, have been delighted to do so, but
v you remember, when you were down here both
you and I were bo Interested in certain of the
i» » m Political developments that I hardly,
.*. aU> "rocbed on governmental matters
«>vJv -'^tß**t B **^ 8 * whtt l *>ad said in my message
about- the Interstate Commerce Commission
TvVrV^Jfh ShOU t d $*** been de »S h te<l to go'
m,? Ji * y J u i l . also raust ' ra nkly say that
my mind was definitely made up '
•«.«if^ la re 7 ela _ tlons connected with the in
vestigation of the beef trust caused me to
write the paragraph in question. I went with
e J^ m< ; care oTer " the information in possession l
ox the Interstate Commerce Commission. I then
£fJL 2*^ S e wrlttea Paragraph again and again
with Paul Morton, who Is, of all- my Cabinet, the
man most familiar with railroad matters, of
course, and with Hoot. Knox. Taft and Moody
*« is a matter which should be carefully con
eiaered for two years, and I gradually come to
the conclusion that it was unwise and unsafe
for me- to leave the question of rebates where
Itls Just now and to fall to give the Interstate
Commerce Commission additional power of an
effective kind in regulating those rates.
. "Let me repeat that I did not have this ques
tion in mind when J asked you to come down,
but that I should Cnost gladly have talked It
over with' you if it had occurred to me to do so
but as a matter of fact, • when yon did come
down to 6"cc me, you and I were both so engaged
in- the New York political situation that we
talked of little else, and finally, that the posi
tion I have taken has. not been taken" lightly,
but after thinking over the matter and looking
at .it from different standpoints for at least
two years, and after the most careful -consulta
tion with Morton, Taft. Moody. ICnoc and Root
as to the. exact. phraseology 1 should use.
• "I do not- send you a copy* simply because I
have given no one a copy,- not « even the men
above mentioned. It Is impossible. If I ,'gjve
oat copies of any portion of my message, to pre
vent the. message being known in advance,. and
the three press associations who have now the
message are under a heavy penalty not to dis
close a word of it before thejippolnted time."
HARRIMAX'S s DESIRES
Q'a December 2 he wrote • me \ the following
(letter on the '.same subject:' r.
December 2, 1904. My Dear Mr. President —
Thank you for your favor of the 30th.
It was not natural* for me to' suppose that
railroad matters would be included in any dis
cussion you and I might have before writing
.your message. I am of the opinion that • an
effective Interstate Commerce Commission could
regalate the matter of rebates and absolutely
prevent the same. without\any additional power '
of any kind, and as you say. Paul Morton - U
more familiar with such matters than- any
of the other members of your cabinet and I be-
Ueve he will agree with me in this. I fear there
has been a lack of co-operation.
During the enormous development of the last
four years the railroads have found it very
hard to keep pace with the requirements im
posed upon them, and the so-called surplus earn
ings/ as well as additional capital, have been
devoted to ' providing additional facilities and
the bettering and enlarging of their properties
so as to give the increased and better . service
required of them. .V
This work of bptterment and enlarging must
go on and is all-Important for the: proper'de
velopment of all sections of the country.
There Is little doubt; that during the -next
decade every single-track railroad In the country
Will have to be double-tracked and provide for
enlarged terminals and other, facilities, and any
move that would tend to cripple them financially
would be detrimental to all Interests over the
whole country.
I beg til at you will pardon my not signing
this personally, as I have to catch my train
. for Arden and have asked my secretary to
.utgn It for me. Yours sincerely.
I was unable to agree with Mr. narriman's
views, of the matter and left my message un
changed as regards the Interstate commerce law.
The rou^h draft of this portion of the message
was completed In October, before the elpctlon.
I had always dlscus&d with freedom all my
proposed moves In the trust and labor matter's
with the representatives of the big combinations
or big railroads an well as . with the leaders of
the- labor men, 'of the farmers' organizations,
the shippers' organization and the Jlke — that is,
I had as freely seen and . commnnlcated with
Mr. Harriman. Mr. Morgan, Mr. Hill and 'other
railroad men as I had seen and communicated
with Mx. Gompers, Mr. Keefe, Mr. Morrissey
and other labor leaders.
Mr. Harriman. like most of-tb« big railroad
men, always has written me very strongly
protesting against my proposed course as re
gards the supervision and control over big com
binations and especially over the big -railroads—
In a letter of bis of Augnst 19, 1902; , for in
stance, .be expressed the- fear that a • panic
would follow my .proposed action.' . i
It will be seen, that the above correspondence
Is entirely incompatible with what Mr. Harrl
man now. as you inform me, alleges as to my
having asked him to secure money or to subscribe
money for the Presidential ' campaign. . .
A« for .the Depew matter, he professed
throughout to I* acting In the Interest of Gov
To Nature ? s Masterpiece,
..:. OPENS APRIL 3rd \\
Big Tree ' Grove, and Pine For- V
ests passed en route. . y" v - r \u25a0\u25a0
Ask Information Bureau,
Sputhern jPaipif ic -
: Buildihg, San -Francisco.
IHHBBHBHHBS^T-- ""-'•'.\u25a0 * v ."v-f "*' \u25a0\u25a0 •"\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 • \u25a0 > \u25a0\u25a0'" - \u25a0\u25a0"* .-- - "-.». -
THJJ}^ jSAN -v^VJjiJJJSJ^JJA-yiv^-J^JtlU;: X, /ixui.
ernor OdeU, and though \ Governor Odell bad
been anxiona .that Mr. Dcpew should be nomi
nated, as Embaesador to France- at a tline when
he was . Bnpportinu Governor Black for Senator
he had changed his mind' shortly, after the lust
letter to me. above ? quoted, from ; Mr. _ «*'«•
man. an<J on December 10 he wrote me the-iet
ter I inclose, which reads in part as lollows:
ODEIX INDORSES HYDE *
"My Dear President: A : great many of .yotir
t rlonds here \ln New York would be very r much
delighted and pleased if you could find it pos
sible to appoint Mr.Jamfes H/ Hyde as Minister
to France. /' , '- 'V -..\u25a0,\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0
"Lartre business Interests . have given to mm
splendid executive abilities, and his association
with so many prominent business men would be
flttinjr - recognition of .* the effective I work ; done
by them In the .- last campaign. ./ ' "\u25a0\u25a0"". '-\u25a0\u25a0•~A -L \u25a0: -^
"In addition to this be has behind him, I am
sure, the approval of Senator Platt and Senator
Pepew. and, so far v I can speak • for the or
ganization, I believe his appointment would be,
without Question, more f satisfactory than . any
that could be made from New York at the
present. time.' : •\u25a0 . ."
- "Personally. I should appreciate your favor-
I able consideration of this suggestion almost be- |
I yond anything \u25a0 else you could ido for - me. >< If :
you sq desire. I shall be glad to come to Wash
ington and talk with you about it, but I be-]
rtieve there are others who are close to you and;
who feel just .as I do, «•»<! I \u25a0 thought therefore :
that this letter would be sufficient as showing |
the attitude of • the organizations ' and my*elf
personally upon this Important appointment.".
As you know, I was obliged to refuse the re
quest of the Xew York financiers and of the
I Jcpu bl ican organizers of ! the j State and of the
city, not deeming It proper to'appoint Mr. Hyde
to .the position he sought. . . ; \u25a0\u25a0•';: \u25a0\u25a0•'•'\u25a0\u25a0
a So . much for ' what" Mr. Harrlman < said about
me personally. Far more important are the
.additional .remarks be made to you, ; as yon in
form me, when you asked him if he thought it
was well to see Hearstlsm nnd the like j trium
phant over the Republican party. • • /
jS You inform me that he , told you that be did
not care In the least, because those people were
crooks and he could buy* them: 'that whenever
he wanted legislation from a State legislature
he could buy it; that he could "buy Congress"
and that he could "buy the judiciary."
i This was doubtless said partly In boastful
cynicism and partly in ' a /burst of bad temper
of his objection to the Interstate Commerce law
and fny actions as President. But it shows a
cynicism and a deep-seated corruption • which
make the man uttering such sentiments and
boasting at least as undesirable a citizen* as
l>ebs. or Moyer or Hay wood. . : . '
-It is becßuse we have capitalists capable of
uttering such sentlrcents and capable of acting
on them that - there Is strength behind sinister
agitators of the Hearst type.
The wealthy corruptionist and the demagogue
•who excites, in the press or upon the stump, In
office or out of office, ' class against ' class, and
appeals- to the ' basest . passions , of S the human
soul, ' are fundamentally alike and are equally
enemies of the republic. . ' -
I was horrified, as was Root, when . you told
us today what Harriman bad said to you. .As
I say, if you meet him, yon are entirely, w'el
com» to show him this letter, although it must
not /be made public unless requested - by 7 . some
reason of public policy, and then oply after my
consent has first been obtained. ' Sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT. ,
To Hon. J. S. Sherman, St. James building,
New' York.' l' - " •.'-'.
The second letter, to 'Sherman is aa
follows: \
'.The White House, Washington. October 19,
1906. — My Dear Mr. Sherman: I would like
to make an addendum to my letter to you of the
other day. Both Mr. Cortelyou and Mr. Bliss,
as soon as they heard that Hyde's '\u25a0 name had
been suggested for Erabassador. protested to me
against the appointment. Sincerely yours, '-\u25a0>
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Hairunan Replies^With More \ .
: Quotations From Letters
Issues Statement in Answer to
That Made by^President and
!. Supplies .Omitted Parts
| NEW YORK, April 2.—8. H. Hard
man late' tonight: gave out the follow
ing, statement in response to that made
public byPresident Roosevelt at Wash
ington today: , ._. -..'[ '.. . •:,\u25a0 '} ',
. For .many Tears I. have maintained an Inti
mate confidential correspondence with my friend
Sydney Webster. What 1 1 wrote him and . what
he wrote me was, of course. Intended for our
eyes alone. .' .' . « .:
In the course of a letter which he wrote me
-In December, 1905, he ' warned ' me against being
drawn into politics and questioned whether I had
any palltica.l or party instinct.. This drew from
me the reply to , Mr. \u25a0 Webster's Inquiry, which,
In a substantially correct form, 'had been stolen
and published. This letter was written on Janu
ary-2, "1908," at a time when 'no one could doubt
Jlie cordiality of my relations with the Presi
dent. . ' • \u25a0 • \u25a0\u25a0-\u25a0-\u25a0 . .\u25a0\u25a0... .-..
I h^ve read the president's statement. I am
most anxious '-to treat \u25a0 him and ' his utterances
with" the i consideration due to the: hieh office
which", he .holds. Nevertheless, ; I feel bound to
call -auction, to things in regard to
which helloes me an Injustice. . ,\u25a0\u25a0;
.• In; hfe letter to Mr. Sherman he clearly seeks
to <6nvey-the Impression that the personal Inter
view with' him in the fall 0f '1904 was of my
seeking and not his. \ BE - /
Let me-" present the facts. On June . 29, 1004,'
the President- wrote me the following ; letter,
; which he' does not Include in the correspondence
published today. :It reached me in Europe: \
. "My Dear Mr. Harriman: - 1 thank yoii .for
your letter. As soon as you come home I will
want to see you. \u0084T he flgbtfwill doubtless be hot
then.t It has been < a real pleasure to see ' yoa
this year." I \u0084:\u25a0 \u25a0\u25a0
In .reply to this I wrote . him on \u25a0 my . return
from Europe the letter of September 20, the
opening sentences of which he eliminated in his
publication:. . • \u25a0 : - '\u25a0 . -• \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0,--
"My Dear Mr. '\u25a0 President: -I was glad* to re
ceive your . note of June ' 29 last while I was' ln
Europe. I am now. getting .", matters that ac- '
cumulated during my • absence ; somewhat \u25a0 cleared
up. and if you think it desirable \u25a0 will go to see
you at any time, either now or-later. 1 It seemf
to me that the situation could not be in: better
shape." \u25a0 . ... •'-'. .- .-•...- \u25a0 . . - : "-* •. • •
Then - followed a series \u25a0of invitations . from
the White House, both from the President and
bis secretary, urging me -to go to Washington.
On October 10 the President, wrote: -.--' .-, \u25a0\u25a0.-\u25a0'\u25a0\u25a0
"In vfew. of "trouble, 1 over the \u25a0 State
ticket in Xcw York, I. should much like to have
a- few ..worda- with- you. . Do yon .think* you
can get ; down here within a few days or . take
either lunch or.' dinner, with; me?" \u25a0••\u25a0-: ''. ;
On October 14 he wrote:' / : -'-".'.
.. "My Dear- Harriman: 1 *A, suggestion "has come
to -• me In a roundabout way , that you don't
think" lt wise to' come' to see me" in these closing
weeki of | the campaign, but " thrft • yon j are & re
luctant to refuse inasmuch as I have asked you.'-'
\u25a0- A .funeral In \u25a0my family, prevented 'a - prompt
reply to the President's repeateou invitations,
but #nally, -about . October 20. ,' I* was ' able to
po to Washington and see him.'; /There is 'some
difference ? of recollection " as •to \u25a0 what transpired
at ' that Interview. - , ; . . '
\u25a0 : - Whether I "was seeking his aid to 'secure the
adherence, of- the State . of : New York ' to? ; the
State ticket, : or "he \u25a0 was - seeking '. mine,*, is
proved j»r disproved by: this correspondence, and
I cheerfully . submit . to the \u25a0 public ; whether < the
inference ; clearly ; sugcestcd . by i the : President Is
the proper one. I; did not so ! take it ' from the
Invitation; nor from the - Interview. v .- ; ' : . . .-•
The President \u25a0 dwells \u25a0 at ' length ' on ; the . asser- '
tlon that he. . did : not | a.ek . me ' to>Veontrlbute for
the political campaign," nor; for -his. "personal
benefit." I do not deny this statement, ' nor Is
it at all Inconsistent with 1 the assertions I made
•In the Webster letter respecting the Interview, j
ELECTRIC PLANT FIRE
LEAVES CITY IN DARK
Central ' Station of/ Lighting
I Company Destroyed in
\ Costly Fire
ONE LOSS OF LIFE
Fireman Killed and Others
>: Hurt by Collapse
/of Roof
Continued From Pace t, Column 8
r.ii-+.r .ii-+. .;> i -.^- \u25a0\u25a0:. .-\u25a0-- .\u25a0\u25a0.,.\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0.-•---\u25a0
former/will ; probably idle, hisiback be
ing-badly' wrenched and he is also.in
ternally injured.' • Cauley - was/ badly
bruised about the body and sustained
several deep cuts in his scalp. In i res
cuing them Lieutenant Joseph Hayden
and Hoseman J. de Meyer of engine 17
and truck 7, respectively, were slightly
hurt. \
All the injured men were' taken to the
Potrero Hospital, where they . were
treated by. Drs. Buell and Stone, rowing
to the lack of electricity the work of
treating^them wm carried on by candle
llgiit, 'Captain Murphy, after he had
been revived and his; head had been
bandaged up, pluckily returned to his
post and remained at the fire until his
company had been called in.
."' a half dozen tanks of crude oil built
close to the light plant did not exjlpde.
because of the fact that the fire was" al
most entirely confined to the interior.
The fire burned unabatedly' from 6:30
to 8:30. and not until 9:30 was it tapped
out." . - '
The plant was a mere shell of four
walls and roof, ,with milltons>of dol
lars' worth of : machinery within. .The
greater part of this was only recently
installed.^ The offices of the company
were in a separate structure and were
not destroyed. . v •
-Considerable dlfflculty was experi
enced by the flre engines In reaching
the scene, because of the . darkness and
bad'-roadsX No fresh water. 'could, be
had, and it was necessary to run." a line
of hoso from the bay. .'
President Brltton of the' San Fran
cisco, Gas ( and Electric Company stated
last night -that the entire plant was
valued at : $7,500,000 and that the. losk
incurred was fully $2,500,000, partially
covered by insurance. . "The central
station," he said, "which was de
stroyed, supplies all the substations
throughout the city with electricity,
and through these branch stations dis
tributes power for all of San Francisco.
The - generating plant, which has been
ruined, was supported by auxiliary en
ergy ; brought from Tuba and Sacra
mento, which was added to at the cen^
tral station to the volume of power
generated there. • . . ,
\u0084 "It will be this auxiliary power on
which we- must rely until the burned
machinery has been replaced. This will
take much time, for part of the gener
ating machinery was made' expressly
for this plant and will have* to be du
plicated to , order. . The connections
;with"the imported current will be made,
iin part, by - Wednesday night and we
: will supply as many sections of the
city with light as possible. : By Thurs
day or Friday, if all goes well, we
should be an illuminated city again.
"v"A : force '"of over 100 "men -is now .'at
work making connections with; the .'im
ported ptywer and more'then willbeput
on -tomorrow. Meantime we will order
new machinery at once.". ' ' : . /. -
/The Orpheum and the/r Novelty
theaters were, able to proceed— with
their performances,^in spite of the ex
tinguishing of the electric lights. The
Van Ness, Alcazar.vAmerlcan and Cen
tral theaters were in darkness, how
ever. Most, if not all, of the theaters
announced they would be running, to
night, whether electric - power was
turned on or not. , The Van Ness The
ater had nearly completed its pipe sys
tem for gas,' and an' extra force of men
will rush the work to to
day, so that gas, if not electricity, will
supply Illumination light. '. Jhe per
formance at the American Theater,
which had to be omitted last* night,
will be given, the management an
nounces, without, fail 'toniight.
The damage and "discomfiture will
be widespread ;if > the San Francisco
Gas and Electric '^Company "is , unable
to" secure power r today. Many ; of 7 the
tall office buildings .not only, get their
lighting energy from the company, but
also power to,; operate their elevators.
The Central police station was left in
utter darkness. 'There' was no gas\ to
burn in lieu ; of electric lights. Candles
flickered and did their; best, but only
"emphasized the blackness of the cor
ridors,;. the .various offices* and the
Jail.
An extra, force of .patrolmen was de
tailed for service InjHhe prison, and
orders were' passed not .to let any
malefactor Inf:or out ..Bailing out of
prisoners was suspended, -and ; \the
steel-barred doors were ' neither opened
nor shut during;the entire night.
/.'Bond and Warrant ; Clerk McCarthy
sat in\'the darkness- of 'his office with
a sack containing v over'" $600. With ' a
guard beside; hlmjMcCarthyspent 1 ; the
night :\u25a0 informing^applicants^ ,at > the of
fice that there :- would be " no ball money
accepted ' untlli it was light to
do business. " , _-
951 VanNessAve.
, See the glass record
rooms at tfre v new store on
Van Ness avenue^ corner
o>'Farrell' street!- THe
finest' j: talking machine
i store west : of New York;
; goods sold :at Eastern
prices.^ ; See -our special;
outfit, $56.ia
Company
951 Van Ness Ave.r Con o'Farrell St.
BUSSE ELECTED MAYOR;
CITY OWNERSHIP LOSES
Chicago's- Postmaster Wins
Hard-Bought Contwt
by 13,121 Plurality
[LOSS BY -SOCIALISTS
\ Streetcar^ Ordinances Are
I Carried by Majority
j of 33,126 Votes
j CHICAGO, April 2.— Chicago's Post
| master, Frederick A. Busse,, the Re
< publican nominee, vmst elected Mayor of
the cltytoday by a plurality of 13,121
votes; over Mayor Edward F. Dunne,
Democrat )\ The total number of votes
| cast for Bum was: 184,830 and for
! Dunne 151,718.. .The Prohibition noiri
j inee polled* 68 ?5 votes and the Social
ist candidate /T5,459. Two years ago.
when \u25a0 Dunne was : elected to office, he
polled 188,109 votes, and John M. Har
lan; the Republican candidate, 138,671.
The Socialist vote the «ame | year was
over 40,000, and today's vote was a
great ; disappointment to the leaders of
that -party. , . '
/The new Mayor will have the City
Co-uncll with him. The makeup of
this 'body will show 75 Republicans.
34 Democrats" and. 1 Independent Dem—
oorat. \u25a0\u25a0 ;; /•# .\u25a0 . \u25a0; ;_;\u25a0;; /• . -. \u25a0 .
The ordinances settlingr the street
car question were carried by a grood
majority. ..The total vote on this ques
tion was 165,846 for and 132,720 against.
According:' to the -latest returns lat
midnigrht, the i only Democrat elected
outside of ; the Democratic Aldermen
chosen was John /E. Traeger, Demo
cratic .candidate' for City Treasurer.
/The: campaign -was the most 'intense
Chicagtffhad experienced in many years.
The issues were based largely on the
local fraction system. Both parties
were agreed that the. present condi
tions were intolerable, but differed
as .to. the.' best methods to be employed
In' revising; them/The Democratic
party,; headed by Mayor Dunne, stood
for municipal ownership through con
demnation.of the streetcar properties
if 'the result'could not be obtained in'
any other; way.-- The Republican party
favored ? ordinances - which were passed
recently ; by •a" Democratic Council over
the veto of Mayor. Dunne. \u0084 '
• .These ordinances provided for twen
ty-year • franchises for the -streetcar
companies,- the city retaining the right
topurchase the systems for $30,000,000,
plus the amount tobe spent for Imme
diate -rehabilitation .of the' lines, six
months' /notice 'being necessary /for
the- city's /intention 'to; acquire the
properties.''' The .ordinances also pro
vide for. universal transfers through
out "the :city, "a 5-cent fare and 65: per
cent ' of i the net revenue ? of the com
panies to be paid, to the city. The
fight for and against the : aaoption 'of
these 'ordinances has been exceedingly
bitter. They were carried today by a
majority of about 40,000 votes.'- /
The vote showed a, decided reversal
of public opinion on the question of
municipal . ownership § compared with
the last mayoralty campaign, two years'
ago>; The prohibition vote ran slightly,
above that. of two years ago, while tho
Socialist : vote fell off heavily|L
During the campaign charges and
'> countercharges were hurled back and
forth, the persona.l, lives of the candi
dates were . held up to . the public^ and
speakers on both sides indulged night
after night in tirades filled with invfce
tiveand abuse. This disagreeable fea
ture, of "the campaign -wa.3 commenced
\u25a0when Mayor Dunne* circulated a peti
tion - : for a referendum' yoto on the
traction; proposition at, the present
electlon.V: ; He .^and' his* followers an
nounced that; they, had secured 151,000
signatures to thia petition, 80.000 being
necessary to place .the . matter before
the voters. "Charges r-ere'made by the
Republicans that thousands /.of these
names had been forged and that the
list had been padded in every conceiv
able fashion. The assertions were de
nied vehemently by the Democrat 3 and
the followers of Mayor Dunne, and
from, this time- until the end" of the
campaign the warfare waa intensely
bitter.. . • *
GAIJVS PORREPDBLICAXS
''GUTHRIE. Okla.. April 2.— Returns
from I Oklahoma and Indian Territory
indicate sweeping gains for the Repub
licans. In Guthrie the entire Republi
can'city ticket was . elected by small'
majorities.-
CORNELL ELECTED MAYOR
KANSAS CITY,- April 2.— D. E. Cor
nell \u25a0 (R.) ; was; elected Mayor of Kansas
City, - Kan s., t today . over . W. W. Rose
(D.) and John Gray (Socialist) by a
plurality of about 1000 in a total, of
is,ooo.l^f^^^^^^^g^s -;\u25a0-'/'\u25a0
LANDSLIDE IX 3IONTAXA
HELENA, : Mont., April 2.—Yester
day's : municipal ~ elections ; In- Montana
resulted in a Republican landslide, only
two cities^ ln" the r State electing | Demo
cratic Mayors. / As a rule "party lines
isHiiSiiii.
. The daily record of fires and
emphasizes the risk
of 'keeping -important papers
I V or valuable personal property" ;
in the office or home. Bet-
ter^ far to place them in one
of bur fire-proof and buir^. -
glar-proof safe deposit boxes
;or ; vaults, .where they will
be absolutely safe and read-
ily accessible at your con-
venience.^ .
\u25a0 '\u25a0""\u25a0 . _-.. '\u25a0'\u25a0'"\u25a0 v \ * - A - \u25a0
Rates are very reasonable
California Safe De-
posit and Trust Co.
California and Montgomery Streets
West End Branch -'; 'ijv -' f 1153 \, Devisadefo
Mission Branch; - 2572 MiwionV nr. 22d
Uptown Branch -- " 1 740 Fillroore, nr. SutterJ
johnjdeaSe
. KOTAHY •' PUBLIC
Special Care Takes With Depoaltlo&i
. and All Lesal Documents. '\u25a0 \u25a0'
- ' K»TtixTttut : corner of I Su tter and : •\u25a0
\u25a0;.;;\u25a0 ;V;:'^*>::-;;^tetoerrBtreeta. : ;:.-" vv> ; .
HARTiuixD CAaiTAX/rr^ irJo. '• of - Baiti- V
mor c— H. B.^WINDSOR 3 & t CO.t"- veni
v-;; rngta^r Mutual ; Say.i Bk. .bldg.Temprgjai
O. JrAWIJU*E:Y{*; CO^Carrlaiei; 6ual4*
Porto Rico in Quality as well
as in Name
There are plenty of so-called Porto Rican
WmsoM dg*™' many of them made of tobacco
||p|||i| grown in' the United States; these brands
§||§|p|H v will likely multiply in number since the re-
p^||3pM cent increased cost of Porto Rican leafl
§ijol^jM That's why smokers everywhere should be
8tp&ll more particular than ever to get the genuine
iiililiiiSr *^ I^ s * s one rigz? y ou can c sure is
V^^^^^S P° rt P.Ri can m quality as well as in name,
plliteiii ma<^ e in.- Porto Rico, exclusively of Porto
||§f|f|§JB The £1 Toros now on the market are
finer in quality than ever, because of the
f^fliyjPPl unusual excellence of this year's crop in
Porto Rico, only the best selections of
l£pffili| which are used to make the. El Toro.
W&wMM Made in a thoroughly modern factory,
I|||||||f with facilities and methods unequalled by
N l||||||||r any other manufacturer, El Toro cigars are
unquestionably the finest- 5-cent cigars
y&lffi Porto Rico has ever produced,
Every El Toro cigar is now' banded
I so you can be sure you get the genuine.
** costs y° u *only five cents, as always.
{ExZTsiuT^ The El Toro is superior to any other cigar
shape) sold at 5 cents. : ' ."
Ahomadcin pp O rto Rican^Axncrican tobacco /Company
Panctdaand . " .' _-*v. • '_. . .
„ . , c . Sl«anfactnr«T, Saa Jnaa. Port* • Rle« -• .
faneUla *inas g. BACHMA.V A CO- lac, DUtrlbator*.
1 ; : — * • SAW FRAJJCISCO, CAU
> -
were " closely drawn and a . heavy . vote
was polled.-
DE3IOCRATS VICTORS IX PUEBLO
PUEBLO. Colo., April 2.— Mayor John
T. West and 1 tie' entire. Democratic
ticket probably «\va3 elected at today's
election. ; I
REPUBLICANS WIN MAYORALTY
TOPEKA, Kans., April -2. — Wlllkim
Green (it.) was 'elected Mayor of To
peka. today by. a • plurality of about
1500.
One Yea* After
' The story of San Francisco's wonder
ful progress since the disaster of April
18, 1906, •ia graphically told by text
and photograph in the April number of.
Sunset Magazlfie. . There- are sixteen
beautiful full-page double-tinted pict
ures and numerous other Illustrations.
It is a great number, and should be
read by every, one and sent to Eastern
friends. \ .-. •
ANOTHER STORM IN NORTH
REDDING, April .2.-— Rain began' fall
ing again this morning and the down
pour continues tonight. The storm la
general throughout the north. Warm
weather —and .the rain will' melt the
snow in the mountains rapidly.
I Finest Quality Materials
In Women's Regals j
1 THe first reason why Women's Regals preserve •
I their true* stylish appearance and correct shape as \u25a0 ,
long as you wear them is because they are made of 1
the fihest v materials that' can be procured. • I
» And when you consider the amount of
I Ss&£ hand-workmanship that goes into them—
§ /&IBmi^ it's no wonder that ..Women's Regals
I iBWBBni^ '" 'are perfect in contour. .
I - lawfel^^^^^y Quarter-sizes— thai means
is as smooth and comfort'
iSlif^ nSBB^M able as any custom boot- k
$ 4 - 00 ] _. Send for Style Book
; .newest -custom style • "'^^^^^fefc^S^ '• Mail Orders ' \u25a0
fo/ women. Made of finest s^s2^^l -Promptly Filled
I Quarter-Slzest \u25a0 STiA $4.00 ,f
. ' The large* t retail shoe business In the world. ' J ' ' , 5 .
- Stores la the x>riacip*l cities from London to Saa Francisco • . ' * \u25a0-'
I, ' t ME.VS STORES CiV FRIVCISCfi WOME.VS STORES |
Phelan Building JAn.rKAnVIJVW Phdaa BnQdinE \u25a0> 1
- TBO MARKET ST. \u0084 . TBO MARKET ST:'* •f,
1400 Van Seam Are., c«r. Bosh St. 1400 Van Sc»% At*., cor. Btwh it. •
« OAKLAND STORE — 23. Saa Pabfo Ay% 121T Broad Way. . * g
— 4 -*---\u25a0 „• — " % *m
ISAAC UPHAM CO- /
EVERYTHINQ FOR YOUR OFFICE.
STApONERS PRINTERS
BOOKBINDERS .
NOVV PERMANENTLY LOCATED ' •
UPHAM BUILDING .
104 BATTERY STREET COR. PINE
iBRANCH-COR. POLK AND SUTTER STREETS |
LANE DEFENDS PRESIDENT
Railroad Men Could Not Have Ex
pected to Change His Attitude '\u25a0 \u25a0
WASHINGTON. April 'k— "What did
they expect of the President?" inquired \u25a0„
Franklin K. Lane of the Interstate
Commerce . Commfsslon. when' asked \u25a0
about the statement of the President as
to his attitude on railroad legislation.
"Did they expect that .he would stultify
himself by completely changing his po
sition at their behest?, I do n.ot belfeva
that- a single railroad president in the
country asked or expected anything of
the kin<k" " .. . \u25a0 •
Lane Is one of the- men on the -Inter
state Commerce Commission who are
trusted to the fullest' extent by the"
President. He' called at. the White;
House this morning and had a-. brief
talk with the chief executive. : : . \u25a0 '
.Senator Flint called upon the Presi
dent today to urge the appointment of •
\u25a0W. C. Van-* Fleet of Saa Francisco-, to
be Judge, of the Northern District of
California. . > .'
from the United Stattes to
the Republic of Panama In 1906 aggre
gated nearly $14,000,-00, as against 33.
000,000 for the preceding year. l • .