Newspaper Page Text
/ (FROM VoR MAY)
THE HISTORY OF THE STANDARD OIL LETF
>
“' New Evidence of Dealings for
'J Cash With Legislators Elected
pos by the People, With Corrupt
me
Corporations, Revealed in
ttlfl
not Black and White.
se«
sul
Archbold, the Present Standard
i I
H Oil Head, Wrote Instructions
ur )
‘■h Regarding Legislation to
to\ Foraker and .Others, and
the
1 Then Paid Royally.
di
nek
Dis
sei
w? is a plain, straightfor-
h I ward narration of facts.
gt“ “*• Some of these facts are
well known; many of
tjj them have not been made public
before. Taken altogether in the
$ light of later events, they made it
' possible for the first time to write
o, a clear, connected history of a
** crime against popular govern
ment. William Randolph Hearst,
o’ who first made public the facts of
1 this Standard Oil conspiracy,
aptly characterized it as an “OUT
f, RAGE AGAINST THE SANCTI-
* TY OF OUR CITIZENSHIP,
f< AGAINST THE INTEGRITY OF
’4 OUR GOVERNMENT.”
jj “There is no greater danger to
a our Republic,” he said, “than this
* mighty power of money exercised
« for evil.”
fl The duty of telling the truth,
„ and the whole truth, in a matter
, J
“■ of this kind, is far from being a pleasant one,
f but it is a duty that ought to be performed,
t It will lead into some dark labyrinths of
American politics. It will involve the careers
« of many who, equally with Foraker and Sib
ley and Bailey, have been trusted by their
M neighbors and honored by their country. It
ti will, in some cases, involve the names of men
* ’‘F'now dead. But it will recite nothing but ab
’ solute facts, disclose nothing without author
™ itative data, based on documentary evidence,
J and reveal such truths as ought in honesty
hj and propriety to be revealed.
ij * * *
h Joseph B. Foraker, Senator from Ohio, was
shown to be taking money from Archbold;
Joseph C. Sibley, a representative from
h Pennsylvania, was shown by correspondence
a to be, in the words of Mr. Hearst, “a wretch
t ed little political spy, introduced into Con-
E gress by the Standard Oil Company to re
v port to them on all legislation in which they
* had an interest."
a* • *
Joseph Bailey, Senator from Texas, regard
ed by many as the most brilliant man in the
’ Upper House, and hailed, in this same oil-be
daubed correspondence, as the coming leader
of his party, was placed on the rail of public
obloquy and ridden outside the bounds of na
tional honor. Mr. Hearst disregarded, party
lines in making these disclosures.
Each of these three men was shown by
documentary proof to have been taking mon
ey secretly to represent Interests opposed to
those that he was sworn publicly to uphold.
Each, in his own way, paid the bitter penalty.
But what about John D. Archbold, the man
who ‘‘handled the money;’’ the man who
with such amazing ease and frequency drew
SIO,OOO certificates of deposit by which elec
tions and even laws were influenced. What
penalty was placed upo© him?
* *
Chance has placed In my way some ex
traordinary documents. It happens that
those documents, consist almost entirely of
the surreptitious correspondence of John D.
Archbold —who was a Methodist deacon on
1 one hand, and a purchaser of unscrupulous
politicians and corrupt laws on the other. In
the conspiracy against popular government
that these letters reveal, the personality of
Archbold becomes too trivial and unimpor
tant for consideration.
* * *
When Hanna made his Napoleonic entry
into national politics and took the control of
the State machine away from Foraker, the
Oil Trust, with characteristic breadth of
mind, kept both factions in its way and is
■ued orders simultaneously and with equal
•ace to both of the leaders. Let us, for the
•e of historical accuracy, take Archbold’s
- rs to the two Ohio Senators at this
iin their chronological order: The first
> ’•'raker:
26 Broadway, New York.
January 20, 1899.
v Senator:
> your very kind note of the
which please accept thanks,
that you will watch care
phase of the matter, and
✓A 'thing undone. We may
with you regarding a
9 'i of the case within the
>• Will it be at all pos-
By J. E.
1
I FACSIMILE OF MARK HANNA LETTER ASKING FOR STANDARD OIL MONEY TO HELP HIS PERSONAL CAMPAIGN
ryrrsD States ftaxeqre, _ . —. •
1 &
AT
> / / *
Ma- // *M*-S
- ,f V o • /., / ; • z —i
J 2 L*r£*~*..
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1 1 • -J
<P 7*7 a
’ . 777-.^Z.-— 1
L
, John D. Archbold, Esq.—My Dear John:
I am in receipt of yours of the 18th inst., with enclosures as stated, for which lam obliged. I am ‘‘holding the bag,” and this is going to be an ex
pensive campaign. I can see where I will land before the thing is over, so I have no doubt I will have to call again. I feel a delicacy about this, as it is my funeral.
I can beg for others better than when I have a personal interest.
’ There are many important interests in this fight. Should Johnson carry the Legislature, corporations will catch it, as lam their representative so called.
Sincerely yours, M. A. HANNA.
The year does not appear in the date of the above letter, but the letter was probably written in the Ohio State campaign of 1903.
) ______
’ These Letters Prove That Senator J. B. Foraker, of Ohio, When a Leading Member of the U. S. Senate, Was Paid in One Year at
Least $44,500 by the Standard Oil Trust. His Salary as Senator at the Same Time JVas $5,000. The Bible Says “No Man Can
Serve Two Masters.” Which Master DO YOU THINK Senator Foraker Really' Served?
•»
sible for you to come here for a short
interview? Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archbold.
r cr. J. B Foraker,
Senate Chamber.
Washington, D. C.
This letter, according to the position taken
by Foraker when Mr. Hearst first made it
public, merely proved that in January, 1899,
Senator Foraker was working for the Oil
Trust.
‘‘That I was so employed and presumably
compensated for my services was common
knowledge at the time," said Foraker; ‘‘at
least, I never made any effort to conceal the
fact. On the contrary, I was pleased to have
people know that I had such clients. ’ ’
As a matter of fact, on the Sth of March,
1899, less than two months after Foraker’s
receipt of instructions from Archbold to
‘‘Watch carefully" and ‘‘leave nothing un
done," the following dispatch, sent out by
the Associated Press, had been published in
the New York newspapers 1 :
Cincinnati, 0., March B.—A report
reached here from Columbus today
that Senator Foraker had been re
tained by the Standard Oil Co. as one
of the counsel for the trust.
Senator Foraker showed much irri
tation tonight when asked if the re
port was true.
‘‘lt is impertinent,” he declared.
‘ You might as well ask me how much
money I have in my pocket. The re
port is not true."
There we see just how ‘‘pleased" Foraker
bad been to have people know that he had
such "clients."
* ♦ ♦
From his desk at No. 26 Broadway, New
York, Archbold continued to pull the wires,
to write the letters and to send out the cer
tificates of deposit with which legislatures
were controlled, Congressmen were elected,
Senators were chosen, and judges were ap
pointed. As the Standard Oil Company was
Democratic in the- South, and Republican in
Pennsylvania, so, in Ohio, it was strictly non
factional- At the same time that it was giv
ing money and orders to Foraker, leader of
one group, it was giving orders—and as we
shall see later, money also—to Hanna, leader
of the dominant faction. Witness the follow
ing letter to Senator Hanna:
26 Broadway, New York.
January 19, 1900.
Dear Senator:
The matters regarding which I
wanted to talk with you this after
noon are those of threatened and very
objectionable legislation at Columbus.
The first is a bill introduced by Mr
Russell, of Meigs, amending * the so
called "anti-trust” law in away that
would be most objectionable to every
corporate interest in the state. Prob
ably you are familiar with this bill.
The second is a most malicious
resolution for an investigation com
mittee to be headed by Griffin, of
Lucas, giving them power to investi
gate pretty much everything within
the state, from the supreme court
down. The resolution does not limit
the expense of the investigation, and
authorizes the employment of coun
sel. It is said to be the intention o*,
the committee to employ Mr -
THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS: SATURDAY, MAY 18. 1913.
\Other articles of notable interest .rn
May number of Hearst’s Magazine,
which, is now on sale at the newsstands,
included "The Lesson of the Standard
Oil Lettas," by William Randolph
Hearst; "Th? Real Woodrow Wilson,”
by Alfred Henry Lewis; SJjusteg s.Own
Story of the Persians’ Vagi Struggle for
Independence; the second instalment of
Winston, Chur chill’s .Tates t and best
novel, "The Inside of the Cup;" "Cap
tain Kidd in Wall Street/ ’ one of a new
series of George Randolph Chester, the
creator of "det-Rich-Quick-Walling
ford;" "The Story of George Helm," by
the late David Graham Phillips; "The
Titanic and Its Lessons," by Lewis Nix
on; "Tb 6 Price of Progress," by Gug
lielmo Ferrero; and reviews of art, books
and finance by the best writers.
as its counsel. We want to enlist you
actively and promptly to the defeat of
these measures. They are undoubted
ly inspired by Monnett and his follow
ers, and their purpose is unquestion
ably of the most vicious character.
That appointment of the "maraud
ing” committee comes up by agree
, ment on the 25th, so that it, as well
as the other, should be attended to
very promptly. Will you do every
thing possible to compass their de
feat? Shall be glad to hear from you
promptly.
I enclose you clipping from the
Plaindealer describing the Willis reso
lution. Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archbold.
Hon. M. A. Hanna,
Washington, D. C.
* * *
Act "actively and promptly," Senator
Hanna, "leave nothing undone,” Senator
Foraker, "to compass the defeat” of such
honest measures. The edict of Archbold has
gone forth!
* * *
Hanna was an important general upon the
field of action, but he was not the only one.
He was not even alone in his own depart
ment. Read this letter to Foraker, written
four weeks later, during that same session of
congress and of the Columbus legislature:
26 Broadway, New York.
(Personal) , February 16, 1900.
My Dear Senator:
Here is still another very objection
able bill. It is so outrageous as to be
ridiculous, but it needs to be looked
after, and I hope there will be no dif
ficulty in killing it.
Am anxious to hear from you as to
the situation as a whole.
Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archbold.
Hon. J. B. Foraker,
1500 Sixteenth St., . *
Washington, D. C. 9 i, P >
The bill here mentioned, being ’ ™ '™ nv j n
rageous” and "ridiculous” in the &!'. don ' t you tr
/Standard Oil O -was
zZcXc. e A. a
-fcaf <P C.
r x_ *
0? -****-“ J-"?-''
bill empowering the people to participate
somewhat in their own public affairs and
limiting somewhat the absolute control of
public officials, courts and legislatures by
criminal corporations.
* ♦ ♦
In regard to this next letter, however,
there is less doubt and more definiteness
26 Broadway, New York.
.... February 27,1900.
My Dear Senator:
Attorney General Sheets has written
a letter to Mr. Kline, in which he asks
to have a time fixed for the oral argu
ment of the contempt case. If this ar
gument is to be simply a formal mat
ter, we have no objection to it; other
wise, it might be well to have it post
poned as long as possible, especially
until after the next national and state
conventions.
We thought you should know about
this before going to Ohio.
Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archbold.
Hon. J. B. Foraker,
1500 Sixteenth St.,
Washington, D. C.
Nine days later Senator Foraker had an
other "very objectionable” bill to "take
care of." A senator had to work to earn his
certificates of deposit. Serving the Standard
Oil was no sinecure.
* ♦ ♦
March 8, 1900
My Dear Senator:
I beg to enclose you herewith letter
from our counsel, Mr. Elliott, with
copy of another very objectionable
bill recently introduced at Columbus.
There will undoubtedly be a uniform
sentiment against it in the oil section.
Hope you can take care of it with the
others. Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archbold.
Hon. J. B. Foraker,
Senate Chamber,
Washington, D. 0.
The very next day he received another let
ter from Archbold as follows:
• March 9, 1900.
My Dear Senator :
I have your favor of last night with
enclosure, which letter, with letter
from Mr- Elliott commenting on
same, I beg to send you herewith.
Perhaps it would be better to make a
demonstration against the whole bill,
but certainly, the ninth clause, to
which Mr. Elliott refers, should be
stricken out, and the same is true of
House Bill No. 500, also introduced
by Mr. Price, in relation to foreign
corporations, in which the same ob
jectionable clause occurs.
Am glad to hear that you think
that the situation is fairly well in
hand. Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archbold.
Another bill was so "objectionable.” The
people had become so meddlesome in their
own business that F ,ada sjibold advjr-i busy
Senator Foraker t^’ es ° | demon ~ ation ’ ’
and also toj i 2'J ; n0U gh sisesf ises Btr.ken out
skeptical. Why 1 **
ry it? •
PAGE THREE
GrStificntp motor car has been
n , timulus to the con-
Outcome roadg than the ne
, ig armies have beer
if) One Castimulus has beer
few years, in con
Deposit (Xiries during whict
ies have seen thei:
Senator F«th all the arme<
ernments pushini
now that the worl
ere, It is going for
Mark Hanrt 1111 * ra,e A simpl
"nual expenditure
“And as
American prog
Be an Expenl
He Tells Ar v €xpends ever
nc I Clio Ml nd m a,i n t e nanc
~ . - J,’,000.000. Franc
Have to Call many $66,840
for the sam
~~e the money 1
-Jt-the road
aker that we have jta,. s V er
bold sent the folloVp , ‘ n ' lPri
Hanna. J yardg (
26 Broadway, U Europ.
March IX s popu !!
■ Wcvery Ir
My Dear ,aj
r -. . .2jn qualtt
I hope everyW our roa ,
tng well at (
There are a ntnnl, r the m<
vexatious bills flp f the ai
movemei
we are resting Rm
statement that th® 18 betl
well In hand. *’
One of our poop which <
that it is a little
as to how the Ha y * 0P rp w
D. Cole, of Find! in roai
vote on the Rus» ,he for
He says that H. 0.
editor Findlay
can,” and formerin to t
man Republican Bta mport ‘'
mittee, is very olose 8ta nd a i
f ——-aittiiutii
and that Crouse is a warn** se « ki
of yours. It occurs to me/"’/’
you think it worth while, ytr.in wui
ask Mr. Crouse to try and g adm
Cole immediately and persuad,,^" r stc
vote against the bill. You wii nap
best, however, as to all mattt
taining to the different things
Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Arch’
Hon. M. A. Hanna,
The Arlington,
Washington, D. 0.
Again "vexatious bills,” again i
ing public, again legislators who
ful in their feudal thraldom to th<
who are exhibiting anarchistic Ind
independence. Up with the reserve
na to the rescue I
The simple sordid tale is best tob
bold’s own language: •
March 26, 1*
Hon. J. B. Foraker,
1500 Sixteenth St.,
Washington, D 0.
Dear Senator:
In accordance with our t
standing, I now beg to enclose y<A,
tificate of deposit to your favo„
$15,000. Kindly acknowledge re
and oblige Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Archb
At the end of another three weeks
this:
April 17, It
My Dear Senator:
I enclose you certificate of dv
to your favor for $14,500. Wd
greatly at a loss in the matter, b
send this, and will be glad to hr
frank talk with you when opportt
offers, and if you so desire. 1
I need scarcely again express
great gratification over the favor
outcome of affairs.
Very truly yours,
Jno. D. Arcnbol.
Hon. J. B. Foraker,
1500 Sixteenth St.,
Washington, D. C ,
Later in the year comes this:
November 26, 19-
My Dear Senator:
In pursuance of our underste
in our talk over the telephone tp ’
now beg to enclose you cerV' .
deposit to your favor for SJ-Olled
»ey get
Hon. J. B. Foraker, ar out
1500 Sixteenth St.,
Washington, P
• And again in this sarne ie m way
Decern ,'
My Dear Senator: diorough-
Referring to our t JO boiling,
sation today, I now
certificate of depos J
.nr red and green
I