Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, May 18, 1912, HOME, Page PAGE THREE, Image 27

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/ (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£*~*.. , „ /. n 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