Latest news with #CorruptPracticesAct

Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crowds flocked to see Teddy Roosevelt on a whistle-stop tour in 1914
Former President Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt did a whistle-stop tour of Schuylkill County towns in October 1914. After arriving in Tamaqua on October 26, he journeyed to Pottsville, where he spoke at the Hippodrome Theater. After that, he made brief stops in Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Ashland, Mount Carmel and on to a speaking engagement in Williamsport. He was not running for president, but campaigning for John Robert Jones, a Schuylkill County Republican running for a second term in the House of Representatives. Initially serving as vice president, Roosevelt became president after William McKinley was assassinated in September 1901. He was elected president in 1904 and served until 1909. A Republican, he split with the party and ran unsuccessfully for president as the Progressive Party candidate in 1912. As much a folk icon as a politician, Col. Roosevelt was accorded hero status for leading the Rough Riders in the charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898. His foreign policy, often referred to as 'speak softly and carry a big stick,' was popular with the American public. Referred to as Colonel post-presidency, he was given what the Pottsville Republican called a 'royal welcome' when he arrived at the Reading Railroad Station in Pottsville. 'Here comes the Colonel,' the crowd shouted as the train bearing a huge banner arrived just before 1 p.m. He shook hands with people in the crowd and, when he tipped his hat, a huge cheer erupted. With Col. Daniel Nagle, a Civil War veteran, Teddy rode to the Hippodrome in an open car as thousands lined the streets. An immense crowd cheered him as he arrived at the Hippodrome Theater, which was on East Market Street. 'I have come to your state to speak for decency and honesty in public life,' he said. 'I am glad to come here and speak for Mr. Jones, who led the fight for decency and righteousness in the last session of the legislature.' Jones supported the Corrupt Practices Act, which would have made public the names of donors to political campaigns. It was not adopted. Roosevelt also asked for support of Gifford Pinchot, a conservationist who was the Progressive Party candidate for U.S. Senate in 1914. Pinchot, who accompanied Roosevelt on his tour, would later become governor of Pennsylvania. The Pottsville Republican pulled no punches in its opposition to Roosevelt's progressive philosophy. While acknowledging he was in 'a hot bed of admiration,' the Republican said Roosevelt was in a community that was in no way sympathetic to his current political interests. 'If Theodore Roosevelt were himself a candidate for office on the Republican ticket, he could go from the county with an almost unanimous vote,' the Republican reported in an editorial. 'But he is wrong in this particular campaign, and in his heart he must know that he is wrong, unless he has been firmly converted to the cause of Democracy.' A Pottsville reception committee met Roosevelt in Tamaqua. Its members included Dr. Francis Boyer, chairman, Nathan S. Beddall, S. S. Weiss and E. G. Underwood. Upon arriving in Tamaqua, 10-year-old Thelma Reiner presented the former president with a bouquet of American Beauty roses. The girl and her family rode on the special train with Roosevelt to Pottsville. Roosevelt waved to his hat at a Tamaqua crowd that was curb-to-curb on Broad Street. 'It was his hat, a large round-brimmed black hat with several dinges in the crown that challenges your attention when your eyes wander from the good natured face of the former president,' a reporter wrote. 'He gives you the impression of a powerful and wonderful quickness and alertness, seemingly conscious of what is doing on all sides of him,' the reporter continued. 'You are impressed that he is a leader and a fighter, his huge shoulders well thrown back, and his feet planted firmly apart.' Roosevelt was 60 years old when he died in his home on Oyster Bay, New York, on Jan. 6, 1919.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Yost sues mortgage wholesaler, alleging it colludes to rip off homebuyers
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Ohio attorney general has filed suit against a mortgage lender, accusing it of violating both the state's Residential Mortgage Lending Act and its Corrupt Practices Act. According to the 645-page lawsuit filed by AG Dave Yost Wednesday, the state looks to hold United Wholesale Mortgage 'accountable for orchestrating and executing a deliberate scheme to deceive thousands of Ohio homebuyers into paying millions of dollars in improper fees and excessive interest rates on their mortgages.' Judge strikes down Ohio law that would have required age verification on social media The lawsuit alleges that while United Wholesale Mortgage claims the brokers are independent, it actually conspires with the brokers to funnel the loans back to itself, resulting in above-market rates for borrowers. 'Buying a home is hard enough without having to worry about a lender scheming behind your back,' said Yost. 'This predatory business practice has no place in Ohio.' United Wholesale Mortgage, the state's largest wholesale mortgage lender, denied the charges in a statement. It essentially repeats the frivolous allegations contained in a virtually identical lawsuit filed last year by a law firm that has a business arrangement with a hedge fund. In response to that lawsuit, we are seeking sanctions against the law firms that filed it, and have moved to dismiss the claims. We will take similar actions against this PR stunt by the Ohio Attorney General, and will continue to defend these allegations to the fullest extent permitted by law. UWM stands with the thousands of independent mortgage brokers who serve the unique needs of borrowers across the country. United Wholesale Mortgage The lawsuit alleges that of the approximately $605 million in mortgages United Wholesale Mortgage issued to Ohioans from 2021-23, 99 percent were directed back to it. 'Thousands of unsuspecting borrowers did not obtain any such 'independent' advice or representation,' claims the lawsuit. 'Rather, they were ensnared in UWM's scheme, and steered, without their knowledge, to UWM's higher-priced loans.' The lawsuit, filed in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, seeks consumer compensation, civil penalties and an judicial order to the company to comply with the state's laws. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.