12
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 17
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The Commoner,
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United Statoa that I bo tho nominee.
IIo laborod hard and succeeded in
electing mo and I havo felt deeply
gratified ovor since. Noithor in
thought, word or act havo I over
boon disloyal to tho friendship I havo
had with Thcodoro Roosevelt.
"Bui, like other presidents, I have
been willing to have the people ap
prove my first term by re-electing
mo for a second. I signified this and
Mr. Roosevelt said ho did not intend
to become a candidate. Hut his res
olution grow less and less, and final
ly upon tho solicitation of a number
of stale governors, ho annouiicod
that ho would be a candidate.
"Then he wont out to Ohio and
gavo out what ho called a charter
of democracy, offoring propositions
which strike at tho roots of the in
dependence of the courts and of our
liborties.
"I was impersonal in my judgment.
I said to myself I shall nover attack
Roosevolt. I lo can not make a quar
rel with me because I won't quarrel
with hi m.
"But the charter of democracy
was not so effective as lie thought it
would provo to bo and so he departed
from the courso and took up my ad
ministration and myself for attack.
And over sinco he has boon engaged
in an abuso of my administration and
mysoir.
"So far as my personal feelings
aro concerned, I would rather never
reply to him. I am willing to let
tho future show whether or not I
havo been sincere in my administra
tion of the laws. But I represent
tho cause, the element in the party
of which bolieves in the sacreduess
of tho constitution.
"Mr. Roosevelt .has misled many
honest people to believe his charges
against mo. The cause I represent is
entitled to havo my defonse.
"Ho sayB I favor an oligarchy of
bosses; that I represent tho special
interests; that my administration has
not boon product! vo of anything pro
gressive; that I am a reactionary
and other charges so numerous I can
not think of them all."
Tho president then proceeded to
answer thoso charges, one by one,
practically anticipating tho speech
ho had planned to deliver first at
tho Boston meeting tonight. The
crowd applauded enthusiastically
and seemed to delight in seeing for
tho first time tho president in the
rolo of a fighting man. The presi
dent spoke for nearly an hour to a
crowd which filled tho central square
or me town, cutting short his re
marks just in time to get to the sta
tion for tho Boston train. lie de
clared: "Tho renomination or re-election
of ex-Presidont Roosevelt for a third
term would bo dangerous.
"He has forgotten the standards
of the square deal," said Taft.
The president pointed out how his
position, he said, had been misrep
resented by Colonel Roosevelt.
"Mr. Roosevelt said I had tho
support of the bosses," declared Taft.
"His definition of a boss depends
upon whom tho boss is supporting.
If he is supporting Colonel Roose
velt, he is a loader; if he is support
ing me, ho is a boss."
In a voice choking with emotion
Taft concluded his speech with a
solemn warning to tho people of tho
United States that in Roosevelt thoy
"wore in danger of a dictator, who,
once he received a third term, would
cling like a leech to the white house
and nover leavo it until death re
moved him."
"I am sorry to Lay it," said Presi
dent Taft, "but Mr. Roosevelt is a
man of strong personality. He is a
loader of men and is a man of much
strength of purpose, and has so little
regard for the constitution or legal
procedure and the courts that he is
not to be trusted with the presidency
I am sorry to say it, but I believe
it in my soul, and must stato my con
victions." Mil. ROOSEVELT'S REPLY
Worcester, Mass., April 26.
Merciless denunciation of President
Taft was Colonel Roosevelt's reply
tonight to tho president's attack
upon him yesterday. Somo of
Colonel Roosevelt's assertions were:
That President Taft had not given
the people of tho country a "square
deal," but owing to a "quality of
feebleness" he had "yielded to the
bosses and to the great privileged
interests."
That ono part of the president's
attack upon him was "the crookod
est kind of a deal," and "deliberate
misrepresentation."
That tho president "has not mere
ly in thought, word and deed been
disloyal to our past friendship, but
has been disloyal to every canon of
ordinary decency and fair dealing
which should obtain in even dealing
with a man's bitterest opponents."
That tho president's statement re
garding tho influence of federal
officeholders in the campaign was
"not only an untruth but it is an ab
surd untruth."
That Mr. Taft convicted himself
of insincerity when he signed the
Payne-Aldrich tariff bill.
That in speaking of Colonel Roose
velt's position in regard to the trust
problem, President Taft "is himself
guilty of a crooked deal."
Colonel Roosevelt took up Presi
dent Taft's attack on him point by
point, assailing the president in one
scathing sentence after another.
When Colonel Roosevelt reached
here at the beginning of his Massa
chusetts trip ho found the streets
thronged. A band and a torchlight
procession escorted him to Mechan
ic's hall, where he delivered his main
speech. Later he addressed an over
flow meeting.
Colonel Roosevelt said in part:
"Jn this campaign I regard the
issues at stake as altogether too im
portant to permit it to be twisted
into one of personalities between
President Taft and myself. But Mr.
Taft's speeches yesterday contained
statements that I must answer. Most
of what he said needs no comment
from me. When, for instance, he
said that I havo endeavored to mini
mize the importance of my Columbus
speech ho says what he must know
to be untrue; he can not have read
my yarnegie uall speech; my speech
before the Massachusetts lower
house; my noonday speech at St
Louis; my Philadelphia and Pitts
burgh and Louisville speeches with
out knowing that I have elaborated
and emphasized what I said at
Columbus.
"Again, when Mr. Tuff in
speech, speaks of me directly or ob
liquely as a neurotic or a demagogue
or in similar terms, I shall say noth
ing except that to point out that if
he is obliged to use such language
he had better preserve his own self
respect by not protesting that it gives
him pain to do so. No man resorts
to epithets like these if it really gives
him pain to use them. I have never
alluded to him in terms even re-
iiiuiwy rosomimng those. I have
never quoted his private letters 'or
private communications. I have dis
cussed exclusively his public actions
Even whore I was obliged to be se
vere I was always parliamentary and
never hypocritical. Nor do I intend
today to deviate from this standard,
although the president's speech
makes it necessary for me ot speak
moro plainly on certain subjects than
I have yet spoken."
Colonel Roosevelt referred to
President Taft's explanation of his
statement "that ours is a govern
ment of all the people by a repre
sentative part of the people."
nn,PPi!lIm.ut0 try'" said Colonel
Roosevelt, "to escape the conse
quences of his statements by say
ing that he alluded only to women
and children, is trifling with the in
telligence of the people. To speak
of such action on his part as a
'square deal' is Itself the crookedest
kind of a deal. He is trying to
dodge tho consequences of his state
ment by deliberate misrepresenta
tion of that statement."
Colonel Roosevelt defined the
political "boss" as "the man respon
sible for the alliance between crook
ed politicians and crooked business,
which has been responsible for nine
tenths of the corruption of Ameri
can political life.
"If there is any such man among
my supporters," he continued, "I do
not know him. Mr. Taft says that
Mr. Flynn of Pittsburgh is a very
bad boss. There is an element of
grim comedy in Mr. Taft weeping
over the thought of Pennsylvania
being put under the rule of a boss
through Mr. Penrose being ousted
from control of the party organiza
tion." The bosses, Colonel Roosevelt de
clared, were on .the president's side.
"Mr. Taft says he continued,
"that in my various campaigns I
accepted the assistance of these
bosses. So I did, when they chose to
gq my way and to support the cause
of the people. The trouble with Mr.
Taft is that he gets their assistance
at the price of going their way and
opposing the cause of the people.
"Mr. Taft said yesterday that
never in thought or deed had he been
disloyal in his friendship for mo. It
is hard for me to answer such a
statement save by calling it the
grossest and most astounding hypoc
risy. When Mr. Taft made that
statement he had just sent to the
United States senate on half an
hour's notice, obviously in collusion
with the Lorimer democratic sena
tor who made the request, papers
which were intended to convey the
impression that I had improperly
favored the harvester trust by de
clining to prosecute it in 1907.
"When Mr. Taft, obviously to in
fluence the Massa-chu setts primary
and obviously In collusion with one
of Mr. Lorimer's senatorial sup
porters of the opposite political
party, takes tho action he did he
has not merely in thought, word and
deed been disloyal to our past friend
ship but has been disloyal to every
canon of ordinary decency and fair
dealings such as should obtain even
in dealing with a man's bitterest
opponents. Such conduct represents
the very crookedest kind of a crook
ed deal.
"This is not an exceptional in
stance of how he has behaved to me.
The same course was followed last
summer in connection with the Ten
nessee Coal & Iron company. The
assaults upon me by Mr. Taft's cam
paign managers made in Washing
ton under Mr. Taft's very eyes have
been foul to the verge of indecency.
But, remember, I am not complain
ing of these things; I care nothing
for Mr. Taft's personal attitude to
ward me; I allude to it only in pass
ing and merely because Mr. Taft lays
such emphasis on the matter."
RETURNS TO THE ATTACK
Newark, N. J., April 26. Presi
dent Taft renewed in Newark to
night his attack on Colonel Theo
dore Roosevelt.
Carrying his "fighting" campaign
Into Now Jersey, the president
spoke to several thousand persons
in the armory here, declaring it was
with tho utmost reluctance that he
had decided to answer Mr. Rooso
velt's criticisms. He did not renlv
to Mr. Roosevelt's charges in detail
but endeavored to make it plain thnt
Mr. Roosevelt knew most of th
charges to be groundless.
"If I consulted my own wish "
Baid the president, "I would he silent
under Mr. Roosevelt's attack, i
represent the republican party that
stands for wise progress under the
constitution and stands for liberty
regulated by law. I must do my duty
and answer the charges of Colonel
Roosevelt. It is not a pleasant thing
to do. But I am forced against the
wall with my back to it and I'm
bound, if I havo any manhood, to
fight."
The president spoke with evident
emotion. He walked the platform,
pounded the rail in front of him and
as he warmed up to his subject, grew
red in the face with anger.
Ho referred briefly to many of Mr.
Roosevelt's charges, which he - an
swered in Boston last night; his al
leged friendship for Senator Lorimer
and for the "bosses" in several
states; to the declaration that he
was in favor of an oligarchy and
against government by the people
and to many others.
"The thing that sinks deepest into
my heart," said the president, "is
the charge that I am oligarch and
don't believe in the ability of the
United States to govern themselves.
If there is anything I have to pride
in, it is that I am an American citi
zen and a party of the American
government that has shown itself
to be the finest and- most beneficial
in the world."
Taking up the charge that he was
not a progressive, Mr. Taft said he
did not think a progressive could be
judged by his looks or his apprecia
tion of poetry.
"I think progressiveness is deter
mined by what is done and not by
what is said," cried the president.
In reply to Mr. Roosevelt's accu
sation that the president had gone
into the White house a "progres
sive," but became a reactionary by
association with former Speaker Can
non, former Senator Aldrich and
others, Mr. Taft explained that it
was at Mr. Roosevelt's suggestion
that he consulted these men.
"Of all the men in the world who
advocate practical work in politics,
Theodore Roosevelt is a notable ex
ample. Read his works and see how
he defends himself for his associa
tion with bosses because he said
they wore the men who do things."
In closing the president called at
tention to what he called "the dan
ger of a third term."
"Are the conditions so peouliar,"
asked the president, "that he is
needed to do the job, as he calls it?
Then why not a fourth term and a
fifth?"
All through his speech the presi
dent voiced his belief that Mr. Roose
velt had not given him a "square
deal."
Mr. Taft came to Newark from
New York by automobile. His trip
across the New Jersey meadows was
uneventful, and he was only recog
nized by a few thousand persons who
saw him pass.
TAFT DENIES IT
Washington, April 28. President
Taft, before leaving the White house
today on his return to Massachusetts,
Issued a personal statement denying
Colonel Roosevelt's allegation that
Mr. Taft, while secretary of war, had
at a cabinet meeting approved Mr.
Roosevelt's decision not to immedi
ately prosecute the International
Harvester company. President
lait s statement says ho never heard
the International Harvester company
discussed at any cabinet meeting
and that the records of the war de
partment will show that he was out
ot the country when the incident re
lerred to by the colonel occurred.
President Taft's statement was
issued as follows:
"The following personal statement
?xn ,1 President was issued from the
White house this evening:
Mr. Roosevelt, in his speech at
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