The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-19
GOV. ROOSEVELT ISSUES A STATE
MENT DEFINING HIS
POSITION
STRING TO HIS DECLIIATIOH
THAT IS THE INTIMATION OF
MANY OF THE DEL
EGATES
STATEMENT TO NEWSPAPERS
Gov. Roosevelt Says He Thinks He
Can Best Serve His Party
in New York
State.

PHILADELPHIA, June 1S.-Gov.
Roosevelt has made as specific a re-
fusal of the nomination of the vice presi-
dency as he could possibly make in face
of the fact that the nominating conven-
tion has not met and that few of the
delegations have caucused. Standing in
a small room, facing a crowd of news
paper men this afternoon, he made the
following statement, reading 1t from
couple of sheets of manuscript:
"In view of the revival of the talk
of myself as the vice presidential candr-
date have this to say:
''It is impossible to too deeply express
how touched I am by the attitude Of
those delegates who have wished me to
take this nomination. Moreover, it is
not necessarily how thoroughly 1 appre-
ciate the honor and dignity of the Office,
an office so high and important that it is
we'll worthy the ambition of any man
in the United States but while 1 appre-
ciate all this I nevertheless feel that the
field of my best usefulness to the coun-
try and to the party is in New York
state, and if the party should see fit to
nominate me for governor I can serve
the party better in that capacity than in
any other I hope the convention win
appreciate my wishes"
The document was in his own hand
writing, and in lead pencil copy, and he
read it with the same complacency as
he would have given a platform speech.
The scene bordered on the dramatic Sit
ting near him as he spoke were Con-
gressmen Littauer and Sherman, of New
York, and Prof. Jenkins, of Columbia
university, who have urged the governor
all along not to accept. Just behind the
row of newspaper men stood Frank Platt,
Lemeul Quigg and B. B. Odell, of the
New York organization. AS the COVER
nor read he waited for the newspaper
men to write down the statement, and
he occasionally glanced at the group of
politicians. AS he finished reading, he
said:
Gentlemen, that is all. have moth
ing more to say"
GAUNTLET THROWN DOWN
Mr. Littauer said he thought the state
ment timely and that it would give the
delegates who are now friendly to Gov
And [ do not mean by that" he said
rather aggressiYely, "the Pennsylvania
delegation or those who for ulterior mo-
tives are pressing the governors nomina-
tion.''
Then Mr. Quigg and Mr.. Frank Platt
simultaneously declared they believed the
statement unwise, and they left the
room refusing to talk to the waiting
newspaper men.
The statement acted as a cold water
douche on those members of the New
York delegation who had planned to
nominate some other candidate for gov
ernor than Gov. Roosevelt. His state
ment was received by some of the dele
cations as a mere reiteration of Roose-
Velts lack of desire for the nomination.
Some Of the delegates said that if Roose-
velts name was presented to the con-
ventior he would be nominated and would
not dare to refuse. Others said he
would decline the office if nominated
He hopes, however, with the aid of Sen
ator Hanna, to defeat the plan to nom
mate him
Senator Lodge said he went to Gov.
RooseVelt's room as a supporter of Sec
retary Long, and that the governor
knew his intention
1 have been a personal friend of Gov.
Roosevelt for many years." he said.
and as his friend it would be impos-
sible for me to occupy the situation at
tributed to me or to use the words nIaced
In my mouth. He does not want the
office, and do not believe it should
be forced upon him. He knows how
reel and knows that 1 am for Long
hrst, last and all the time The whole
story is tissue of Inventions