The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-15
NE WILL SPELL AS HE PLEASES.
President Thinks IL Unnecessary 10 Revoke
His Order. as Congress Has Done II.

NNho -
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14.-Simpliied spelling
still finds favor with President Roosevelt,
and he il not entirely discouraged by the
adverse action Of the House of Represent
atives yesterday. He will, unless he
changes his mind, continue TO employ
the reform methods of spelling in his own
private and official correspondence, which
is not Intended for printing under the laws
of Congress, and in communications adj
dressed to the various executive depart
ments,
II was said at the White House that
the President had not yet decided to re-
woke the Executive order prescribing GER
tain new ways OF spelling some 800 words,
and it was added that it might not be
found necessary to issue such a revocation =.
II is true that Mr.. Roosevelt was acquies-
cent yesterday when Representative Charles
:. lands, chairman Of the House Com
mittee on Printing, called at the White
House to talk with him about the proposed
House resolution placing a ban upon
simpliied spelling. Mr.. lands understood
the President to say that In case the House
passed such a resolution he would issue
an Executive order revoking his former
order to the Government departments, "
To-day il was said at the White House
that il might not be necessary to issue
a revoking order. the implication being
that the passage Of the House resolution
IL accepted by the Senate, would act auto
matically to render the use OF reform
spelling in the Executive departments i'm
perative.'
The further information was given that
the House resolution places no obligation
upon the President or any other officer OF
the Government to spell according to the
old standards unless the documents In which
the spelling is used are to be printed by the
Government. In that case, OF course, II
would be incumbent upon every Govern
ment officer to spell as Congress and not as
the President has ordered. Even II he spells
in the To- way in TO be set IN
type the Government Printing ONCE would
follow the old standards.
. A vast amount OF correspondence passes
among the executive departments a be-
tween the White House and those depart
ments which never flnds its way TO the
Government Printing ONCE at all, II Ii
held by the White House authorities that the
President and the heads OF the depart
ments are Just az free as any other citizen to
spell words al they please as long as the
printing office il not called upon TO print
those words at public expense.
Some CONNER has been caused by the
fact that a part of President Roosevelt'E
recent letter TO Secretary Root on the Bel.
lamy Storer case, which was a document oil
some length, was not spelled according &c
the reformers, but according TO the die.
tionaries. 1t happens hat comparatively
few of the words included in the Presi'
! dents famous list OF 800 appear In the letteI
at all, but where they do occur they ar,
spelled sometimes one way and sometimes
another. This, il is said, is accounted for II
part by the fact that some OF the letter.
which the President quotes in his letter Il
Mr.. Root were written prior TO the time wheI
Mr.. Roosevelt became a convert to the new
method of spelling.