Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-12
President Makes Emphatic and
Final Answer to Third
Term Demand
HIS STATEMENT is POSITIVE
Summons Newspaper Correspondents
to White House and Gives Out De-
cisive Declaration = Announcement
Causes Sensation in Washington -
What of the Future?

ton unde any circumstances.
The third term issue has been met
as s%quarely and ~irrevocably as words
can meet it in a statement issued
last night by the president himself.
He reiterates his statement of cleo
ton night, 1904, and adds this sem
tence:
II have not changed and shall not
change the decision thus announced"
Official and political Washington
vas taken SO completely by. surprise
that it scarcely would believe the re-
port when it began to spread over
the city. Every politician and every
interest had become resigned to
months of suspense as to the presi-
dents ultimate action with respect to
the succession. /
Shortly after 8 o'clock last evening
the White House called up the Wash
ington newspaper bureaus on the tele-
phone to deliver the laconic message
that a statement could be obtained at
the executive offices. The president,
who had returned from a long drive
about an hour and a half earlier, left
his private office just before the mes
sages We're sent out. Secretary Loeb
hurried AVA before the first cores
pondent arrived in response to the
summons. The undersecretary like
wise made a speedy departure. The
night guard Of police and a clerk in
trusted with the delivery of the type
written statements were the only ones
on duty.
Apparently it was planned to let the
statement speak for itself and to avoid
for the time being any questioning as
to the why and wherefore of the UNI
expected announcement Within an
hour. however. every public man in the
city had been apprised of what had
happened and most of them We're
dumfounded. The announcement up
set completely all calculations for the
immediate future.
In the absence of any information
further than that afforded by the
statement itself, theories ran riot.
Every statesman and politician at nee
put on his thinking cap and began to
speculate as to what happening or
happenings had forced the presidents
hand" as most of them put it.
Had the president been driven be-
You'd endurance by the ceaseless
stream Of third term talk to which he
was compelled to listen day and night
from White House callers?
Did the possibility that the demo-
Gratis would insist on asking unani-
nous consent to call up the Clayton
anti-third term resolution in the house
of representatives precipitate the an
nouncement?
Did the alignment of forces devel-
oped at the recent meeting of the re-
publican national committee have
something to do with it?
Were the presidents enthusiastic
and earnest friends or his bitter. and
~unrelenting enemies partially RESPONSE
BILE for the sudden action?
These were the questions that arose
on every hand.
To those who have enjoyed the pres
ident's confidence in relation to the
pe%rplexing political situation confront
ing the republican party, tonight's
statement was as much of a surprise
as it was to those not favored. The
surprise, however, it must be borne i'll
mind, was not so much with regard
to the contents of the announcement
as tina it had come just when it did.
1t is practically certain that only q
few days g the president had no IN
tention of saying anything formally
with respect to the third term ques-
ton for at least several months, be-
yond what he said in his order COM
manding office-holders to cease their
activity in his behalf. 1t was taken
for granted by those who thought they
knew the inside of the situation that
q conference with Secretary Of War
Taft surely would precede any further
action. The shrewd move that re-
suited in putting off the Tennessee
state delegate. convention until April
was believed to have relieved the
president from one embarrassment
that might force him to speak out in
the near future.
Whether the presidents announce
ment, which at this writing is regard
ed as putting him absolutely out OF
condition for denomination, will clar-
ify or make more. obscure the situation
on the republican side must be de-
termined by developments that will
follow. The impulse of the friends of
the respective candidates for the pres
idential nomination is to declare that
the chances of their favorite have been
helped.
In one circle tonight 1t is declared
that the presidents action will re-
dound greatly to the benefit of Secre-
tary Taft, who at this moment is on
the high seas and will know nothing
of the sudden change that has taken
place until he cache America about
one week from today, unless the wire
less gives him information. Taft's
have commended that his
candidacy was hampered by the third
term work surreptitiously fostered by
federal office-holders in the south
work which even the edict of Nov. -
apparently could not entirely stop.
There is a possibility that President
Roosevelt, having eliminated himself
from the equation as far as lies in his
power. may now feel that he is in a
position, under the peculiar circum-
stances that have been forced upon
him, to assist Secretary Taft more
openly than he has been able to do
consistently heretofore. Certain in
~terests have asserted time and again
that Taft was only a stalking horse
- 49, ~ tho a Z tho nrnnQr