The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-11-25
HAsklNs DENIES INTERVIEW
Says He Never Said Certain Things At
tributed to Him.

to an interview concerning presiden-
tial candidates printed several weeks
ago in Washington and New York pa
pers and widely commented upon in
the Vermont press, Is printed today
in the Brattleboro Reformer and The
Brattleboro Phoenix
Having patiently waited for the
clouds of criticism to roll by, which
certain of our Vermont newspapers
created by reason Of reported inter.
view alleged to have been had with
me by representatives of Washington,
| New York and Boston papers as to
the presidential preferences of the Re-
I pubicans of Vermont, it is now my
| turn to say word of explanation BY
reason of the uncertainty OF being re-
ported correctly | have always avoid
ed interviews intended for publica-
! ton. ! now affirm for the information
| OF such as care TO know the truth that
| never had any interview with refer
ence to the subject matter of which
criticism has been made, with anyone
connected with a New York or Boston
newspaper to my knowledge, nor with
anyone connected with a Washington
! newspaper Will d view W ltS puuii-
cation.
Sitting in the lobby of the New
Willard hotel, Washington, d. c., the
evening of October 10, | was approach
| ed by a gentleman whom | recognized
as having seen before but did not
| know his name or occupation. He ad-
| dressed me by name and as one Of the
| representatives from Vermont, and for
| ten or fifteen minutes we conversed
| on various topics including the presi-
| Dental outlook for next year. During
| this conversation he informed me that
| he was connected with The Washing
| ton Post and | then said to him that
| | could not talk for publication and at
the conclusion requested him not to
make public anything | had said. He
| replied that he desired to make an
! item for The Post and that whatever
| he wrote would not be at all to my det.
| riment The next morning ! read in
| The Post what purported TO be an in
| terview with me and on my way home
saw the same. substantially. in two
New York newspapers, -one The Trib-
une. Some things | did say were cor
rectly reported, some incorrectly and
some things did say were not report
ed at all. | did say to him that the
president was very popular in Vermont
with both Republicans and Democrats
and were ii understood that he was TO
be candidate Vermont would unques
tionably, send a delegation to the con-
vention favorable to his denomination.
But In view OF his published statement
made the evening OF the last presiden-
tial election that he should not be a
candidate again nor would he accept
of another nomination, | believed he
would stand by that declaration and,
therefore, his name could be safely
eliminated from among possible condi-
dates. | stated that | was opposed
to a third term and that so far as my
knowledge extended the strong, think
ing men of the country were also OPP
posed TO the third term idea
He then inquired of me with refer
once to Secretary Taft. replied that
| liked Secretary Taft. that | consider
ed him strong man with excellent
Vermont blood in his veins having
known his paternal grandfather, who
when living resided about seventeen
miles from my home; that he had
shown great executive ability, was an
excellent lawyer as every president
ought to be, and that while a United
States circuit judge had displayed
firmness and determination in the adj
ministration of the law in labor dis
putes That in my opinion he was
handicapped by the fact that 1t was |
understood and well known that he |
was the candidate of the president; |
that the people of my state did not !
like to have candidates for any Office |
made to order for them by any one |
man or any small coterie of men, and |
that this feeling was quite prevalent
everywhere as had observed. felt |
then and still feel fully justified in that
statement. | further stated that |
had serious doubts as to the advisable
ity of Secretary Taft as candidate by |
reason of the well known opposition
he would encounter from the labor un
ions and the colored voters who hold
the balance of power in several of our
northern Republican states.
He inquired whom ! thought Yer
mont would support in the convention
and | replied that | had been a busy
man and had heard but very little at
home as to the presidential candidates,
that | was present and heard Governor
Hughes at the meeting of the Fish and
Game League meeting which has in
its membership some of the most in
fluential men of our state and |
thought everyone was favorably inn
pressed with his address as | certain
" was. That while could support al
most any one of the probable candid
ates mentioned my first choice was
Uncle Joe Cannon, and for the rea-
sons correctly given in the published
interview, but not for the reasons inn
puted to me by the Randolph Herald:
viz, to secure good committee assign
ments in the next Congress, for have
always been more than well favored
in that respect Senator Cannon is an
excellent Judge of men; he studies the
of the House and for re-
sponsble positions he want men of
honesty, ability, and courage. | have
often heard him say that man with
out a good backbone had no business
in Congress. One who knows him
well would make a serious mistake in
pattirg him on the back with the ex-
pectation of securing favors thereby.
THAT | am not alone in my esti-
mate of him in being of presidential
size I quote from a reported interview
in the Washington Post of October "a
mad with Mai. John +. Lacey of Iowa,
who retired from Congress last March |