Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-12

trate, Senator Knox Is Congratulated
 Over Procurement, While Demo-
 cratic consressmen and Senators Are
 Almost a Unit In Stating That It Clears the Road to White House For William J. Bryan.
 Washington. Dec. 12. - President Roosevelt will not be candidate for a third term. All doubt on this point was dispelled by the authoritative statement of the White House that Mr. Roosevelt still adheres to the dec laratiOn of renunciatiOn made on the night of the election three years ago. In the statement issued President Roosevelt says he has not changed and shall not change the decision con- municated to the American people in 1904.
 It appears that the president has been awaiting the call for the Repub lican national convention to afford the proper opportunity for making his po- sition clear and unmistakable, thus leaving the field clear for Fairbanks, Taft, Cannon, Knox, FOraker and oth- CT declared or receptive candidates for the Republican nomination. The pres ident's statement follows:
 Presidents Statement.
 "On the night after election I made thu followiup announcement. q am deeply sensible of the honor done lie by the American people in thus ex- pressing their confidence in what l have done and have tried to do. I ap- preciate to the full the solemn respon- sibility this confidence imposes upon me, and I shall do all that in my pow CT, lies not to forfeit it. On the 4th of March next l shall have served three and a half years. and this three and half years constitute my first term. The wise custom which limits the pres ident to two terms regards the sub stance and not the form. and under no circumstances will I be a candidate i for or accept another nomination. "I have not changed and shall not change the decision thus announced"
 Smoked Out"
 While Samuel Watts of Pennsylva- mia had taken the edge off the official statement made. the president felt compelled to let the correspondents know last week that they should pay no attention to such garrulous re- i marks by casual visitors to the White House. It is said that he intended to repeat his pledge immediately after 1 the Republican national committee ad- l journed and would have done so had | Watts, the octogenarian. not have told of his cOnv ersation with the president.
 Smoked out at last" was the com ment of anti-ROosevelt Republicans. Another point which has caused dis cussion is the presidents failure to in- dorse Secretary Taft or in any way 10 intimate that he has choice for the succession to the presidency. It is a free field and no favor henceforth. in the opinion of most Republican pol
  president have not failed to perceive that the Taft candidacy has not met with popular favor and that the ad- ministratiOn is divided in it's own camp over the question of giving Secretary Taft the preference.
 Cannon's Friends Rejoice.
 Speaker CannOn's friends were quick to rejoice when they heard the report from the White House. Senator La Toilette would not discuss the presi- dents statement. although he had be lieved that the president had the heart and confidence of the people of the country. especially in the western states. Vice President Fairbanks said it would be unseemly for him to dis cuSs the presidents statement
 Senator FOraker smiled broadly and intimated that he would be actively on the warpath soon. Senator Knox's friends in the senate cOterie congratu- lated Knox probably because there is a lurking suspicion that the Roosevelt AAAAAhA.uaAAth hAAAluAAtts may uENAue fits support between Taft. Cortelyou and Knox.
 Blame Cortelyou Boom. Tn some quarters the issuance of the statement is credited to what is term ed the indiscretion of Secretary COrtel- you in letting his boom get started too early. Friends of the president said last night that he was beginning to feel that the Roosevelt third term movement would be regarded by Sec- refary Taft on his return as conStruc- tfveiy hostile to him The secretary of war is On the ocean homeward bound and will b. in New York within a week His candidacy has suffered dur ing his absence. and it fS exr-cfed that he viii take pr---szI cnzr-e or n s1 his arrival in Washington and re -over some of the lost ErUund
 The DemOTetfc eo1gTeSSmen and senators were zluost e unit in deciar tnz that the elimination of the presi dent frOn the rae means the electi9z ! of William J. Bryan as his S1cceSSOE- Ls1eusn- Neh. Dec 12-When tod rr