The Washington herald., 1907-10-27

lhe Allegheny county ReDuhUcdnS IN
Pittsburg On that occasion he delivered
himself of "a speech in which he laVded
the administration and painted rhetori-
cal picture of the man best qualified 70
succeed President Roosevelt He named
TO names" but somehow or other the
people seemed to recognize the features
Of ". II. Taft
Following upon this some friend OF
Senator Knox" voiced his indignation. He
said il was tactless. if not worse, for
Kennedy 10 import the Taft boom into
knox's domain. He denounced Kennedy
as unconventional" and one who didn't
seem 10 understand the amenities. Mr
Kennedy now replies as follows:
My attention has been called 10 an in
terview given out IN Washington few
DAYS ago by a personal friend of Senator
Knox, commenting upon my recent speech
In Pittsburg. which I have read with in
terest and considerable amusement,
There was no intention while making
the speech which has excited so much
comment of booming any one for Presi-
dent I never mentioned Secretary Tafts
name once in the speech. nor do I feel
that 1 should be criticised for omittlnS
Senator Knoxs name. Both Of the speak
ers who preceded me pronounced glow
ing panegy les on Senator Knox. in which
I fully acqUiesced. Those laudatory eX-
pressions fell upon the immense audience
as cold as wagon tire-which, boy the
way. is the coldest piece of iron mongeTy
of which I have any knowIedge-and l
L.
not in my heart to repeat the cruelty.
No Attempt to Advise.
In what I said about the earnest peo-
pie Of this country feeling better salts
fed 70 have President Roosevelt name
his successor than to name him them
selves, there was no idea upon my part
to counsel or advise the American people
10 abdiCate their nigh duty and response
biiity as electors. nor did I intend to sug-
gest to them TO submit 20 dictation by
any one. I wanted simply 10 voice the
widespread feeling Of distrust which I
believe TO be almost universal-that feel
ing entertained by unconventional peO-
pie, like myseelf-the distrust that makes
Us TO feel that I'm this great crisis We
know not whom TO trust.
We unconventional citizens feel that
We have earnest convictions. We feel
that Theodore Roosevelt although he IS
President Of the United States. is at the
same time a citizen ana elector OF the
United States. charged with the same
duty as every other citizen, 10 use all
his influence TO secure the right thing TO
be done in the next national convention
.F "a
Judgment as TO who should be the next
President he Is not usurpinE power nor
is he giving advice where it is not wanted
and asked. The people everywhere are
clamoring for his opinion on this mat
ter. and as q patriotic citizen he cannot
keep silent without being open to the
criticism OF buryiug his talent iu the
ground II, as we believe, his oppor-
tunities for knowing who would support
those great policies and principles for
which his own name stands as the eX-
ponent. are exceptionally great so much
the more imperative becomes il his duty
10 counsel and advise his fellow-elect0rs.
That's the way Ii certainly appears 10
an unconventional fellow like myself
This personal friend ought 10 know,
and probably does know. that in my Pitts
burg. speech I doomed no man for Presi-
dent l had the tpmeTity. however. -
utter the conviction that the next Presi-
dent must be a strong. earnest advocate of
certain policies. The friend Of Senator
Knox could only assume that I meant Sec
Tetary Taft because Of the widespread be
lief in the country thai be is such man.
spoke His own Opinions.
Il know nothing Of any conspiracy OF
Pennsylvania politicians TO launch a Taft
80
desire to say that nobody suggested TO me
the line which / should follow in my
speech. and no man was more amazed
than myself that my qualified praise Of
the President and his administration
should, by the friend OF Senator Knox and
some Of the newspapers Of the East. be
deemed unfriendly 20 Senator Knox
aspirations
At this point Congressman Kennedy
quoted the personal part of the critical
newspaper article, which speaks as fol
lows
How ridiculous it is to preach Taft in
the home Of Senator Knox as the only
man 10 continue the Roosevelt policies.
In fact. few men could be found who
would commit such a blunder. Probably
Kennedy is the only Ohio Congressman
of all the Republican members who pro-
fesses allegiance 70 the Taft boom who
would have undertaken the job. But Ken
nedv was the right man for the purpose
He Is a big. genial, goOd-hearted soul,
whose friends call him Jim. or Big jim,
or Old jim. and who disdains the con-
ventional in all things He is not bound
by the etiquette Of politics or the drawing
room The inappTopriatencss Of lauding
Taft in the home Of another candidate
does not appeal TO Kennedy
"Of my awkwardness in the drawing
room I make no denial" continued Con-
gresham Kennedy. commenting on the
above. 4 never took a dancing lesson
in nv life. But l did not laud Taft in
the home of another candidate I con
fess that I had in my own mind the
great War Secretary, one In every way
qualified for the place to which he as
0ires. one having no entangling alliances
10 Impede him in tie running But my
audience was not apprised Of this fact by
auv syllable I uttered. When I talked
in Pittsburg I had no unfriendly thought
toward the Knox boom. IL was a nicely
behaved boom. conventional in all things
and would have known just how TO de-
port itself in a drawing-roOm Il was
regularly launched by the organization
of Pennsylvania Republican clubs. Per
haps il was somewhat like the humble
bee Lest I be called a nature faker !
wish 10 say that this latter simile is nos
based upon my own observations. I take
il on the authority Of others. Il has
been repeatedly said that the humble bee
IS biggest when born
Reception 10 Bishop COnRty.
Right Rev T. J. Conaty, Bishop al
s--.11- rr1 Frv r,,arr- v.aa I'VE r1.4o,