Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-12-14

Washington-At $50 Wednesday
evening the following typewriter
statement was furnished to members OF
the press at the White House office
"In view of the Issuance of the call
Of the Republican national commit
tee for the convention, the president
makes the following statement:
Ion the night after election l made
the following announcement:
81 am deeply sensible of the honor
done me by the American people in
thus expressing their confidence in
what l have done and have tried to do.
appreciate to the full the solemn re-
sponsibility this confidence imposes
upon me, and shall do all that in my
power lies not to forfeit it. On the
fourth of March next shall have
served three and a half years, and this
three and half years constitute my
first term. The wise custom which
limits the president to two terms re.
CARDS the substance and not the form,
and under no circumstances will be
a candidate for or accept another nom
ination.
"T have not changed and shall not
change the decision thus announced "
Apparently the matter was not con-
sidered of sufficient Importance for
Mr.. Loeb, the presidents secretary,
to be present at the distribution of
the typewriter copies. That duty was
delegated to one of the White House
clerks, who, of course, could throw
no light on the reasons that induced
the. president at this time and in this
manner to reaffirm his declaration of
nearly three years ago.
And that Is what Is puzzling good
many persons in Washington.
The announcement came too late
for 1t to be generally known In Wash.
Ington, and it only gained circulation
as 1t was communicated by newspaper
correspondents to public men who
were sought to throw some light on
the presidents unexplained action.
Five or six days ago the president
had at the White House half dozen
or so newspaper men representing ad'
ministration organs, or who are per
sonally tied to his fortunes, and these
men came away with the idea that no
further announcement respecting the
third term would be made for two or
three months. What the president
then said was, of course, not pub
nshed; it was one of those "confiden-
tial" communications that public men
80 frequently make "for your own in
formation, so as to keep you straight"
The national committee met on De.
cember and on the following day the
committee called on the president pre-
pared to listen to some declaration
from him on the subject of the third
term. None came. The next day the
national committee issued the call,
which was published on Monday morn
ing.
After the last meeting of the cabinet
the president issued san order through
the heads of the various departments
that no federal Office holders were
to be delegates to the national con-
Vention pledged to his denomination.
In view of the statement just issued
the notice to officeholders ap-
pears to be slightly unnecessary, un-
less of course when the president
warned federal officials he had no in
tention within "a hours Of telling the
country that he would not again be a
candidate. There has been no known
pressure put upon the president with
In the last few days and nothing has
happened that made it imperative
that his course should be made clear.
1t has been impossible as yet to find
any public man who admits that he
knew this statement was coming.