Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-10
AN ABSOLUTE DENIAL
BY THE PRESIDENT
That In Any Way He Has Made Use
Of Federal Patronage to Further
Sec. Taft'S Candidacy.

Washington. Feb 9.-Presiden,
Roosevelt made answer today to the
recent public statements that he has
made use of federal patronage to fur
Their the Presidential interests of Sec
Taft. The answer is in the form of q
letter addressed to William Dudley
Foulke of Richmond, Ind, and includes
a letter from Mr.. Foulke to the Presi-
dent suggesting the need of such a
statement
The President begins by character.
izing the charges as False and mali
cious." He follows this with an analysis
| of all appointments sent by MIN r.
the Senate for its action to show that
in no case has the proximity of Presi-
Dental contest influenced his action
The correspondence in full follows:
Richmond, Ind, Feb. ), 1908.
The President:
Sir; On January 18th laid before
| you an article in the Indianapolis
News "a paper supporting the candi-
dacy of Mr.. Fairbanks) accusing you
of using the federal patronage to Sc
cure the nomination of Mr. Taft and
| naming the postoffices in particular I
spoke Of the fact that certain Taft
men had been nominated in Ohio and
you answered that that was true, that
YOU would be very weak if you allow
ed the power of appointment in that
state to be used only as a means of at :
| tack upon the administration.
| On my return home, 1 observed other
articles making similar charges, in
various papers, for instance the fol-
lowing in the New York Evening Post
of Jan. 16.
I'VE are now getting daily lessons
on civil service reform from the White
House which ought to attract national
| attention. The appointment Of Taft
workers to postoffices in Ohio and of
the totally unfit George w. Wanamak-
err as appraiser of this port is now fol-
| lowed by the Presidents refusal to re-
appoint a good Hughes man as col
| lector of customs at Plattsburg."
On Jan. 18th an article charging you
with similar abuse of the patronage
appeared in the Indianapolis Star, a
paper also supporting Mr. Fairbanks
and reputed to be owned principally
| by Daniel G. Reid, a gentleman repre-
senting important Wall Street inter
| tStS. lHlS L enClOSeu III d lcl-
| ter to you in which l said:
mo man can be a more unqualified
| supporter of Mr.. Taft than 7. yet ]
realize that any use of the patronage
to aid him, especially if coercion can
be implied, is likely to injure you very
| seriously. The use of any public office
for this purpose is fraught with great
danger and subject to answerablo
criticism" To this you answered
Jan. 18th:
will you produce the name of a
single man whom I have coerced or in
huenced; will you give me the name OF
any official who has been controlled b.
II threat of dismissal or implied threat
of dismissal or from whom l have de.
nanded support for Taft? In short
will you give me one particle Of JUST
| fication for the fears you expressed
Name the man whom | have removed
because he was not for Taft, or threat
ened to remove because he was not fo
Taft. You cannot do SO and as yc,
can not why do you not repeat thi
challenge to the newspapers in ques
ton, assert their words are absolutel!
false and challenge them to maxi
good?"
I accordingly wrote to the Star ask
ing it to name a single case of the co
ercion referred to in its previous is
sues. It published an answer to my let
ter, but failed to name any instanc,
of the kind. l then wrote again. calm!
attention to this failure and asking j
were not forced to conclude from
it's own silence that it's own charge
were absolutely without foundation
This second letter, however, it woui,
not publish, though it still continues t
repeat its general charges of abuse o
the patronage.
These charges also continue to b.
circulated by other newspapers in al
parts of the country. Thus the Boston
Herald of Jan. % says:
Federal office holders may be com
manded to use their influence and thei
authority in behalf of candidate
Such a command has been issued ant
the President should know of =
= Somebody has instructed
postmasters that they must obtair
from their subordinates either theil
designations or their pledges to support
! Taft delegates to the convention
$ e. Even in Massachusetts
efforts of this kind have recently beer
made, but happily they have been stop
ped, partly because the postmasters
on whom the attempts were made have
the courage to resist and partly from
other causes"
In view of these reiterated COM
plants, would not a, detailed statement
of your recent appointments, the men
by whom they were recommended
your reasons and the principles upon
which you have acted in making them
as well as a statement in regard to the
alleged coercion. be the best method
of exhibiting the facts?