The Washington herald., 1908-01-24
TAFT ABSOLVES.
Continued from PAGE One.

he may be-
In 1906 President Roosevelt sent Repre-
sentauyes ParsOn and Cocks to Saratoga
on mission that resulted In the nomi-
nation Of Gov. Hughes, and took control
out Of the hands of OdCH Secretary
Taft now makes it plain that his name
must not be used in hg1t on Gov.
Hughes, making it possible for the re-
spectablg element of the party 10 push
Odell and his crowd aside. and take
charge of the interests of New Nork's
fayorite son.
VIII Quiet Adverse Comment.
Friends of Secretary Taft declare his
letter will. to a considerable extent,
put a quietus on the reports that the
President inspired by his interest in
the Tart candidacy, is seeking 90 sup
press a free expression of opinion by
party leaders in New York and other
States
The charges of Republican Senators
and others that President Roosevelt
ana some of the heads OF executive de-
partments are using Federal patronage
as means Of getting Taft delegates In
the Republican national convention,
has aroused the President He called
most Of the members of his Cabinet
into conference yesterday, and instruct
ed them to send him information in re-
gard to recent appointments in their
departments.
The Presidents uttcTance i'm this con-
nection is awaited with great interest
Prominent Republican Senators have been
charging for some time that if things
continued as at present Tafts nomination
would be forced upon the convention by
"a combination of FedeZt oiliceholders.
In support of these charges three OF
four specific cases alleged 10 be I'm point
were cited Notably the cases Of the four
Ohio pOstmasters who were refused reap
pointmeut upon the recommendation OF
Senators Foraker and Dick, but who were
nominated when they announced them
selves favorable to the nomination Of
Taft
And. again. is cited the action Of the
President iu nominating. over the protest
of Senator'S Gallinger and Burnham, Of
New Hampshire the pension agent
Charles Fairbanks. whose only indorse-
ment was thar Of Winston Churchill, q
Taft supporter,
Allegations of President's Critics.
1t is generally believed here that Frank
II. Hitchcock. First Assistant Postmaster
General. has gone 10 the Taft forces lock
stock, and barrel. although formal an
nouncemeHt 10 this effect has net been
made
Postmaster General Meyer caused il TO
be made known some time ago that in no
circumstance would Dee couuteuaHce the
continuance 10 his department of any Off
Ger actively furtheriug the political canii-
dacy Of any man, whether he was in the
Presidents official family OF out o. IT,
j is asserted by the administration
critics that two or three p0stmasters were
summoned from Massachusetts recently
90 talk politics, that they were summ0nai
by the Postmaster General and that they
talked 10 him. Further. IT. is alleged tEat
they were talked to- by Nr. Never IN
the interests of the Taft candidacy.
a Senator. yesterday in discussing the
Postmaster Generals interest In the TAFT
campaign. said that Mr. Meyer was In
IL up 20 his neck"
These specific instances Of alleged IA
voritism by the administration 90 appli-
cants for office. or continuance i'm office
of men friendly 10 the Taft candidacy,
and the general charge that every wheel
in the Federal machine has been set in
motion in behalf of the Secretary, viii
be treated in a statement TO be made
public at the White House in the imme-
diate future.