Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-10
ROOSEVELT
is OUT WITH
HOTDENIAL
"USE PATRONAGE TO FAVOR
TAFT? N0w
PRESIDENT ANSWERS ACCUSERs'
CHARGE
Printed Statements to the Effect That
White House Had Been Too Active
In Support of Candidate
Replied To
BY Associated Press.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-President
Roosevelt today made answer to the
recent published statements that he had
made use of federal patronage to
further the presidential interests of
Secretary Taft.
The answer is in the form of let
ter addressed to William Dudley Foulke
of Richmond, Ind, and includes letter
from Mr.. Foulke to the president sug-
gesting the need of such statement.
The president begins by character
izing the charges as false and mali
cions." He follows this with al. ana
lysis of all appointments sent by MIN
to The senate for it's action, to show
that in no case has the proximity Of
presidential contest influenced mis- ac-
tions.
Mr. Foulke's letter. dated Feb. g.
says:
"On Jan. 13 | laid before you an arti-
Gle in the Indianapolis News, "a paper
supporting the candidacy of Mr. Fair
banKs) accusing you of using the fed
eral patronage to secure the nomina-
tion of Mr. Taft and naming the post
office in particular. l spoke of. the tact
that certain Taft men had been nomln-
ated in Ohio, and you answered that
weak if you allowed the power of ap-
pointment in that state to be used only
as a means of attack upon the ad-
ministration.
Upon my return home, | observed
other articles making similar charges
in various papers, for instance, the Iol-
lowing in the New York Evening Post,
of Ian. IS: We are now getting daily
lessons in civil service reforms from the
White House which ought to attract
national attention. The assignment OF
Taft workers TO postoffices in Ohio, and
of the totally unfit George w. wanna
maker as appraiser of this port Is now
followed by the presidents refusal 10
reappoint a good Hughes man as COL
lector of customs at Plattsburg.'
Accused by Fairbanks
ION Jan II an article charging you
with similar abuse of the patronage ap-
peared in the Indianapolis Star, paper
also supporting Mr.. Fairbanks, ana re-
nu4ed to be owned principally by Dan
iel q. Reid representing important
Wall street interests. This article IS
enclosed in a letter to you, In Wnlcn
said: No man can be more unqual-
ifled supporter of Mr. Taft than l, yet
realize that any use OF the patronage
to aid him, especially II coeroioii '.,, os.n
he implied, is likely to injure you very
seriously. The use of any public ofhce
for this purpose is fraught with great
danger and subject to unansweraple
criticism. - ,.x,.,,
"To this YOU answered, Jan. 10: VIII
YOU produce the name OF a single man
whom have coerced or influenced; Will
Won give me the name of any o1nclal
yyho has heen controlled by the threat
or implied threat of dismissal or from
whom I have demanded support tor
Tat: in fact, will you give me one par
tiola of justification for the fears you
expressed? Name the man whom nave
removed because he was not for 1alt
or threatened to remove because i'e was
not for Taft. You cannot do so, ana as
vou cannot, why do you not repeat thls
challenge to the newspapers in ques-
tion. assert that their words are ,apso-
1uteIv false and challenge them to make
good
No Instance Mentioned
II accordingly wrote to the Star ask
ing it to name single case OF coercioil
referred to in It's previous issues
nublished an answer to my letter. pul
failed to name any instance of the KIND.
| then wrote again, calling attentlon
to this failure. and asking if were not
forced to conclude from its own silence
that it's own charges were apsoiuteiS
without foundation. This second iet-
ter however, 1t would not pupllsI
though it still continues to repeat us
general charges of abuse OF the patroh-
age -.
''This charge also continues to he CIT,
culated by other newspapers IN al
parts of the country. Thus the boStoii
Herald of Jan. 29, says: Federal oiIioe-
holders may be commanded 10 use eneiL 1
influence and their authority IN penail
of a candidate. Such commahu ila5
been issued and the president snouiu
know of it, Somebody has instructed
posJmasters that they must obtain from
their subordinates either the reslgna-
tions or their pledges of support ior
Taft delegates to the convention: Even
in Massachusetts efforts of this Klnu
have been made recently. but happlly
they have been stopped 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 statment 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
statmenI in regard to the alleged coer-
cion. be the best method of exhibiting
the facts? Yours respectfully
"WILLIAM DUDLEY FOULKE,"
President Replies
I'm his reply to Mr. FoullSe. President
Roosevelt says
"The statement that I have used the
office in the effort to nominate any
presidential candidate is both false and
malicious. 1t is the usual imaginative
invention which flows from desire to
say something Injurious. Remember
that those now making this accusa-
tion we're ousily engaged two months
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