Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-15
CORTELYOU RESIGNS?
Secretary Said to Have Quit After Row With Roosevelt.
INTERFERED WITH TAFT BOOM

Reported That Presidency of knicker-
 booker Trust Company of New York
 Has Been Offered to Him-Resigna-
 tion In Presidents Hands Some Time.
 Washington, Jan. 15.-The New York World published story stating that Secretary Cortelyou has resigned. This is the announcement that came coupled with his return from New York. The story current here is that the presidency of the Knickerbocker Trust company has been offered to him.
 As a matter of fact, the best infor- nation obtainable here is that MT. Cortelyou. resigned at the close of stormy private session with President Roosevelt, following a cabinet meet ing some time ago. Mr. Cortelyou's tenure of office in the cabinet was made impossible by the quarrel which he had with President Roosevelt fol- lowing representations made to the president of MT. Cortelyous alleged interference with the Taft plan of campaign. Immediately after that Mir. Cortelyou left the treasury department and went home, explaining that he was sick with the grip.
 Since then he has recovered from the grip, but has not been near the depart ment. He has attended cabinet meet ings and after each of them has tried to persuade the president that he was as much entitled to the support of the administration for the presidency as MT. Taft In each case he has entirely failed. The result of his failure is his resignation.
 According to the story current, Mir. Cortelyou resigned some time ago, his resignation to take effect whenever the president should find man suita- ble for the place. The premature pub lication of it is not authorized and Is very likely to be denied. However that may be, the best of authority is that Mir Cortelyou's resignation has been in the presidents hands for some time.
 When Mir. CortelyOu was asked about 1t he made general denial, but would not go into particulars nor submit to cross questioning It has not been pos sible to get confirmation or denial from the White House.
 MT. Cortelyou has been absent from the treasury department since Dec. 15. He recovered from the grip so that he could attend the new year reception, all the cabinet meetings and go to Brooklyn to make a speech. He also received visitors at his home. One of these was J. Pierpont Morgan, who called last week. Mir. Cortelyou denied that Mir. Morgans visit had political meaning |
 It is believed the acceptance of MT. | Cortelyou's resignation was deferred until he has answered the questions the senate put to him. He is under | fire for the methods used by the treas. | ury to relieve the financial stringency. | The information has been promised by | noon tomorrow.
 But the resignation is not surprising | to Washington. COrtelyou felt he had l a right to be a candidate for president | and acted on that belief. His best | friend and lieutenant, Mir. Hitchcock | of the postoffice department. went into the south to gather delegates and sue. ceeded. President Roosevelt found that | this activity was interfering with the Taft boom and gave the Cortelyou am. bition a jolt in his letter to the federal and in his public letter that he would not accept another term.
 The jolt was so pronounced that it caused Mir. CortelyOu to break into un. accustomed profanity in that he said he had had a damned rough deal at the White House.
 CortelyOu issued letter to the pub. lie in which he said his motives had been misunderstood: that he was not a candidate for president, but that he reserved to himself the right t0 think IS he thought best on all subjects: that If he ever became a candidate he would make public declaration to that fleet.
 Two weeks later he spent an hour with The president trying to convince IIr. Roosevelt that he tCortelyoul still lad a chance
 Mir. Roosevelt could not see it and to make his position clear beyond mis- ake made the public statement that le believes Taft will be named in the irst ballot This meant. of course. that [ Mir. Cortelyou came out for presi- lent he must resign as secretary of he treasury