The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-24
COLONEL To AID
|NSURGENT FIGHT
IS Admitted Ally of Progress
ives in Fight Against
CannoniSm
JUDGE TAFT URGED
TO LEND HIS AID
Letter to Congress from Roosevelt
Denouncing Regulars Planned,
But Not Written for Fear of
Modelling" Charge.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. May a.
With Roosevelt and insurgency. Tor :
battle cry In their fight for re-eiec.
ton next fall, the House progressiyes
are to-day planning to sweep Theo-
dore Roosevelt into the midst of thu
! terrific campaign which confronts
/ them. Hitherto secret information,
/ you which the insurgents base their as
surance of Col Roosevelts active sup
! port in the fight against "Cannonlsm.
| became available to-day.
! The situation reyives an unpublished
report made to the insurgent organiza-
| ton in caucus in March, 1908, by the
insurgent executive committee, Repre-
sentatiyes Nelson, (Republican. OF
wisconsin,, Madison, Republican Of
Kansas, and Gardner, Republican. Of
Massa chusettsl, charged with the mis-
sion of obtaining the endorsement Of
Mr. Roosevelt for the insurgent poll
/ cies in those strenuous closing days
of the strenuous administration. The
/ following statements, Incorporated IN
that report. and known for over q year
| to every house insurgent are here
made public for the first time:
! On March 8, 1909, Theodore Roose-
| welt proposed to give Representative
| ecutive committee. a lett endorsing
! the right against Cannon and the
4 House rules. He expressed himself AZ
| thoroughly in sympathy with the pro-
! gressive movement, particularly In the
! fight against Cannon as he said &c an
| non has been the greatest obstacle In
! the way of my efforts to secure good
! Legislation for the people of the coun-
try. throughout the seven years OF my
administration"
on March 4th, after spending the
evening of March ard with President
elect Taft, he begged to be excused
from writing the letter. As ground
I for hts change of purpose he said that
from conversations with MIR. Tart ne
was afraid such course would em-
barrass his successor.
Pleads With Taft.
| One of the last acts of Col. Roose-
yeit's administration, as he stood IN
| the presidents room in the Senate wing
of the Capitol, was TO take Represen-
| tatives Gardner and Nelson by tn0
/ hand, lead them over to Tart. and to
plead with the PRESIDENT to take
up the Insurgent cause.
| The story Of the endorsement that
was never given. was outlined to the
insurgent caucus by the executive COM
mittee as follows:
Representatives Nelson, Gardner,
and Madison, the executive committees
of the progressive caucus were chosen
to endeavor to secure President Roose-
yelt's endorsement of the Insurgent at
tack on Cannon and the Rules, pro-
iected by the progressives to be made
| during the special tariff session that
convened March Is, 1903. They had
arranged an appointment with Presi-
I dent Roosevelt the afternoon o.
March 3rd.
| -
administration was at hand. Mr.
Roosevelt was moving out of the White
! House The executive offices were IN
confusion Clerks were rushing in and
out OF the Presidents office. and Col
! Roosevelt led the Insurgent commit
tee into the old cabinet room 10
dragged a chair from the cabinet table
/ into a corner and the conference We
How 1t Happened.
Mr. Nelson. as chairman or the
committee, outlined to the President
the plan of attack on Speaker Can.
non and the rules, the ooJect an0
| chances OF success for the entire In
surgent program. and asked Coionel
I Roosevelt to endorse officially tn0
movement. Mr.. Roosevelt raised him
self In his chair. drew one reg up
beneath him, in his favorite deltberA-
tive attitude, clasped his hands Do
! hind his head and said:
Now, boys, let me think out loud
Then for thirty minutes he proceed~
ed to outline his position In the Inn
/ pending legislative struggle. l0
pointed out to himself and the insur-
gents that throughout his administra-
ton, Speaker Cannon and certain ok
his followers In the House had OPP
posed measure after measure that he
ia aavopead and adyoc4t0d. He said.