Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-26
BLAMES GRIsCOM
FOR BLOW At 7. R.
Woodruff Says Committee Had
Acted Before CoIonePS Name
Was Offered
CLAIMS TAFT NOT INVOLVED
New York State Chairman Writes
to Former President About
Action Taken
CLAIMS TAFT NOT INVOLVED
ASSOCIATED Press)

NEW YORK, Aug. 25.-The confer
ence on the night before the Republi-
can state committee meeting, in which
former President Roosevelt was voted
down and Vice President Sherman
chosen to be temporary chairman of
the state convention, assumed still an
other complexion tonight.
Timothy Woodruff, state chairman,
in a statement given out from Republi-
can state headquarters, puts theA re-
sponsibility for the action up to Lloyd
G. Griscom, chairman Of the county
committee, and denies he had even an
intimation of any plan to present the
name of Colonel Roosevelt to the COM
mittee until Mr.. Griscom made the ac-
tual nomination.
In his statement, Woodruff says pre-
cedent was followed in the selection
of Sherman as chairman, and that
Griscom moved to substitute the name
of Roosevelt for that of Sherman prac-
tcally after the committee had acted.
president Taft was in no way in
volved in this matter" Mr., Woodruff
says, "as the members of the state
committee acted entirely within their
authority in selecting a temporary
chairman, without as far as l know,
a single one of them consulting with
him about it, but in view of the ap-
parent affront to Mr.. Roosevelt, caused
by the action of Mr. Griscom, l felt
called upon as chairman Of the COM
mittee to send an explanatory letter
to the former president"
WRITES TO ROOSEVELT
A copy of the letter accompanied the
statement. 1t gives an explanation OF
the circumstances preceding and dur
ing the committee meeting, and says
IL int
as an act of hostility toward you,
nor one of reflection upon you."
Then the statement reads, in part:
ST know of no party principle upon
which we are at present divided in
this state except that involved In the
proposal to abolish the convention sys-
tenn of making nominations and to
substitute therefor the direct nom
ination plan, which has been charac-
terized as the device of the dema-
gogue and the millionaire
"Those who are opposed to this pol
icy and who believe that it's introduc-
tion in this state will lead to further
encroachment of populistic ideas will,
if chosen delegates to the Saratoga
convention, properly endeavor to pre-
vent the convention from committing
itself to this folly.
1.-The spirit that is behind this agita-
tion for direct primary nominations is
far more dangerous than anything the
proposition itself embodies. The radi-
calism which in this state is directed
against the representative system of
nominating by convention will, if given
its head, next menace the stability of
industry and frighten enterprise.
81 am glad to know that Mr.. Roose-
velt intends to go to the Saratoga con-
vention and present his ideas on this
and other subjects. The Importance of
this convention will thereby be greatly
enhanced and the superiority of the con-
vention system to the direct nomina-
tion method be demonstrated.
"On the part of myself and other reg
ulars, there is no personal warfare in
volved in this matter, nor has there
been. Our interest lies where it always
has-in the success of the party when
it's progressiveness does not violate its
tradition
Mr. Woodruff's only comment on Col.
Roosevelt's speech at the Elliott club
in Buffalo this morning was
"Col. Roosevelt is no more anxious to
get the crooks out of the party than 1
am. l guess We are all agreed on
that"