The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-23
Full Explanation Is Made By
Taft and Accepted By
Roosevelt
TAFT WRITES LETTER TO
GRISCOM GIVING FACTS
Conference of New York Leaders
With Roosevelt md Never
Opposed the Latter

| New York August 2.-President Taft
and ex-President Roosevelt are again fell
low-workers in the same political field.
The threat that they might pull apart has
been fore-fended by a tulI explanation on
one side and an unreserved acceptance
on the other.
| The President makes it plain in let
ter given out here today by Lloyd C.
Griscom, chairman of the New York re-
publican county committee, how the mis-
understanding arose He explained that
he never took part in a committee cabal
to defeat Colonel Roosevelt for tempor-
ary chairman OF the republican state con-
vention, On the contrary. he explicitly
| deplored the result OF the COMMITTEES
meeting which chose Vice President Sher-
man; he rebukes the party leaders who
| have permitted 1t to go abroad uncontra-
| dicted that the President of the United
| States was behind their factional prefer
ences; he insists that at every opportuni-
ty he advised the fullest conferences with
| Colonel Roosevelt and he explains that he
| has been panied by the columns of un-
founded assertions in the newspapers con-
| cerning my attitude In respect to the New
York situation"
For his part. Colonel Roosevelt. when
he read President Tafts letter as COM
municated to him at Oyster Bay, said:
II very glad to see President Tafts
letter and am pleased with it,
Reply To Griseom
The Presidents letter comes in reply
to Mr. Griscom's blunt assertion by tele-
1
tative information as to your attitude Is
seriously misleading many republicans
The letter tells how. when the Presi-
dent first learned from Vice President
Sherman of the plan to oppose Roosevelt.
he ''peremptorily declined to be drawn
into fight with Roosevelt, and again re-
newed my urgent advice that there be
full personal conferences" with him.
Finally he asserts that 1.-The solution
of the direct primary election can be
found in provisions similar to those OF
the Cobb BILL" defeated by the legisla-
ture In direct rebuke 10 Mr.. Roosevelt
and Governor Hughes
| In the course of the correspondence
there comes out a telegram from the
| President to the Vice President. hitherto
withheld. but of which mention had nev-
ertheless crept into print. In substance
the President Informed Timothy L.
| Woodruff. republican state chairman, and
| William Ward of the national republican
committee that the thing of all others
| that ought to be avoided is a controversy
In the convention"
Griscom's Comment
The Presidents letter throughout Is
| ~
In his comment on 1t, was much more
outspoken. He did not hesitate to charge
that the republican organization of the
state had played politics with the Presi-
dents name and had misrepresented his
| attitude.
He asserted In so many words that
some of the Old Guard are not seeking
| republican success at the coming election;
they wish to perpetuate their control Of
| the republican organization at any cost to
| the party" And he goes on to particular
ize that In such event they would have
| been glad to unload defeat on the shoul-
| ders of the President the ground that
| he had ignored the policies of Hughes
and snubbed Theodore Roosevelt, the
very man whom they had consistently OPP
posed at every turn
| Lastly. he charges that in the last two
| legislatures there had been disgraceful
| alliance between Tammany Hall and some
of the "Oid Guard leaders.
| Colonel Roosevelt In his statement given
out at Oyster Bay explains what had
| been the course of his negotiations with
| the organisation and how after his sue
cessive rebuffs he had felt that further
overtures could not consistently come
from him. His future attitude he does
not define, because he is as yet uncertain
what effect on public sentiment President
Tafts letter will have when it has been
read and dlgested by the voters of the
state.
Letter From Taft
The following letter from President
| Taft to Lloyd C. Griscom. chairman OF
the New York republican county commit
tee. was given out here today by Mr..
Griscom
| Beverly, Mass, August 20, 1910
my Dear Mr.. Griscom: AS you know
| from your telephone conversations with
my office. have steadily refused to ad-
! NIT the propriety or necessity OF the
President replying to newspaper state-
ments which not based on any fact or
| authorized word of his and have no spon-
sor. ! am entirely, willing, however to
reply categorically to your telegram of
| August 10, which has just arrived and
| which IL as follows:
''I am informed and believe that sew
eral members OF the New York repub-
lican state committee who voted for Vice
| President Sherman over ex-President
| Roosevelt as nominee for temporary
chairman were Influenced by statements
| that the vice presidents name was pre-
sented to defeat Colonel Roosevelt in
accordance with your wish. A member
OF the state committee declared to me
before the meeting that Mr. Shermans
| candidacy had been arranged with you
by telephone the previous day. Efforts
have been made to create an impression
that you favor particular candidate for
election as state chairman. I want you
to know that the injection of the name
| Of high member of your administration
into a factional conflict has produced a
most complicated situation and the alb
| sence of any authoritative information az