The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-27
CAN'T CATCH THE coLo,E,.

,Sh.> t!iLSEs \ III 4. L..
Why do not the newspapers let Mr..
Roosevelt aloneo His craftsmanship
has improved wonderfully since he
left us and he is coming back. What
he will do to them remains to be
seen: but whatever it is, he Will do it
without mercy. Several days ago the
New York Times printed story that
shortly before the ever-blessed Fourth
of March when he quilted the White
House. Messrs. Madison. Gardner and
Nelson called on Mr.. Roosevelt to
tell him that the Insurgents thought
| that Mr.. Taft was turning from them
In their fight against Speaker Cannon
and exposed their plans of campaign
against this typical leader of their
| party. They reported that Mr.. Roose-
| Welt agreed with them heartily. and
said: Cannon has been the greatest
obstacle in the way of my efforts to
obtain good Legislation for the country
throughout the seven years of my
administration"
Now comes the New York World,
which has already had all sorts of
trouble in the courts because Of its
meddling with such matters. and re-
produces letter alleged to have been
written by Mr. Roosevelt to James e.
Watson, member of Congress from
Indiana. congratulating him for hav-
ing volunteered to give his services to
the Congressional Committee for the
entire campaign. and expressing the
best wishes for his success. In the
course of this letter, which is printed
in the World, with Theodore Roose-
velt's name signed to it, the writer
says:
y feel that all good citizens who
have the welfare Of America at heart
should appreciate the immense amount
that has been accomplished by the
present Congress organized as 1t is.
and the urgent need of keeping this
organization in power. With MIR. Can
non as Speaker the House has accom-
plished literally phenomenal amount
! of good work. 1t has shown courage
good sense and patriotism such that
I it would be a real and serious mis-
/! fortune for the country to fail TO
| recognize.
To change the leadership and or
! ganaation of the House at this time
4 means to bring confusion upon those
4 who have been successfully engaged
! in the steady working out of great
and comprehensive scheme for the
| betterment OF our social. industrial
and civic conditions. Such change
4 would substitute a purposeless con
fusion, a violent and hurtful oscillation
. Not rs,nt1 fInY .fSlt,c
| radical and the extreme reactionary.
1 for the present orderly progress along
pdlicy." 9s' =
1 Well, what of 1T? There is moth
ing inconsistent between what Mr..
/ Roosevelt said to Watson and what
he said to the conspirators who called
on him the day before he left the
/ White House The Watson letter was
written in August, 1906. and the
4 statement of Mr. Roosevelt's SYM
A pathy with the movement against Can
/ non was made in March. 1909 He had
4 found Cannon out, probably, and Mr.
4 Taft would have to~hold the bag. Be-
sides, Mr., Roosevelt is a man of quick
"N1iph' ~ VIII ne recol!ecieu mat he
did not take nearly so long to change
his mind about Hartman Both Can
non and Hartman had served his pur-
/ poses; the former had accomplished
literally phenomenal amount of good
work and the latter had raised a
fund Of 225o.ooo for campaign purposes
IN New FORK state
The World says we arc unable
70 reconcile this latest insurgcnt story
WIN the ofiictol Roosevelt Cannon rec.
ord Of long-estabIiahed political part
nersh!p" 1t IS not necessary that the
Word should reconcile anything
me country is full Of men with whom
AE Roosevelt asreed al one time or
! another but With whom he does not