The Washington times., 1911-04-20
Favors a Limited Recall,
Direct Elections and
Reciprocity.
WHY HE GOT INTO
NEW YORK FIGHT
Entered Political Struggle Last
Fall, He Says, Solely to
Assist Hughes.

What part an ex-President may play
In politics and live issues Is discussed
in a remarkable interview with Theo-
doe Roosevelt today in the Saturday
Evening Post.
Henry Beach Needham is the author.
Fresh from the Chicago Lincoln cele-
subject which has vitality interested
thousands. Where Roosevelt Stands
Today"
That Mr.. Roosetelt is not a candidate
for 1912 is reiterated by Mr.. Needham,
who quotes the former President as
saying: 81 am not a candidate, and my
real friends will do me cruel injustice
If they seek to make me SUCH"
In the interview Mr.. Roosevelt has
discussed almost every phase of his life
since he returned from Africa to be
cartooned as a sphinx and accused of
rushing into politics in the New York
campaign.
In discussing his return to politics,
Mr.. Roosevelt is quoted as saying:
81 Couldn't Stay Out"
Il tried to explain that in the cam
paign," the colonel replied. Governor
Hughes and his supporters were entirely
toga. l didn't get them into the fight
They were in the fight. All did was
to try to help them out in a fight in
which they were right AS long as they
were in it / couldn't stay out. When I
got back from Europe 1 wanted to go
home and be quiet; 1 didn't want to
mix in politics. But 1 was importuned
on every hand-by the insurgents of the
md l,,yS
own State-to help along the movement
for honesty in high places in the DO
htical and financial world. 1t seemed to
me that 1t was my duty to try to help
them in the fight for popular govern
ment, without any regard to what the
erect might be to me personally.
didn't see how 1 could keep out of the
hight and retain my self-respect; so 1
went into it,
Briefly, on other subjects, the colonel
of Canadian reciprocity; the amend
ment of the Constitution to provide for
the direct election of Senators, and the
direct election of delegates to national
conventions
In speaking Of the initiative, referen-
dunn, and recall he said:
more antaBonlSm has been excited
by these three proposals, especially the
recall, than by any other plank in the
league platform. The recall is some
times very useful, but II undoubtedly
contains possibilities of mischief There
are strong arguments in its favor-or at
least for some equivalent of it-in re-
gard to officers elected or appointed for
life. My own viewpoint is that the re-
call is a useful device with certain well
defined and carefully drawn restrictions:
but l do not think that it is necessarily
State"
Prosperity-The Burglar" Kind.
To the charge that he is menace
to prosperity the colonel said:
I'm an enemy Of prosperity in just
the same sense that that officer out
there is menace to prosperity when
he gets his grip on a burglar who is
running off with somebody's SPOONS.
Necessarily he interferes with the pros
perity of the burglar; If he ever runs
for office he won't get the burglar vote.
Nevertheless, he is a friend Of the
honest man.
Capital has it's rights, which are as
reFtsy G5tsy g60d as tbta any is.6 eP
Property is the fruit of labor; -
property is desirable; is a positive good
In the world"
And in another part of the interview
''Of the LOIS delegates at the Saratoga
convention. perhaps not more than ff-
Sochp certainly less tnan lUO, were real
supporters of mine My selection as
chairman of the convention was brought
about by combination of the New
York and Buffalo delegations-both Of
which were heart and soul for Taft
and with the aid of Senator Root, who
had voted for the tariff bill, and Of
Serene Payne, one Of the authors of the
PayneAldrich law. Do you suppose for
one moment that this combination would
have adopted tariff plank repudiating,
even by indfrection, the Payne-Aldrich
law?"