The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-15
REPUBLICANS HERE
 FOR FIGHT TODAY Thompson Issues Reply to
 Major Barker QUOTES TAFT LETTER Both Sides Are Claiming Victory When State Committee Chooses
 Temporary Officers of
 Convention Today
QUOTES TAFT LETTER

Upon the eve of the meeting here today of the state republican executive commit tee to call a state convention for Au' gust, which convention will develop "who is who' in Alabama republican politics Joseph O. Thompson of this city issued an arraienment of P. D. Barker of Mo pile in reply to previous statement oi the Mobile executive committeeman.
 The statement which quotes a letter from President William H. Taft is as fol lows:
 "To the Republicans of Alabama:
 My attention has been called to the published address of MT. P. D. Barker of Mobile. which appeared in this morning papers, I had hoped when an agree ment was reached recently in Washing ton, which was submitted to the Presi- dent in writing, and which has heretofore been published, that there would be nc further effort on his part to misead you I regret that he finds it impossible tc proceed except by resorting to those methods of duplicity and deceit, which brought about the breach between us He claims his attitude is induced by 2 sincere regard for the welfare of the party In my opinion the welfare of the party will best be subserved by ob- servance of the rules of truth and adher- ence to honest dealing and high princi- pies. Influenced by such considerations I requested the President to give me an audience at such time as he could have MT. Barker present. In compliance with that request MT Barker was called to Washington and met the President for he first time on Thursday, the 9th in- siant In this conference I plainly and frankly stated to the President my ob- Jetcons to MT. Barker. Among other things, I called to his attention the fact that on October a2, 1910, in the heat of the gubernatorial campaign in New York, MT. Barker gave out an interview 1n New York city in which he severely criticised Colonel Roosevelt in a way tending not only to reflect on Colonel Roosevelt himself. under whom MT. Bar ker had held office for seven years, but also to do great injury to our party in New York and elsewhere This was fol- lowed by my disclosure to the President uf charges made in writing against the President and members of his cabinet by MT. Barker, the authenticity of which was not denied, and I am prepared to prove if he now denies it.
 Charges Mercenary Motives
 q regret exceedingly that one occupy !lg the position of national committee man of our party in Alabama should publish the mercenary motives which control his conduct by declaring, as a basis for indorsement, that he made an nouncement of his support of the exist ing administration before I did From such a man would not MT. Taft expect upon his retirement at the end of his second term the same treatment which was given Colonel Roosevelt by MT. Bar der after having been the recipient of his patronage for seven years? l hold that the republicans of Alabama are not in sympathy with such "pie-oounter" principles and politics.
 q do not feel disconcerted that I should he criticised by MT. Barker for my cam paign for the governorship in the last state election l have no apologies to make. l conducted the fight on a high :,lane and left no Giscredt on the party ir. the position I occupied, which was not at variance with the platform of the party. In making this criticism MT. Barker again shows himself, as he did in the New York interview, to be an op- portunist, ready at any time to distort the truth if he thinks by doing so he may obtain advantage.
 Ut was supposed that an agreement made under the sanction of the President of the United States would be sufficient, for the time at least, to deter Mir. Barker from engaging in those methods which had become intolerable; but even before the state committee meets he resorts to the same old practices. This makes it necessary for me to publish the letter of the President the original of which was handed to me by the Presidents secretary at the White House in the presence of Mrs Barker, a copy of which was later mailed to thim. This lettey speaks for itself and reads as follows:
 President Taft's Letter
 "'The White House,
 Washington, July 2, 1911.
 Gentlemen: | am in receipt of a series of recommendations to the reDub-