The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-27
Roosevelt Not For Taft Or Himself
Gave President no Reason to Think He Would Support
 Him in 1912

Philadelphia, Nov 27-The North American prints the following this morning:
 Theodore Roosevelt's recent editor ial in the Outlook upon the trust ques- tion has led to deductions so false and to political discussions so unfortunate that it seems expedient for an accur- ate and authoritative statement to be made regarding his position, particu- Early toward the campaign Of 1912. Such a statement can be made better perhaps by the North American than by any other agency.
 "Just one year ago Col. Roosevelt cOnfided to this newspaper h1s views touching the use of his name as a re- captive candidate for the Republican relation thereto. '"There were ample reasons for his expressions. Ever since his return from abroad there had been growth in pubic interest regarding his attl- tude toward the President At that time influential Eastern papers, were proclaiming that Col Roosevelt was actually pledged to support MT. Taft for renomination, and were intimatlng that news of this arrangement eman- ated from the White House itself. Many national leaders accepted these | the Taft administration in the New York Republican platform was hailed as proof that Roosevelt was commit ted to the Taft candidacy.
 "It was this assertion which Col. Roosevelt disposed of in his confi- dences to the North American; ana as suggestions of his own candidacy naturally followed he disposed of them also.
 He declared most alphabetically that he had not pledged his support to MT. Taft privately or publicly in set terms or even by implication. He declared he would not support any man for the nomination in 1912-neith- CT MT. Taft nor any one else. AS to statement that the President believ- ed he would have Roosevelt's support, Col. Roosevelt said that MT. Taft could not possibly believe anything of the kind; that in fact MT. Taft knew that neither Mir. Taft nor any one else had one particle of ground for such opinion.
 "As to the persistent suggestions that he had designs upon the nomina- tion himself, Col. Roosevelt was equal and on subsequent occasions more than once in our presence Col. Roosevelt received tenders of support from men of wide political influence, men who will control delegates in the conven- tion. Some of these men were pro gressives, others were near progress sives, several were of reactionary sympathies To each and every such proposal Col. Roosevelt replied sub. stantially as stated above and added with equal emphasis and forceful sin cerity that he was not in the remot- est sense a candidate for the nomina- tion and that he declined and deplored O SllO0pStiOnS were OG1nR made to him.
 "He went further. To those who had had close relations with him he said in effect: If you are true friend of mine you will drop this once ana for all; you will not only quit your- self but you will discourage your friends and do all you can to stop this futile talk; you will believe what l have said so often, that I am not a candidate. and earnestly desire that all such suggestions should cease.
 s'Col Roosevelt said substantially this not once but many times, and, as stated on several occasions in our presence.
 By sheer persistence he succeeded in quelling the unfortunate activity of those who for one reason Or another were trying to make him a prominent figure in the 1912 discussion. But a few days ago the talk was revived in a new and curious way. Last week we found Col Roosevelt greatly amus- ed and perhaps a little puzzled by the commotion stirred up over his ar ticle in the Outlook. He had reason eration of his views, as expressed in many messages and speeches then to be execrated by Big Business, should now be accepted as a way of deliver ance from troubles he had predicted and tried to provide against; second, that men who would not understand him before now took his words at their true meaning-not because Of any admiration of him but because Of disgust with the course of President Taft, and third that his repetition Of his we'll known views, with not sim gle new suggestion or wavering from his former position, should revive dis cussion of his own candidacy and be regarded as a subtle bid for the SUD- port of Big Business in that supposi- titous ambition.
 Those who have been in close touch with Col. Roosevelt since the publica- tion of his article have likewise been surprised not only at the extent of the sentiment for him but at it's man. Hesitation in circles that a few months ago were bitterly hostile to Roosevelt Or at least strongly pro- Taft
 "To set at rest these baseless notions it can be said that no more than three days ago Col. Roosevelt express ed himself to the North American ex- actly as he had done year ago and exactly as he has frequently and on all occasions since. And because of the persistence of unwarranted reports and deductions he agreed that an au- thoritative statement of his oft ex- pressed purpose should be printed by this paper. This utterance, therefore, is not new, but it is positive
 "Col. Roosevelt will not support any man for the nomination in 1912, neither Taft nor any one else.
 He never gave MT. Taft any pledge or offer of support, nor did MT. Taft ever have suchs an impression.
 "As to himself Col Roosevelt is not a candidate. nor has he been at any time.
 "He has repeatedly discouraged suggestions of this character not only from sincere friends, but from poten- tial political leaders who for one req son or another desire to use his name and he has emphatically refused pledges of active support, even de- livery of delegates.