The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-26
Taft Present When Investi- gati0n Was Decided On,
 He Says MIR. TAFT ONLY ONE HELPED BY DELAY Says During Three Years of Taft's Administration He Could Have Brought Suit at Any Time.
 But He Did Not

Oyster Bay, N. Y, April 2o.-"The talk about the Suppression of the report is nonsense" said Colonel Roosevelt to- night, in a statement setting forth his connection with the International Har- vester company case Colonel Roosevelt asserted that at meeting with his cab inet, at which MT Taft was present, 1t was decided that the bureau of cor pcrations be instructed to complete it's investigation of the Harvester company before any suit was instituted. follow Ing the usual course of procedure in such cases Mir Taft. he added. con- cured in this decision.
 During the remaino<r os his admnis- tration, period of year and half, Colonel Roosevelt said the commissioner of corporations was unable to complete his investigation.
 Taft Has Had Opportunity
 He said that in the three years of the present administration MT. Taft. at any time, could have ordered the Attorney General to bring suit against the liar yester company, or could have requested the commissioner of corporations to hasten his investigation, but that MT. Taft had taken no action. except that now taken five days before the Massa- chusetts primary"
 Colonel Roosevelt also said that when the Northern Security suit was brought against the Morgan interests in 1904, he was expecting to run for President but that when the Harvester company mat ter came up in 1907 he knew he would not be a candidate the following year, so that if the action taken In this case did secure tlie good will eof eany Of tllo Morgan interests for anybody, it secured their good will for MT. Taft
 Colonel Roosevelt spent most of the afternoon In preparing his statement
 T have just begun to fight, he said earlier in the day. He received reports this afternoon of President Taft's crit icism of him in his speech at Spring. field, Mass, but declined to comment upon it, saying that he would make his reply in his speeches in Massachusetts.
 Ro0seyelt's Statement
 The statement of Colonel Roosevelt fol- lows:
 As regards the Harvester trust mat ter, the following statement, sent to me by MT. Bonaparte, my Attorney General at the time and by Mir Herbert Knox smith, then and now commissioner of corporations. explain themselves.
 MT Bonaparte wrote:
 When I became Attorney General found number of complaints on file about the harvester trust and some of these were so serious and specific that 1 directed an investigation. ap- pointing R. D. Townsend, then assist ant United States attorney in one of the Dakotas. as special counsel for the subject He worked very slowly and while We were awaiting his report I received information from. other quar- ters and also elaborate brief and argument fsubmitted by Cravath if I remember right) in defense of the trust and made up my mind that suit ought to be instituted for it's disso- lution. I then learned from Herbert Knox Smith that he was enga ged in ar investigation of the affairs of the harvester trust directed by the Sem ale. Smith said that the institution of a suit against the trust would pu. stop to his investigation and I re- Lorted the situation of affairs at CdDllltl iDttll1E. Ailtf lulfr put mar monious, discussion it was decided. I think, on the advice of Secreta ries
 ----- and Taft. that inasmuch as eith- ar house had a right under the law creating the bureau of corporations to direct an investigation by that bureau this investigation of Smiths must Le considered as one conducted by the Sen ate itself and it would he appropriate for the department of justice 10 await lis rnnrliISiOQ hPfafa nTOcpp1fuU will the suit
 No Instructions Given
 "'You never gave me any instruc- tions of any kind about the suit, have an indistinct recollection that you asked me to see somebody wlo wished to talk with me about II or on behalf of the trust. and think il probable this was crayath. as I know he gave me his brief and other pa- pers. Of course, you had nothing 10 d. with preventing the institution of the. suit, except in so far as you sc- cuiesced in the view taken by the cab inet to the effect that in conseouence of the provisions of the bureau of cor rorations act delay was demanded hy cofnify toward the Senate.
 MT. Smith writes me in two com munications. In the first he recltes that on August 24 1907 he met me ot New York, where. he said that MI Perkins protested against any suit (which he, Mir. Perkins. then under stood to be pending) being brought against the harvester trust while tho investigation by the bureau was still pending that on August 26 he called on me at Oyster Bay and adyocattd my carrying out the policy of seeing that the bureaus investigation was Finished before any suit was started on the ground that the inyestigation would be far more effective for reform than any suit. that the suit being a civil and not criminal proceeding no statute of limitations applied and con- sequently haste was not essention and. finally, that if the corporation was substantial offender the suit would have vastly more chance of successfrl. pros ecution after the bureau got through It's work.
 Smith Saw Bonaparfe
 MT smith states that l gave him no in. structions except to go and see the At