The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-04-08
Lafollette Tells About Plnchot Broth
ers and Others Who
Made Hasty
Sneak.
THEIR MINDS
Were Whooplng for Senator Until
Roosevelt Decided That the Peo-
pie Wanted Him
to Run.

United Press Leased Wire Service.l
LINCOLN, Neb., April S-Denounc-
ing Clifford Pinchot and others" who
professed to be his supporters and
then deserted" him for the Roosevelt
camp, Senator LaFollette in tele-
gram to Adolph Spreckels in San
Francisco, today charged these former
supporters with perversion of fact IN
trying to justify their desertion."
LaFollette's telegram says:
Lincoln, Neb., April 8.-"Mr. Ru-
dolph Spreckels, San Francisco:
"The attempt of any of my former
supporters to justify their desertion
of my candidacy by making Houser
their scapegoat is cowardly perver-
sion of fact. They know that no one
had authority to withdraw me as a
candidate and that no one ever pro-
fessed to have such authority or ever
attempted to assert it. And they know,
one and all, that persistently refused
to withdraw in favor of Roosevelt or
anyone else and stated to them again
and again that would not back out.
They furthermore know refused
to permit Roosevelt's candidacy to
be coupled with my own candidacy or
to combine with him in any way.
'Pinchot and others who professed to
be my supporters, but who, in fact,
We're supporters of Roosevelt, became
very insistent just as soon as my
candidacy began to show promising
/ strength in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois
/ and elsewhere, that Roosevelt's name
should be joined with mine in resolu
tions of endorsement and that combi
nations should be made on delegates
by placing Roosevelt's men on my
! tickets. This was while hs was still
protesting that he was not candi.
date. refused to consent to this and
directed that my headquarters in
! Washington, Ohio, Michigan ano
| Illinois should be run strictly as La
Toilette headquarters, saying tc
Pinchot and his friends that l would
not play double game or be q stoo
/ pigeon for Roosevelt or any other
i man.
"Pinchot thereafter called confer
ences of my supporters to meet at the
| headquarters in Washington ane
! sought to force me into such a com
bination. Failing in this, he called 6
final conference at which time he ant
his assistants put up to me the fol
/ lowing alternative:
THAT La Toilette should with
draw in favor of Roosevelt with res
ervations as to differences Of opinion.
and continue to stump;
'2-That La Toilette should with
draw-but not in favor of anybody
and continue to stump-leaving the
individual groups to take what cours,
they choose
/ II answered that had never play
ed that kind of politics and neve
would-that | had become candidat,
at the earnest solicitation of pro
gressive republicans because I stoo.
! for certain we'll defined, progressiv,
principles; that | did not recogniz
Roosevelt as standing for these prin
ciples; that / refused absolutely t,
be a 'stalking-horse for the candidac,
of any other man; that never turned
back or surrendered after enterin
upon contest and If I had such
record as a progressive as they wer
urging ME to take, | would never hat
been selected as the candidate to lea,
in the present contest, and that if
was to make such a record now
would never be able to hold UP M
head and look an honest man in th
face.
"Pinchot knows that January Q
ended his connection with my cand
dacy and that 1t was understood whel
he left the headquarters since TIL
conference on that day; that when
few days later ! had to yield for
few days rest and recuperation h
seized upon this opportunity to max
public the support which he had lon
been giving to Roosevelt's candidacy
! These gentlemen all know tha
just before Pinchot left the head
quarters after he had generally mad
his intention plain that said to hir
that | had no power to prevent hi
} quitting but that he had obligate
himself to support me and that / ha
tod him at the outset that if becam
candidate | should remain cand
date to the end and that would No