The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-06
RET0RT
Of ROOSEVELT
TO PRESIDENT
Puts Him Gently in Anan-
las Club Over Balti-
more Speech.
R0OSEvElTS OPINION OF THE
PRESIDENTS OPINION OF HIM
Taft Never Discovered that Roosevelt
Was Dangerous to the People Until
Roosevelt Discovered that Taft was
Useless to the People.

Oyster Bay. N. Y. May 6.-In a. |
statement issued here last night by
colonel Roosevelt in reply to President
'Taft's speech in Baltimore Saturday
night the colonel asserts that Mr.. Taft
knew he was making an untrue state-
ment when he said that the former
president expressed the opinion that
the antitrust law ought to he repeal
ed. He also again contradicts the
president In regard to the Harvester
trust case. saying that at cabinet
meeting and in private conversation
with him. Mr.. Taft repeatedly and
emphatically approved the course ac-
tually taken"
Colonel Roosevelt had read Presi-
dent Tafts Baltimore speech careful
ly and he prepared his reply with
equal care. writing it out with a pen
tary. He would make no further
statement.
Colonel Roosevelts statement fol-
lows:
with Mr. Taft's personal opinion
about me l have no concern beyond
pointing out the sufficiently obvious
fact that he never discovered that 1t
fact that he never discovered that
had been obliged to come to the con-
pie. But his specific statements as to
the trusts. the crookedness in select
Ing delegates and the Lorimer incl
dent ] shall once again answer al
though have already answered them
specifically in Massachusetts, and al
though after Mr.. Tafts repetition of
them now is Incompatible with sin
cerity of purpose or conviction on his
part.
Mr.. Taft knew all the facts about
the harvester trust decision and he
was present at a cabinet meeting
where they were all discussed, and at
that cabinet meeting and also in pri-
Vate conversation with me. he repeat
edly and emphatically approved the
course actually taken just as he re-
peatedly and emphatically approved
the course taken as regards the Ten
nessee Coal and Iron company. He
was absent from the country when
Mr.. Smith was reporting to me and
consulting with Mr.. Bonaparte, bnt
after his return in January the matter
came UP again and it appeared that
Mr.. Bonaparte had not understood
that my judgment was that the course
advocated by Mr.. Smith was the prop
er one to follow.
of course, as member Of my
cabinet. who at that time 1 was sup
porting for the presidency. he knew
and could not avoid knowing every
thing of any importance that went on.
1t is impossible to reconcile his pres
ent position with any standard of hon
orable conduct, whether We accept the
view that he then approved what he
believed to be wrong or whether we
accept the only alternative, which is
that he now denies what he cannot
possibly help remembering. More
over. he has been president for three
years; every document was in his po-
session throughout these three years,
and If he is right now, his three years
delay is inexcusable.
Saw Many People.
II saw Mr.. Perkins in this matter
precisely as l saw Mr.. Morgan at the
time of beginning the Northern Securi-
ties suit and as 1 saw Representatives
of the Standard Oil trust again and
again at the time of beginning the
Standard Oil suit. just as in the case
of every large suit l saw any party in
terested who asked to appear before
me. l believed then and i believe now
that the course urged by MIR. Smith
was the only one to take. Mr.. Smith
is one of the most efficient and high
minded officials in the public service
and while 1t was not necessary for me
to. and while as matter of fact l did
not. make up my mind as to whether
he was correct in his belief as to what
the investigation would show. it was
my clear duty to follow his recon-
mendation and have him make inves-
tigation before any suit was under
taken. MIR. Taft. not once merely. but
again and again, expressed his COM
plete acquiescence in this view.
MIR. Taft says l have changed my
mind about the antitrust law He
we'll knows that the position l take
now is precisely the position l took
again and again in speeches and in
messages to congress while l was
president. He was then In my cabinet
and repeatedly expressed his approval
of what l thus said.
Mr.. Taft says have said that the
antitrust law ought to be repealed.
Mr.. Taft we'll knows that this is not
true. I have always explicitly stated
that 1t ought to be kept on the books
and really enforced (not merely NOM
inally enforced as had been done by
Mr.. Taft in the Standard Oil and to-
bacco cases) against all trusts guilty
Of anti-social practices. but l have al
ways said and now say, that by itself
the antitrust law will never solve the
problem of dealing with the great cor
porations and that to control the great
industrial interstate corporations we
should have law akin to the present
interstate commerce law-but without
the mischievous interstate commerce
court.
Mr.. Taft says that l criticise him
because he prosecuted the Standard
OIL and tobacco companies to the su-
preme court and got decisions there.
On the contrary, Mr.. Taft knows well
that l criticised him, not for having
thus continued the prosecution of the
suits that l had begun. but because
after he had gotten these decisions he
then permitted the department Of JUS
tice SO to shape matters that the re-
suit was complete notification of all
the good results Of his suit.
His conduct in this respect is quite
incompatible with any sincere purpose
really to enforce the antitrust law.
AS a result Of his action the stocks of
the corporations in question rose
greatly In value. the rise in Standard
Oil stocks being over $20O.OO0,0O0.
Mr.. Taft can hardly have failed to no.
tice that following his institution Of a
suit against the harvester trust. har-
vester stock went up two points.
Evidently Wall street has made up
it's mind that Mr.. Taft's prosecutions
are fake prosecutions. whereas the
bitter hostility of Wall street to me
shows how lively IL its memory Of the
fact that my prosecutions were really