New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-10
ATTACK ON PRESIDENT FAILS
Taft Did Not Place Administration in
Hands Of Roosevelt S Enemies.

To tho Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir. Your CORRESPONDENT. &C l.. s." in
The Tribune of March 81, makes some
monumental wrong assumptions and false
Fcharges. After claiming that President
Taft had promised to support the Roose-
veItian ideals" your correspondent says:
He then Immediately placed his admins
! tration IN the hands of Rcosevelts avowed
! enemies" Did he? Let MS examine the
| hard facts. President TafCs original Cab-
net was composed as follows: Secretary OF
! state. Philander g Knox: Secretary or the
Treasury. Franklin MacVeagh; Secretary
| Of War Jacob NJ Dickinson; Secretary or
! the Interior Richard A. Balinger; Score
! tary Of the Navy. George Won l., Meyer;
Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson;
Postmaster General. Frank II. Hitchcock;
| Attorney General, George w. Wickersham
Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Charles
/ NageL only two changes in the Caplhet
] have been made by President Taft. as
against tWcntr-three changes and trans
/ tors during President Roosevelt's incum-
hrncy. Who among the members OF Presl-
/ dent Tafts Cabinet was at the time or
! his appointment, or ever for that matter
an "ayowed enemy" Of Colonel Roosevelt!
Secretary Of State Knox was In the Cab-
met Of President Roosevelt until June 81
/ 1894 Secretary MacVeagh came into the
Republican party in 1876, and there is no
record Of his having been fractional or
other enemy of Roosevelt. Secretary Dick
insou hardly filed such a bill. He was
counsel for the United states before the
Alaskan boundary tribunal during President
Rooscvolt's administration. This brings us
to Secretary of the Interior Ballinger. he
| was Commissioner of the General Lana
Office for about two years at the ehd OF
! Roosevelt's term He surely did not be-
come an avowcd enemy Of his chief wh'le
| the sun went down on his administration.
Secretary Of the Navy Meyer was Roose-
velts Postmaster General for two years
so he cannot possibly be the guilty party.
lanes Wilson. head Of the Department ot
/ Agriculture. having served under Mckinley
/ and Roosevelt as we'll as TAFT. cannot he
rounded I'D among the aVowed enemies or
/ the colonel Postmaster General Hitchcock
/ has clear bill Of health. for from 1903 to
1caS he was officially connected with the
! Roosevelt administration. and for three
wears OF that time was Roosevelts FIRST
Assistant Postmaster General. Charles
/ NaqeI the Secretary OF Commerce and
! \
| labor. has never been active as politl-
cal manlpulator either as an enemy of
Colonel Roosevelt or otherwise. This brings
! US 10 tho two comparatively new members
of President Tants Cabinet. Secretary ot
War stiUson and secretary Of the Interior
/ Fisher Everybody knows that Mr.. Stlm-
son has been Colonel RooSeveltS long
/ time friend. and was hts candidate for Gov
crnor OF New York I'm 1910 Secretary FISH
er was president Of the Conservation
/ cague Of America and friend of Roose-
Welt Tho "avowed enemy" charge has not
"a peg on which to hang it's hat.
! As to the "RoosevcltIan ideals. the case
! may not boz so plain, FOR the reason that
! your correspondent failed 10 tell us whether
/ he means tho ideals" OF possibly the origi-
nal Roosevelt brand. held in 1903, or those
| which have been adapted and adopted WIFI
I'm the last few months. But I'm any event
Secretary Stimson. Roosevelts friend, at
firms with positiveness that President Tart
/ administration has been essentially pro-
gressive." That is fairly good evidence. In
addition. men Of light and leading Ike
/ Andrew u. White, President Schurman,
John Wanamaker. President Butler Profes'
sor Arnold s. Hall. OF the University or
Wisconsin. and a host Of others utterly re-
pudiate the charge OF your correspondent
that President Taft has betrayed his coun-
try"
whatever one may think Of the savage
and brutal criticism being launched against
the President. none Of his sober advocates
find Il at all tempting to employ the same
tactics. generally the sign of losing
cause i'm dealing with the eX-President
One thing however. seems reasonably Ger
tain Tho onslaughts Of the anu-Taft men
have rendered his defeat in the nominating
convention practically impossible, and II
tho same tactics are continued they will
help insure his election. The admin'stra-
ton has been so quiet and 90 lacking in
even the iustihahlc eEotism which may
characterize the head Of the government
I'm speaking or his accomplishments. that
the Roosevelt campaign has been most
desirable advertising asset OF the Taft
cause These tactics have turned indiffer-
ence into interest. and apathy into SYM
patty for the President. Such is likely 10
he the case 10 the end
HENRY W. WILBUR.
Philadelphia. April T. 1912
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