New-York tribune., 1912-03-05
It/Was Called Out by the Meet.
ina of the Ex-PreSident
and Mr.. Taft in
Baltimore.
UNTRUE REPORTS SENT OUT
Communication to Van Valken-
burg Tends to Confirm Belief
That Colonel Had No In
tention of Becoming
q Candidate.
From The Tribune Bureau. J

From The Tribune Bureau
Washington March 4-The publica-
tion os the full text of the letter which
ex President Roosevelt wrote To f. A.
Van Valkenburg. editor Of The Phla-
delphia North American" on June -,
1911, in which Mr.. Roosevelt declared
that he would not be a candidate for the
Presidency, has served to recall to many
in Washington the circumstances which
led to the sending Of this communica-
ton. On June President Taft and ex.
President Roosevelt met IN Baltimore.
where both went to attend the jubilee
Of Cardinal Gibbons. Their meeting
took place in the reception room of the
9TH Regiment Armory, and for few
moments they conversed i'm low tones.
This led to the sending out by The AS
sociated Press of a long dispatch assert
ing that president Taft in his candi-
dacy for the Presidential nomination
will receive the unqualified Endorsement
of eX-President Roosevelt, which will be
uttered just as cordially as 1t was prior
to the campaign of 1905" and much
peared on the front page Of The Tribune
of June Z. with full credit to The Asso-
ciated Press.
A short time before that The New
York World" had learned of a social
visit paid to Colonel Roosevelt at Oy-
ster Bay by Secretary Meyer and had
published dispatch asserting that Mr.
!
sary of President Taft and came away
with the assurance that Mr.. Taft would
enjoy the cordial support Of his prede-
cessor. Mr.. Meyer was unwilling TO dis
cuss this report when he returned to
Washington, not because it was true.
but because IL was not, and he did not
wish to say anything which might Servo
to aggravate the differences between
his former chief and President Taft.
| There was considerable speculation in
the newspaper world as 10 whether or
not The World" had secured beat"
but nothing authoritative could be
learned The purport Of THE World"
dispatch was then embodied in The AS
sociated Press dispatch of June q.
The Tribune Gave the Facts.
on June s, under the heading Tho
Day in Washingtoa," The Tribune re-
lated the facts regarding the meeting Of
the President and his predecessor in
Baltimore explaining that the sole topic
of conversation between them had been
Mrs. Taft's health, that Secretary Meyer
had never even mentioned TO President
Taft his visit TO Oyster Bay and that
the President deplored the generally cir
culated report that Mr.. Roosevelt would
support him. as he doubted that thero
was any foundation for It, ColoneI-
Roosevelt had then gone TO Springfield.
but the publication of his letter TO Mr.
Van Valkenburg makes it clear that he
did not fail to take steps to disaouse MS
chief supporter in Pennsylvania or any
impression which might have been made
by The Associated Press dispatch, AMI
that he also asked Mr.. Van ValkenburS
TO forward copies of the letters to TWO
others.
When seen in it's entirety, Colonel
Roosevelt's letter does not in any way
differ from the extract published IN Inc
Tribune this morning, but merely con-
firms the assertion that he had no in
tention of entering the Presidential race
himself. So long as he maintained TINS
attitude the friends Of the President.
and especially those who were friends
Of both men, hoped that something
would happen to bring them tosethei'
Colonel Roosevelt often referred 10 MS
exnectation that Mr.. Taft would be
nominated and that he himself would be
found supporting Mr.. Taft once he De
came the nominee of the Republican Ns-
tional Convention. And, as was reiatei
in The Tribune this morning. Mr.. Roose-
volt maintained this attitude consistent
" until he read the bill filed by the gov
ernment in the steel suit
There is no doubt in the minds OK
those who have talked with Mr.. Roose-
Welt that he made his statement IN i'Vf
that "under no circumstances woulo no
he a candidate or accept another nohl-
nation he made no mental reservation,
hut meant precisely what he sald' that
when he referred to the wise precedent5
of the party he had in mind the enort
of General Grant TO secure renomlnauon
after an interval of four years in private
life. that his attitude had not changed
when he reiterated his statement IN
1907. and, finally, the Van Nalkenoufs
letter affords conclusive proof that such
was his attitude as recently as june
1911.
That he continued to maintain TINS a.
titude up to last october Is asserted oy
those who kept in close touch win MI!
Roosevelt and OF them there are se"
who believed that when his anssr
asainst President Taft had cooiec he
would not return to his former s'uon.
II was for that reason that MIR an
nouncement Of his candidacy am the
active steps he is taking to promote IL
bave been the occasion Of so much sur
nr,se 10 those friends who believed they
were entirely familiar with his views
Frank b. Noyes. Of The Associated
Press. who was one of those to whom
Mr. Roosevelt requested Mr.. Van VAL
kenburg 10 send copy of his letter. de-
c,,ned TO say anything about the subject
This evening. He would make no state
ment Of any kind.