Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-22
TAFT TO SPEAK OUT
Decides to Respond to the
Roosevelt Attacks.
GOES TO MASSACHUSETTS
Friends Say Aggressive Campaign
Will Guarantee Nomination.
TO SPEAK FROM THE RECORD
Indications Of Lively Times in the
Old Bay State the Com
Ing Week.
GOES TO MASSACHUSETTS,
TO SPEAK FROM THE RECORD

II President Taft's present purposes
are not changed, this week will be the
liveliest Of the campaign for the repub-
lican nomination, and 1t may determine
the outcome of the fight.
All available information is that Presi-
dent Taft will for the first time go after
Roosevelt by name in the speeches to be
made Thursday in Massachusetts,. to
which state he is to go in the hope of
winning its delegates.
The Presidents friends are confident
that II he puts up the right kind OF q
fight on Roosevelt he Will carry
Massachusetts and change the tide
that seems to be setting against him
and in favor of the former President.
According to the same men the Presi-
dent, IL he is not vigorous and effective
in his speeches, may lose Massachu-
sets and the nomination.
White House are emphatic in their as
sertions that the President can and
will win the nomination IL he is ag-
gressive and places Roosevelt In his
true light. as he is said to be In posi-
ton to do through possession Of in
disputable facts. but II the President
follows his methods of the past his
nomination is by no means assured.
President Resents Assaults.
The President has had all these things
put before him, but cares little as to
what others may think Of his position, so
long as he satisfies his own consciousness
that he is acting right. The President,
however, as already indicated in The Star
columns, feels bitterly the personal as
saults made upon him by Roosevelt
when, 1t is asserted, Roosevelt is charged
with having known positively that the
statements he made were not founded
upon fact. The attack that the Presi-
dent Is to deliver will be upon the We
racity of the former President and prom
ises to bring hot retort from the colonel.
There are evidences that Col. Roosevelt,
believing the political swing Is now with
him, will become more conciliatory in
his speeches and actions. hoping to shape
things so that the bitterness against him
modified before election day. Just what
his course may be under a hot attack
from President Taft his own managers
do not know.
It is conceded today that the speeches
of President Taft this week, or any other
large extent, and his earnest friends sin
cerely hope that he may fully see this,
and act accordingly.
Mr.. Gardner's Challenge.
The most serious intimation against
Col. Roosevelt likely to cause him worry
now and after June next, should he be
Is in allegations made by Rep
resentative Gardner In certain questions
he asks Col. Roosevelt In a telegram sent
out Saturday night. In this telegram
Representative Gardner dares Roosevelt
to make public certain correspondence be-
TWEEN him and President Taft relating to
Mr.. Taft's position as to Senator Lori
mer. and pointedly suggests that Col.
Roosevelt has known all along that he
has misrepresented the President.
Mr.. Gardner then asks Col. Roosevelt
whether 1t Is true that he stopped certain
trust prosecutions because they would
involve his friends or their interests. Mr..
Gardner, it Is intimated. is In possession
Of facts showing that the files of the De-
partment of Justice contain direct evil
dence that the backing being given Col.
Roosevelt by George w. Perkins is based
upon inaction against the Harvester trust
ordered by Col. Roosevelt when he was
President. Whatever Mr.. Gardner has up
his sleeve he is awaiting answer from Col.
Roosevelt before he turns 1t loose.
President Taft did not today give much
time to politics beyond considering the
speeches he is to make this week. He did
not go to the executive Offices during the
day. After making a speech to the COM
mercfal organization at the Willard Hotel,
the President returned to the library of
the White House and remained there at
work upon correspondence and speeches.
ALL PARTISANS ACTIVE