The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-06
Col. Roosevelt Charges the
President of the Republic
With All the Crimes in the PO-
IiticaI Calendar.
Insincere, Mean and a Con-
dOner of Frauds in Election.
He Points to Himself as a
Model of Perfection.

Oyster Bay, N. Y, May 6.-In a
statement issued here by Colonel
Roosevelt in reply to President Taft's
speech in Baltimore, the colonel says
that Mr.. Taft knew he was making an
untrue statement when he said that
the former president expressed the
opinion that the antitrust law ought
to be repealed.
He also again contradicted the presi-
dent in regard to tho Harvester trust"
case, saying that at q cabinet meeting
and in private conversation with him.,
Mr.. Taft repeatedly and emphatically
approved the course actually taken"
Roosevelt's statement follows:
with Mr.. Taft's personal opinion
about me I have no concern beyond
pointing out the sufficiently obvious
fact that he never discovered that 1
was dangerous to the people until I
had been obliged to come to the con-
clusion that he was useless to the peo-
pie.
the trusts, the crookedness in selecting
delegates and the Lorimer incident I
shall once again answer, although L
have already answered them specif1ca1-
ly in Massachusetts, and although
after Mr.. Taft's repetition of them now
is incompatible with sincerity of pur-
pose or conviction on his part.
Mr.. Taft knew all the facts about
was present at cabinet meeting
where they were all discussed and at
that cabinet meeting and also in pri-
vate conversation with me, he repeat
eddy and emphatically approved the
course actually taken just as he re-
peatedly and emphatically approved
the course taken a regards the Ten
nessee Coal & Iron company.
Matter Came Up Again.
He was absent from the country
Nxy11a MY- Uni was rnr i'm tn
and consulting with Mr.. Bonaparte,
but after his return in January the
matter came up again and it appeared
that Mr.. Bonaparte had not under
stood that my judgment was that the
course advocated by Mr.. Smith was
the proper one to follow.
Accordingly, the matter was gone
over at length in the cabinet meeting.
Mr.. Bonaparte was the only member
who was inclined to believe that the
suit should be continued without re-
gard to Mr.. Smiths investigation. Mr.
Taft emphatically took the opposite
ground; and it is utterly impossible
that he should now have forgotten
that he did as member of my cabinet
take the opposite ground
stOf- 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 can not
possibly help remembering. More
over, he has been president for three
years; every document was in his pos
session throughout these three years
and if he is right now his three years
delay is inexcusable.
az saw Mr.. Perkins in this matter
precisely as / saw Mr.. Morgan at the
time of beginning the Northern Sc
curities suits and as I saw represen-
tatives of the Standard Oil trust again
and again at the time of beginning the
Standard Oil suit, just as in the case
interested who asked to appear before
me. I believed then and believe now
that the course urged by Mr.. Smith
was the only one to take.
More Thar Once.
Mr.. Smith is one of the most efficient
and high minded officials in the public
service and while it was not necessary
for me to, and while as a matter of fact
/ 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 rec
ommendation and have him make the
investigation before any suit was I'M
dertaken. Mr.. Taft, not once merely,
but again and again expressed his COM
plete acquiescence in this view.
Mr.. Taft says I have changed my
mind about the antitrust law. He well
knows that the position I take now is
precisely the position I took again and