Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-02
Former President Gives
Reasons in Letters Why
He Will Not Attend Meet
ing in New York Tonight.
DOESN'T KNOW WHAT
I BANQUET is FOR
If it is to Influence Senate
Against It's Wishes to
Adopt Peace Treaties,
Then He's Opposed to 1t.

New York, Dec. 3O.-Why Theodore
Roosevelt will not attend the banquet
tonight of the Citizens peace commit
tee with President Taft as guest OF
honor was made public in detail today
in correspondence between Mr.. Roose-
welt and Willard J. BloOmer, executive
secretary of the committee. There
are several letters from the former
president in the correspondence, the
principal one of which was written on
December and Is in line with Mr..
Roosevelt's editorial in the current
number OF the Outlook.
81 cannot permit the use of my
name, for that citizens peace ban
quet,". the letter reads, simply be-
cause do not know what that ban
qlet is for If it is meant to influence
the senate and force that body against
its conscience to support the UNI
amended treaties which the senate
committee on foreign relations has
shown by unanswerable argument to
be hostile to the honor and interest of
the American people, then l am not in
sympathy with YOU For instance, II
you propose to support the arbitra-
ton treaties then think that you are
I'LL uciSly WllllA6 Uut IuuI yOu 0AO SA
gagged in what is essentially an UNI.
worthy and, however, unconsciously,
a hypocritcal move against the inter.
est Of peace and engage the honor and
interest of the United States and civil
ization. II you intend to support
those treaties, however, with the
amendments introduced, by Senators
Root and Lodge, then you are all right
because you are supporting what is
not a very important but still sincere
effort to make things a little better"
Cites Things He Would Not Arbitrate.
Mr.. Roosevelt then reiterated what
he said yesterday in his editorial
that, "hypocricy never pays" and de-
tailed his views why the unamended
treaties should not be supported.
Among the objects which Mr.. Roose.
welt said he believed should not be
arbitrate was the Monroe doctrine
state bond question, the right Of Am
erica to abrogate the Russian treaty
of 1892 and the question of allowing
unlimited Asiatic immigration to the
United States. Mr.. ROCsevelts letter
then continues:
s Now, If you do not believe that the
questions have named should be ar
bitrated, then you occupy an improper
and, from the national standpoint, q
dishonorable position, If you desire to
see these treaties ratified without
amendment. OF course, II you believe
in arbitrating all questions Of national
honor and interest, including the
Monroe doctrine, the Jewish passport
question, the immigration of Asiastic
and the question of the state bonds,
then you are justified in wishing to
pass the unamended treaties; al
though think that in such case you
will occupy a very foolish and unpa-
triotic position But ii you do not
believe in arbitrating these and SINH
lar matters, then you occupy wholly
indefensible position in asking that
we pass in unamended form treaties
which unquestionably pledge us as q
nation to arbitrate them.
In Sympathy With Peace Move.
Mr.. Bloomer replied to this letter
on December 13. stating that the form
of invitation to the banquet had been
changed so as not to include the rati-
fcation of the proposed treaties, add
ing that the banquet in his opinion,
honest peace movement. To this,
Col Roosevelt replied, under date Of
December Is, in part as follows:
"As you state and understand the
am entirely in sympathy
with It, That is, am in favor of q
broad, honest peace movement, in
line with the traditional policy of this
country OF good will ad fair treatment
for all the nations of mankind
In replying to another letter of Mr..
Bloomer, written in answer to the
above, Col Roosevelt said:
Unfortunately 1t is not possible for
me TO accept any invitation of any
scrt, otherwise l would surely accept
this
- y