The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-04-30
PRESIDENT HITS BACK
IN FIGHTING FASHION
BITTERLY ASSAILS ROOSEVELT
AND DEFENDS HIMSELF.
President Taft Vigorously Declares
Himself Wilfully MiSrepreSent-
cd by Roosevelt,


abandoning his policy Of silence un-
der the attacks of Col Roosevelt had
made upon him and his administra-
ton, for the first time since Mr..
Roosevelt announced his candidacy
launched into a bitter denunciation of
the former president. From the time
Mr.. Taft entered Massachusetts, and
made his first speech at Springfield,
shortly after noon, until late tonight,
he hammered away at Col. Roosevelt.
The president made about a dozen
speeches.
In all he made it clear that he is
unalterably opposed to Mr.. Roosevelt;
that he saw disaster in third term in
the White House for any man; and
that he did not believe Col. Roosevelt
had given him a square deal" He
spoke to good sized crowds in all the
cities where he made set speeches and
at the towns and villages where his
train stopped briefly the people flock
ed around his private car and listened
with close attention.
The president spoke at Springfield
and Palmer, twice in Worcester, and
at Natick, South Framingham and
several smaller towns. In the begin
ming he seemed to utter his attacks on
Col. Roosevelt with reluctance.
This wrenches my SOUL" he said
once.
AS the day wore on, however, and
he made speech after speech, in which
he denounced Mr.. Roosevelt again and
again, Mr.. Taft grew more aggressive
in manner, emphasized his words with
gestures and apparently laid aside any
feelings of regret he may have felt at
this evidence that the long friendship
with his former champion was broken.
His principal address was delivered
in the Arena, to large crowd, but be-
fore retiring to his private car he
spoke briefly to an overflow meeting
in Symphony hall. His speech in the
Arena was delivered from manuscript,
prepared during the last few days in
Washington, carefully gone over by
members of his cabinet and containing
a detailed answer to many of Mr..
Roosevelt's charges.
Counter Charges.
Mr.. Taft's speech bristled with coun-
ter charges against his predecessor in
the White House. He declared that Mr..
Roosevelt had wilfully misrepresented
him, had falsely distorted some of his
public utterances, had failed to live
up to his policy of a square deal and
had violated a solemn promise to the
American people not to be candidate
for third term.
"That promise and his treatment Of
it," said Mr.. Taft, "only throw an in
forming light on the value that ought
now to be attached to any promise of
this kind he may make for the future" )"
Declaring that Mr. Roosevelt "ought
not to be selected as candidate of
any party" Mr.. Taft said that the for
mer president might now be paving
the way, if successful in the present
campaign, to remain the chief execu-
tive of the nation for as many terms
as his natural life would permit.
"If he is necessary now to the gov
ernment, why not later?" asked the
president, who continued:
Zone who so lightly regards consti-
;tutional principles, one who is so nat
urally impatient of legal restraints
and of due legal procedure, and who
has so misunderstood what liberty
regulated by law is, could not safely
be entrusted with successive presiden-
tial terms. 1 say this sorrowfully, but
1 say it with the full conviction of it's
truth"
Mr.. Taft referred to some Of Mr..
RooseveIt's charges against him as the
'1oose and vague indictment of one
who does not know and who depends
only upon second hand information for
his statement"
A Painful Duty.
The president said his speech to-
night was one of the most painful du-
ties of his life, that it was in response
to an obligation he owed the Republi-
can party, which selected him as its
candidate, and to the American people
- .1oo+o5 him ,,raci6nOt