Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-04-26
Roosevelt Bitterly
Attacked by Taft
President Assals Colonel in Making a Reply to Campaign
Charges and Says 1t Is Most. Painful
Duty of Life.


s~traints and of legal procedure and who
has so misunderstood what liberty reg
ulated by law is could not safely be
entrusted with successive Presidential
terms. l say this sorrowfully, but l
say it with a full conviction of its
truth"
''That promise and his treatment of
it." said Mr.. Taft, "only throw an
informing light on the value that ought
now to be attached to any promise OF
his kind he may make for the future"
Declaring that Mr.. Roosevelt fought
not to be selected as a candidate of
any party" Mr.. Taft said that the
former President might now be paw
ing the way, II successful in the pres
.ent campaign to remain the chief ex-
z ocutive of the nation for as many terms
as his natural life would permit.
"If he Is necessary now to the gov
eminent, why not ~later?" asked the
President. He continued:
"One who so lightly regards the on-
stitutiona1 principles, and especially
the independence OF the judiciary, one
who is SO naturally impatient of legal
restraints and of due legal procedure
and who has so misunderstood what
liberty regulated by law is, could not
SHINY NC lutTuSLeQ Will SuCCSoSlFo
Presidential terms. I say this sorrow
fully, but I say it with the full convic-
tion Of It's truth"
"If in this contest there were at
stake only my own reputation or the
satisfaction of my own ambition, I
would, without the slightest qualm
n without care as to the result.
continue my silence under these unjust
attacks. I would do SO because of
the personal relations that hav ex-
listed between Mr.. Roosevelt and me,
my debt of gratitude to him, and my
inclination, because of the office I hold,
not to indulge in personal controversy.
] would hope that in the future, near
or distant, facts would disclose them
selves showing the injustice of the
course he is pursuing toward me and
the merciless truth concerning his mo-
tives and his sincerity of statement
and purpose.
Says He Represents q Cause.
But | am presented with this diff
Guilty: l represent a cause. I stand for
wise progress in governmental affairs
and in the improvement of the condi-
ton of all the people that the Republi-
can party stands for. / am the titular
ledQer OF INA ~IilOVcItollL diiu IN SUI
stantial and sane legislation of my adj
ministration .vindicates its existence
and continuance. The supporters of
this cause look to me to see to 1t that
1t is not seriously injured by the un-
just, unfounded charges against me
and by the adroit appeals to discomfort
and class hatred that Mr.. Roosevelt is
now making to the public. They feel
%f,of hxy c,,al oh orua md a nnoalS My
Roosevelt has clouded the real and
~critical. issues of the campaign and has
misled a great many good n patriotic,
people of the country to his support
because no one has answered them as
they ought to be answered. NThey think
I am the only one whose position is
such as to- make an answer effective:
that, as the President whose admins
tration is attacked, as the titular head
of the Republican party, Who's integ-
rity is threatened, and as the man
whose character is aspersed, I u
meet Mr.. Roosevelts attacks, however
unpleasant may be a personal contro-
versy with one whom in the past I
have greatly admired and loved, and
whose present change of attitude is the
source Of the saddest disappointment.
'sMr. Roosevelt prides himself on be-
ing a true sportsman n he likes to
take from the rules and language of
sport, maxims to be applied to life in
general. The maxim which he has
exalted above all others, to which he
has given currency the country over,
and which he himself in his conduct
of life wishes to nave it thought he
exemplihes, is that every man is en-
titled to a square deal. I propose to
examine the charges he makes against
me and to ask you whether in making
them he is giving me a square deal"
In detail Mr.. Taft dealt first with
the statement by Colonel Roosevelt in
his Carnegie Hall address in which the
colonel said: "Mr. Taft fairly defines
the issue when he says that our gov