Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-16
RoosEvELT's CLAIMS.
lcontInned from Pace one.o

iy and improperly seating delegates
VINO have no possible claim to sit in
the convention"
Col Roosevelt began the second day
Of his Ohio campaign in Eyria, where
he made speech before breakfast at
Gao o'clock and ended it at Dayton, to-
night He delivered Is speeches dur
ing the day to crowds of large size.
In his address at Springfield. Col.
Roosevelt criticized Mr.. Taft
"A certain congressman from Him
dis said he, who is supporting Mr..
raft as his chief. Senator Larimer did.
has come into Ohio. bringing num-
Der of members of the two companies
of the colored regiment who were dis
charged on account of the riot at
Brownsville. These men are brought
here by the Taft managers to assall
me for what | did at Brownsville. TO
try TO get our colored fellow citizens
to vote against me. | always accept
full responsibility for what / do.
did take the action at Brownsville and
my judgment in taking it has been rat
flied over and over again by every
competent man who investigated the
matter. by tribunal after tribunal
want you TO understand that l am not
taking back by one fingers breadth
any action of mine. IL l should lose
every delegate in every state in the
Union BY taking 1t. / would take that
action over again.
II want to call your attention to the
fact that the Taft managers at a
time when Mr. Taft is in the state
himself without one wprd of protest
from him, are trying to use that in
cident to my discredit and to his adj
vantage Now / acted on the recon-
mendation of Mr.. Taft when he was
my secretary of war. Mr.. Roosevelt
held ~ copy of the annual report
OF the secretary of war for 1906 and
read an extract from it. in which ref
erence was made to the. Brownsville
affair
There is Mr.. Taft's own report upon
which l acted" he continued. Il do not
shift any responsibility upon Mr.. Taft. |
take it all. But Mr. Taft should be re-
sponsible for his action, too. Mr.. Taft
recommended to me, as ! have read to
you from his report, that these men
should be dismissed for heinous crime.
Does Mr. Taft now say that when he
made that report to me and submitted
ii to Congress he said what was not
true? If he says so, let him give his
reasons for his change. More than that.
he has for three years been President
and he could have reinstated every man
of that regiment if he thought that the
action / took on his recommendation
was wrong. Mr. Taft. in my Judgment,
l,ta-
then taken was not proper.
In several of his speeches Col. Roose-
welt charged that he was being opposed
in his campaign by Democrats as well as
by members of his own party. The coli
onel asserted that many of the large
newspapers in New York and elsewhere
in the East were opposing him at the
behest of Wall Street.
"Those papers in New York and Mass
achusetts are the chief sources of the
strength of Mr.. Taft" he said. Their
policies are secondary to their pockets.
Their politics are the politics of the
TILL"
The colonel also appealed in several
speeches to the farmers. saying that 1t
was their fight and not his He answer
ed President Taft's remarks about his
position in regard to the Canadian reel
procity bill and again declared his in
tention of making no personal attack
upon Mr.. Taft. In some places the
crowds We're so great that Colonel Roose-
Welt had considerable difficulty in get
ting to and from the place of speaking
At Springfield. where he spoke in a
large building erected for revival SER
vices, dozen policemen were summon
ed to extricate him from the jam.
The colonel said. today, that Comptrol-
Ter William Prendergast of New York
would make the nomination speech for
him at the Chicago convention.