The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-29
President Taft Was Not in the
Country, He Shows.
When I. r.. Says He Sanctioned
Harvester Trust Action.
1T WAS NEVER DISCUSSED
At Amy Cabinet Meeting When
He Was Present.
Explains Subsequent Delay in
Beginning Prosecution.

Washington, April 29.-President
Taft, before leaving the White House
for his return to Massachusetts,. issued
a personal statement denying Colonel
Roosevelt's allegation that he, while
secretary of war, at a cabinet meeting.
had approved Mr.. Roosevelt's decision
not to prosecute the International Har-
vester company Immediately.
President Tafts statement says he
never heard the International Harvester
company discussed at any cabinet
meeting, and that the records of the
war department will show that he was
out of the country when the incident
referred to by the colonel occurred.
President Taft's statement follows:
Mr.. Roosevelt, in his speech at
Worcester, as reported by the public
press, referring to the Harvester trust.
said:
"'As a matter of fact Mr.. Taft was
member of my cabinet when this fden-
teal case was fully discussed before
the cabinet, and he cordially approved
the action taken; and indeedas a mat
ter of fact my memory is that he
himself made the motion that there
Fhould be no prosecution of the Har-
vester trust pending the investigation
into the trust by the bureau of cor
porations.'
"Mr. Roosevelts memory is very
much at fault. 1 am authorized to say
by Mr.. Root and Secretary Wilson.
both of whom were members of the
cabinet at that time, that they have no
recollection whatever of hearing the
prosecution of the harvester matter
discussed in the cabinet and Mr.. Root
is very certain that he never saw or
heard of Mr.. Herbert Knox Smiths
letter to Mr.. Roosevelt under date OF
September 21, 1907, on the subject.
Never Heard 1t Discussed.
"I am able to say the same thing.
So far as my recollection goes, 1 never
heard the Harvester trust matter dis
cussed in any cabinet meeting that
attended and 1 cannot be mistaken in
the statement that 1 never saw or
knew of Mr.. Herbert Knox Smiths let
ter of September p to the president
till after my administration had begun
and the time when the question of the
prosecution came up in 1909 or 1910
and never saw or read the letter
until two months ago.
This correspondence shows that the
subject matter of the prosecution OF
the International Harvester company
came before President Roosevelt on
August %, 1907, which is the date of
his letter to Attorney General Bona
pSrte; that Mr.. Herbert Knox Smiths
letter discussing the question and ad-
vising against suit was dated Septem-
Der 21, 1907, and that Mr.. Smiths let
ter was forwarded by direction of
President Roosevelt under date of Sep
tember "a to the attorney general with
direction to the attorney general to
bring the letter to the president that
week to talk over the matter
''The official records show that
President Roosevelt left Washington
in June, 1907. for oyster Bay and re-
turned to Washington on September
"a; that on September 90, he left
Washington for trip down the Missis-
sippi, returning to Washington October
%, 1907; and that he remained in
Washington from that time on.
Sets Up an AIibi.
1.-The official records of the war de-
partment show that left Washington
in June of the same year and went to
Murray Bay, Canada; that l remained
here until August, when 1 visited
oyster Bay on August 13 and then
went to Washington on the 14th and
left Washington on August s for a
western trip through Oklahoma, Mis-
souri,, the Yellowstone park, Oregon
and Washington, reaching Seattle Sep
tember 8 and sailing for the Philip
pines on September 13. I did not re-
turn to the United States until the goth
of December. 1907.
Il have a letter from Herbert Knox
Smith, commissioner of the bureau Of
corporations, written at my request. in
which he uses the following language.
ION November Z, 1907. which date
I fix from my personal. diary. L tele-
phoned Mr.. Perkins at the presidents
order that the president took the view
that the bureaus investigation should
come before the suit
This indicates with certainty the
time when the matter was decided and
shows that If the matter did come be-
fore the cabinet at all it must have
been after September "a. and on or
before November Z, 1907, a period
when 1 was out of the country and
could not have been present and ser
tainly could not have made a motion
or suggestion in the cabinet that no
suit be prosecuted until after the in
vestigation. Mr.. Roosevelt asks why
suit has not been brought in this ad-
against the Harvester
trust.
Cause of Delay.
"A report made to me by the at
torney general shows that shortly af-
ter the decision by the supreme court
of the Standard OH and Tobacco
cases, the attorney general was about
to begin suit against the International
company, when its represen-
tatives requested an opportunity, in
apparent good faith, to submit q rea-
sonab1e plan of reorganization or dis
solution which would meet every Just
cause of complaint. With my approval
the attorney general delayed bringing
suit, pending the consideration OF this
and during negotiations
which ensued looking forward to the
accomplishment ent of such result.
These negotiations were delayed,
first by reason of the time required to
make an examination Of the books OF
the Harvester company, and, second.
because Of the delay in completing the
report of the examiners, due to the
fact that they were obliged to suspend
work on il in order to complete their
work on the Steel trust investigations
continued until April "a, 1912. when
as I have before mentioned, they came
a1t frv- I-t.