The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-06
TAFT FALS|FIER..
WITHOUT HONOR
Roosev cit Returns to
Attack on Presidents
Veracity.
SAYS CONDUCT
is INEXCUSABLE
Again Asserts That His Former
Cabinet Officer Knew All
Facts in Harvester Trust De-
cision and Approx
Course Taken-Impossi-
BILE for Him to Forget.

OSsltT buy, ~. l., May J.-ln Il
statement issued here tonight by
Colonel Roosevelt. in reply TO Presi-
dent Taft's speech in Baltimore last
night. the Colonel asserts that MIR.
Taft knew he was making an untrue
statement when he said the former
President expressed the opinion that
the antitrust law ought 10 be repealed.
lie also again contradicts the Presi-
dent In regard to the harvester trust
case. saying that a Cabinet meeting
and in private conversation with him.
Dir. TAFT repeatedly and emphs tically
approved the course actually taken"
colonel Rooseyelts statement fol-
lows:
With Mr.. Tafrs personal opinion
about me ! have no concern beyond
pointing out the sufficiently obvious
TACT that he never discovered that
was dangerous to the people until
had been Obliged to come TO the con-
clusion that he was useless TO the
people. But his specific statements as
TO the trusts the crookedness in sc
Letting delegates and the Lor!mer in
cldent I shall once again answer. al
though l have answered them spec!fi-
cally in massachusetts, and although
Mr. Tatts repetition OF them now
10 incompatible with sincerity OF
purpose or conviction on his part.
knew All the Facts.
the harvester trust decision. and ne
was present at "A Cabinet meeting
where they were all discussed. ana
81 that Cabinet meeting and also in
private conversation with ne. he re-
peatedly and emphatIcally approved
the course actually taken. Just as he
repeatedly and cmphatically approved
the course taken = regards the Ten
nessee Coal and Iron Company. He
was absent from the country when MI
Smith was reporting 10 me. and CON
sultng with Mr.. Bonapar;e, but after
his return in January the matter came
up again. and IT appeared that MT
Bonaparte had not Understood that my
judgment was that the course advo-
Gated by MIR. Smith was the proper one
to follow.
Accordingly, the matter was gone
over at length in the Cabinet meeting.
Mr.. Bonaparte was The only member
who was inclined to believe that the
suits should be continued without re-
gard 10 Mr. Smiths investigation. Mr..
Taft emphAtically took the opposite
ground. and II IS utterly impossible
that he should now have forgotten
that he did thus. as = member o; my
Cabinet. take the opposite ground.
"Of course, member or my
Cabinet who at that time l was sup
porting for the presidency, he knew.
and could not avoid knowing. every
thing of any Importance that went on
1t Is impossible 10 reconcile his pres
ent position with any standard OF
honorable conduct, whether We Vac-
cept the view that he then approved
what he believed to be wrong or
whether wc-accept the only alternative
which is that he now denies what he
cannot possibly help remembering.
Moreover. he has been President FOR
three years: every document was in
u, =, hr
years, and II he Is right now his three
Years delay in ineXcusable.
snw Trust Representative.
IT saw Mr. Perkins in this matter
precisely as ] saw Mr.. Morgan at the
time of beginning the Northern Sc
Curities suit and as / saw represent
tatives OF the Standard Oil trust again
and again at the time of beginning
the Standard Oil suit. just In the
case OF every large salt saw any
party interested who asked to appe ar
before me. I believed then and be-
lieve now that the course urged by
Mr. Smith vas the only one TO take.
:, lille II was not necessary for me
10, and while. as a matter of fact.
did not make up my mind as to
whether MIR Smith was correct in his
belief as to what the investigation
would show. II was my lear duty to
follow tie recommendation and have
him make the investigation before any
suit was undertaken. Mr. Taft. not
once merely, but again Id again, ex-
pressed his complete acquiescence in
this view.
Has Not Changed Mind.
Mr.. Taft says | have changed my
mind about the antitrust law. lie veil
knows that the position take now is
precisely the position took again
and again in speeches and messages
to Congress, while was President. He
was then in my Cabinet, and repeated
ly expressed his approval of what r.
thus said.
Mr.. Taft says I have said that the
antitrust law ought to be repealed.
Mr. Taft well knows that this is not
true. ] have always explicitly stated
that 1t ought 10 be kert on the books
and really enforced (no' merely nom
inally enforced, as has been done by
Mr. Taft In the Standard Oil and to-
bacco trust cases.. against all trusts
guilty of antisocial practices. but /
have always said, and now say, that by
itself the antitrust law will never solve
the problem OF dealing with the great
corporations, and that to control the
great industrial interstate corporations
VIC should have law akin to the pres
emit interstate commerce law--but
Without the mischievous Interstate
Commerce Court
MIR. Taft says that criticize him
because he prosecuted the Standard
Oil and tobacco companies to the Su-
prcme Court and got decisions there.
On the contrary. Mr.. Taft knows well
that I criticized him, not for having
thus continued the prosecution of the
suits that | had begun, but because
after he had gotten tn. sc decisions he
then permitted the Department or
Justice SO to shape matters that the