The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-29
Son of War President
Criticizes aud Con-
dennis Him.
|FATHER'S VIEWS
ARE PERVERTED
Certain That if Slain President
Were Living He Would Abhor
Misapplication of His Plain
Views and Words Before
Trusting People in Sup
pert of False Doctrines.

On Board President Tnft's Train,
Newark. y. j., April :S.-On his way
North to cnrry the ngh: into NIassa-
chusctts, President Taft Tonight made
public letter from Robert II. Lincoln,
son of President Lincoln. in which Col
onci Rooseycit Is criticized and con.
dcmncd for what Mr.. Lincoln declares
is pcrvcrsion OF the truth.
My personal feelings" the letter
read. are unimportanl. but [ am not
only impatient but indignant that
President Lincolns words and plain
views should be perverted and mis-
applied before trusting people into
support of doctrines which I believe
he would abhor, living"
MIR. L1ncolu's Letter.
Mr.. Lincolns letter WAS written, he
says, in answer to a request for an
opinion of repeated assertions by Mr..
Roosevelt that his attitude on certain
radical doctrines is supported by the
recorded views of the martyrcd
President. The letter III part follows:
The government under which my
father lived was. as II - now, a re-
public, or representative democracy,
checked by the Constitution which can
be changed by tn people. but only
when acting by methods which compel
dclibcration and exclude SO far as is
possible the effect of passionate and
short-sighted impulses. a govern
ment in which the checks of an es-
tablished Constitution are actually or
practically omitted-one in which the
people act In Il mass directly on all
questions and not through their chosen
representatives--is an unchecked de-
mocracy, n form of government so full
of danger as shown by history that it
has ceased to exist except In communi-
ties small and concentrated as to
space. y New England town meeting
may be good. but such government
in a large city or State would be
chaos.
AS l understand it. the essence of
Mr.. Roosevelts proposals is that we
shall adopt the latter form of govern
ment in place OF the existing form.
This, in simple words. = proposed
revolution. In support OF these revolu-
revolution. In support OF thtse revolu-
tionary doctrines. which II successful.
would abolish the form and the spirit
OF our existing government. and sure
ly 1 think, lead to attempted dicta-
torships. resort Is had to what is
claimed TO be the words and teachings
of President Lincoln.
No Word of Censurc.
president Lincoln wrote many let
tiers. made public addresses, and was
the author OF many documents. do
not know of the existence in any of
them of word of censure. or OF
complaint of our government or of
the methods by which it was carried
on. He was sincerely and faithfully
obedient to our Constitution. In the
single act for which he Is most re-
membered-the issuance OF the eman-
cipation proclamation-he expressly
supported it as an act warranted by
the Constitution upon military ncces-
sity.
In one publication he described tho
effect OF the counting OF slaves in
congressional and electoral represeu-
tation In comment he said:
Now. all this g manifestIy un-
fair; yet 1 do not mention 1t to com
plain of il in so far a 1t is already
scttlei. 1t is in the Constitution. and
do not for that cause or any other
cause propose TO destroy or alter or
disregard the Constitution. stand
to it fairly. fully and firmly.
He hated slavery. but his reverence
for the Constitution and law was such
that he said publicly again and again
that If a member or Congress he
slave law.
His attitude toward the Dre<: Scott
decision is urged as in support of the
pernicious project for the recall nv
popular vote OF judges and of judicial
decisions. lie thought IL an errone-
Gus decision. but his chief point in
reference to il was not its error, bur
that it indicated n scheme and was
part of it, for the naturalization OF
human slavery. He never suggested
a change In our government under
which the judges who made II should
be recalled but said that he woula
rc-ist 1t politically by voting, If in
his power, for an act prohibiting
slavery in United States territory
and then endeavor to have the act
sustained in n new proceeding. by the
safe court reversing itself.
rs there TO be found here. or anv
where else. support for a project to
abolish the essential elements or a, V
elements Of our Constitution: And y
he is cited In support of such actor.
Loved the Government.
HE loved the government under
which he lived. and when at Gettys-
burg he prayed Gf l may use that
word) that government of :he people.
by the people and for the people may
not perish from the earth he meant.
and could only mean. that government
under which he lived. a representative
government OF balanced executive. leg
islative and judicial parts. and not
CONTINUED on Second rageD
SEA TRIPS TO BoSTON.
r,.as sV-