Norwich bulletin., 1912-04-26

sue 1nlef16F6nce lnat WOuiQ nOlQ a number of democrats and would de- prive us of the strength we should get By a quiet presentation of the full facts en the floor of the senate, from the senate itself. Root is going to make a speech. So is Burton, and I believe that Lodge will do the same thing. No, nothing would have strong CT weight than speeches from them whereas if either you or 1 came out with an attack 1t would enable the friends of Lorimer to shift the subject from the tainted character of his seat to the independence of the senate in acting as the judge of the qualifica- tions of it's own members.
 T suggest. therefore, that if you have an article on this subject, you hold 1t until after the issues are more plainly made by speeches on the floor of the body in which the contest is to be won. l want to win; so do you. This is my excuse for writing you.
 Sincerely yours,
 WILLIAM H. TAFT"
 'P.S.-Of course. I may be misin- formed as to your purpose in this mat ter Since dictating the above I have had the telephone conversation with you, but l let it go"
 Roosevelt Favored Reciprocity.
 MT. Taft charged that MT. Roose- welt was now seeking to take advan- tage of the supposed feeling among the farmers of the country against reciprocity with Canada. He said he would not object to this, but for the fact that he consulted Colonel Roose- welt ten days before he made the agreement with Canada, and that the latter approved the agreement in the most enthusiastic terms. Mir. Taft quoted letter from Colonel Roosevelt dated January F, 1911, in which he said:
 RooseVelts Letter on Reciprocity.
 Dear President: It seems to me that what you propose to do with Canada is admirable from every stand point l firmly believe in free trade with Canada tor both economic and political reasons. AS you say. labor cost is substantially the same in the two countries. so that you are amply justified by the platform. Whether Canada will accept such reciprocity l do not know, but it is greatly 10 your credit to make the effort. It may Oam- age the republican party for a while, but it will surely benefit the party in the end. especially if you tackle wool, NVttVlts elC.s as you propose.
 Ever yours,
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT" Shameless Use of Federal Patronage"
 As to Mir. Roosevelts charges of the shameless use of federal patron age by the president, MT. Taft said that 70 per cent. of the federal office holders now in the service were ap- pointees of MT. Roosevelt, and as a natural result large percentage of them favored the former president for renomination. No man, he said, had been dismissed because he favored MT. Roosevelt, and there was every indi- cation that in the Chicago convention the influence of the federal officehold- CTS would be less effective for any one candidate than ever before in the his tory of the party.
 Mir Taft said MT. Roosevelt was not only enjoying the support of many federal oficeholders, but the patronage of a number of state governors which was being used for him.
 Signing of Payne Tariff Bill.
 Speaking of the Payne tariff bill, Mr. Taft again defended his course in sign ing it, and declared that to have vetoed 1t would have broken up the republi- can party.
 Has NIT, Roosevelt ever condemned the Payne bill2'' he asked. Does he say he would not have signed it if it had been presented to him under con ditiOns that 1 had to meet? He has never said that, as far as l know, and the New York platform of 1910, adopt ed by the convention of which he was 9 part, endorsed the pending bill and approved its passage. Is it a square deal, therefore, for him to charge me with not being a progressive when all that l did was to deal with the party as it was in congress and to get as much as 1 could of the legislation promised"
 RooseveIt's Nomination Will Cause
 Dstrust.
 T affirm that the nomination of Mir | Roosevelt would extend through the l business community a feeling of such 1 distrust as to the future as to interfere with the good times which, if Business is let alone and present conditions i continue, will expand into the most | encouraging prosperity; and this will 1 bring happiness to wage workers, who 1 are more injuriously affected by dis | turbances of business than any other | members of the community. MT. Roosevelt ought not to be nom- l mated at Chicago, because in suct nomination the republican party will 1 violate our most useful and necessary 1 governmental tradition, that no one 1 shall be permitted to hold a thirC l presidential term"
 MT. Taft quoted from Mir. RooseveIt'S statement in November, 1904, the fol 1 lowing: The wise custom which linn l it's the president to two terms regards the substance and not the form; anC under no circumstances will I be z candidate for or accept another nom- nation"
 Value of Roosevelt Promises.
 He now says, although his language 1 does not bear such a constrution, thai he meant he would not accept a nom l ination for a consecutive third term, l said the president. He says so in fact | of the fact that the most noteworthy precedent in which the tradition was asserted and maintained was that ot 1880, when General Grant was denied third term four years after he haC 1 left the presidential office. It is not | for me to enter into a discussion of tht 1 plain meaning of the language he used l If he had frankly announced that h. l had changed his mind no one would be disposed to hold him to a promise of that sort merely because he haC made it. The promise and his treat. 1 ment of it only throw an informing | light on the value that ought now tC ] be attached to any promise of thi: | kind he may make for the future, Tn, ! important fact is that his declaration | was the statement of a principle es l sential to the welfare of the republic r,uo cTCAMEp