Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-30

l
The secretary of states Office, which
has charge of the election machiner.
disposed of it's last bundle Of pinI
democratic and blue republican bal
lots to the voters today. and at
o'clock tomorrow morning the frs
ballots will be cast by voters in THU
city. & Other cities and towns will be
gin voting later in the day. but it will
be 10 D. M, before the last ballo
boxes will have been closed, and it i!
expected 1t will be some hours latel
before any definite results are known
Roosevelt contradicts Taft.
Boston, Mass, April 29.-Flatly con
|tradicting President Taft, COL Roose
welt during his campaign tour of Essex
county today issued a statement re
plying to that made by the president
last night in regard to the harvester
trust" case.
| The president had stated that so
far as my recollection goes I never
heard the harvester trust matter men
toned in any cabinet meeting that
attended,
| Col. Roosevelt said in his reply, is.
sued in the form Of a statement writ.
ten on the train:
II clearly remember Mr.. Taft being
present at such discussion and taking
part in it." He added that the presi.
| dent had treated this matter lin a
way to show that he subordinates the
| interest of the people as whole to
the purposes of securing political adj
vantage for himself" Here is Col.
| Roosevelt's statement:
"Of course Mr.. Taft was away, as
every one knew, while l was discuss
ing this matter In personal interviews
with officials Of the department OF
commerce and labor, including the bu-
reau of corporations and of the de-
partment of justice, but both before
and after he came back the matter
was repeatedly brought up in the cab
met and discussed at length. Mr..
Bonaparte has stated in the letter |
| itiative in approving the course I fol
lowed. My memory Is to the same
effect.
BE this as it may, however, Mr..
Taft had, and could not have failed
to have full information as to the &C.
ton taken. Every important matter
of this kind involving question be-
tween two departments of the admin
istration was always thrashed out in
full cabinet and this was especially
true OF the questions of this particular
nature between the department OF
justice and the secretary of commerce
and labor.
"Messrs. Garfield, Straus, Bonaparte
and. Cortelyou have stated that this
particular question, was discussed
more than once in full cabinet meet
ing. / clearly remember Mr.. Taft be-
ing present at one such discussion and
taking part in it. Moreover, I re.
member that Mr. Taft has now been
president three years and two months
| and 1t is nonsense to say that during
that time he has not had the fullest
! opportunity to act on the harvester
case If he so desired.
when he. came back from his trip
abroad went over with him not only
this case but every case Of Importance
such as that Of the Tennessee Coal
and Iron Co., which l thought might by
any possibility have any bearing on
the general policy of the administra-
ton. If he thought that the action
| took in the harvester case was in any
| way inadequate or reprehensible, it
| was his duty after he became presi-
dent to act at once.
Say Taft Acted For Political Effect.
1.-THE action which after three years
of inaction, he actually took last week
must have been taken in collision with
the Lorimef-democratic senator who
introduced the resolution and could on
ly have been taken with a view to the
effect on the Massachusetts primaries:
"This case illustrates all the differ
ences between the attitude of Mr.. Taft
and myself toward big business and
indeed towards every species of bust
ness. I handled and have always
handled every question of big business
and Of all other business, not from
the standpoint Of party or factional
advantage and without the least re-
gard to my own personal fortunes or
to the political fortunes of any one
else, but on its merits, and with the
sole object Of helping reach salts
factory solution of business problems
in the interests Of the entire people
OF the United States.
"Mr. Taft has treated this harvester
trust question in way to show that
he subordinates the interests of the
entire people as whole to the pur-
pose Of securing political advantage
for himself"