Arizona republican., 1912-04-29
OTHER MATTERS
 ARE DISCUSSED
High Officials Say Facts Claimed By Former Presi- dent to Have Occurred in the Capitol Never Took Place.
TASSOcidted Press DiSPdtchl

WASHINGTON. April 28-Before leaving to return to Massachusetts President Taft today issued d state ment denying Roosevelts allegation that Taft. while a member of the cabinet. approved RoOseVelt's decision not to prosecute immediately the liar vester trust He said he never heard the company discussed at d cabinet meeting and that the records of the war department show he was out of the country when the incident re- ferred to by the colonel, is said to have occurred. He states also on the authority of Wilson and others who were members of the cabinet at the time. that they have no recollection of hearing the prosecution of the Harvester trust discussed at a cab inet meeting.
 The president added: T am able to say the same thing. So far as my recollection goes, I never heard the Harvester trust matter discussed at any cabinet meeting 1 attended and cannot be mistaken in the statement that I never saw. and knew nothing of Herbert Knox Smiths letter of September l to the president till aft CT my administration began and at the time when the question of a pros ecutiOn came up in 1909 or 1910 and l never saw or read the letter until two months ago.
 This correspondence shows the subject matter of a prosecution of the International Harvester company came before President Roosevelt Au- gust 22. 1907 the date of his letter to Bonaparte: that Smiths letter dis cuSsing the question and advising against suit was dated September 21. 1907; and that Smiths letter was forwarded by direction of Roosevelt under date of September 24 to the attorney general with directions to the attorney general to bring the let ter to the president that week to talk over the matter.
 The official records show that Roosevelt left Washington in June, 1907. for Oyster Bay, and returned to Washington September 24; and that on September 29 he left Washington for a trip down the Mississippi re- turning to Washington October 23, 1907 and that he remained in Wash ingtOn from that time on.
 The official records of the war de
 
 June of the same year and went to Murray Bay, Canada; that I remain ed there until August. when I visited Oyster Bay August 13 and then went to Washington the 14th and left Washington August IS for a western trip, sailing for the Philippines Sep tember 13 and did not return to the United States until the 30th of De- cember. 1907
 T have a letter from MT. Smith, commissioner of corporations, written at my request, in which he uses the following language: On November ', 1907 which date I fix from my per sonal diary. I telephoned MT. Perkins at the presidents order that the president took the view that the bu- reau's investigation should come be- fore the suit.
 This indicates with certainty the time when the matter was decided. It shows if the matter did come be- fore the cabinet at all it must have been after September 24. and on or before November '. 1907, period when I was out of the country and could not have been present and cer- tainly could not have made a motion or suggestion to the cabinet that no suit be prosecuted until after an in- vestigatiOn. Mir. Roosevelt asks why suit has not been brought by this ad- ministration against the Harvester trust
 The report made to me by the at torney general shows that shortly af- ter the decision of the supreme court In the Standard Oil and Tobacco cas- es, the attorney general was about f" begin suit against the International Harvester when it's representatives requested an opportunity m appart nt good faith, to submit a reasonable plan of reorganization or dissolution which would meet every just cau5t for complaint. With my approv al tn; attorney general delayed bringing suit pending consideration of this proposi ton, and during the negotiation which ensued looking to an ac oomplishment of such result.
 These negotiations were delayed first by reason of the time require, to make an examination of tife book of the Harvester company and sec ond. because of delay in completin. the report of the examiner, due { the fact that they were obliged t suspend work on it in order to com