The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-08
COLONEL DENIES
CHA .VCING FRONT
Roosevelt Says He Was Not Gan.
didate but Would Accept.

Oyster Bay, n. Y, March 5.-Colo.
mel Roosevelt said that it was per-
fectly true that he had said he would
not be a candidate in 1912. ....... .
He had made that statement to
many persons, he said. but had not de-
clared that he would not accept the
nomination il it were rendered to him.
He drew distinction between becom.
ing candidate and being willing to
accept the nomination.
The colonel made. il plain that. he
saw nothing in the Van Valkenburg
letter, in which he said he would not
be candidate in, 1912, to conflict with
his recent statement that he would
become the nominee of the party if
his party asked It.
Colonel Roosevelt's position in the
matter is set forth in a statement
which he gave out explaining the cir
cumstances which induced him to
write to Mr.. Van valkenburg. This is
the statement:
peaies Supporting Taft.
AT that time persistent efforts had
been made from Washington to con,
vince the progressives that was real
~ supporting Mr.. Taft On this par
ticular occasion. the statement was
made with the greatest explicitness.
promptly denied the statement and
was assured on the one hand that it
had been inspired from the White
House and assured on the other hand
that it. had not been. | do not know
who gave out this letter, but | am GER
tain that it was not Mr.. Van Vslken-
burg, for I know him to be. an honor
able man. 10 q S, s.a. ~ 3
ITO all who were at that time writ
ing to me to be candidate. answered
that would not be. To all who asked
whether would accept if nominated I
answered Yes if knew them suffi-
ciently we'll to be sure that they would
understand me-; otherwise ] said sim
ply that / would cross that bridge
when l came to it and in most cases
IL CLC Iiuh W dS ~ OH d tlOcc pei
friend / told him thar counted on his
doing everything possible to prevent
any movement looking to my nomina-
ton r.
Believes Himself in Demand.
1T was not until the last three or
four months that was finally obliged
to come to the conclusion that there
was real demand among the people
as whole for my nomination, which
did not come in any way from any
personal friends of mine, and was
neither inspired nor engineered by
them. When l became convinced that
this popular demand was real and was
considerable, and when the governors
Of seven states, increased by this time
to ten I may mention incidentally,
asked me whether I would accept il
nominated l answered Yes / added
an expression of my wish that wher.
ever possible open preferential presi-
Dental primaries might be held so as
to find out who the Republican voters
wished to have nominated.
"If the people do not wish me to
serve raost certainly do not wish to
serve. If they do desire me to under
take In their interest a great task [
shall do SO and shall perform 1t with
whatever courage and ability I pos
sess Whether there will be such an
expression of the popular will 1 cannot
say, as where there are no preferen.
tial primaries 1t unfortunately seems
too often to be the case that the effort
Of the political leaders is not to give
expression to the popular will but to
thwart it in every way possible.