The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-29
TAFT DENIES
COLONIES STORY
Says He Was Out of the
Country When Matter
Was Pending.

S0SsAASAy Vvl1Cll 410IICI
Was Pending.
Washington. April 2s.-President
Taft before leaving the white house
Sunday for his return to Massachu.
sets issued a personal statement deny.
ing Col. Roosevelt's allegation that he
while secretary of war, had at a cab
met meeting approved Mr.. Roose-
velt's decision not to Immediately
prosecute the International Harvest
company.
President Taft's statement says he
never heard the International Har-
vester company discussed at any cab
met meeting and that the records of
the war department will show that
ne was out of the country when the
incident referred to by the colonel oc.
CURED.
The following personal statement of
the president was issued from the
white house last evening:
/ "Mr. Roosevelt in his speech at
Worsecter as reported by the public
press referring to the harvester trust
suit said: "s>
AS a matter of fact Mr.. Taft was a
member of my cabinet when this iden-
ttcal case was fully discussed before
the cabinet, and he cordially approved
the action taken: and, indeed as a
matter of fact, my memory is that he
himself made the motion that there
shouid be no prosecution of the har-
.ester trust pending the Investigation
into the trust by the bureau Of cor
Dorations.
Mr.. Roosevelt's memory is very
much at fault. L am authorized to say
ny Mr.. Root and Secretary Wilson
both of whom were members of the
CABINET at that time that they have no
recollection whatever of hearing the
prosecution of the harvester matter
discussed in the cabinet and Mr.. Root
Is very certain that he never saw or
heard OF Mr.. Herbert Knox Smiths
September 81. 1907 on the subject.
I am able to say the same thing.
So far as my recollection goes 1 never
heard the harvester trust matter in
any cabinet meeting that I attended
and cannot be mistaken in the state
ment that I never saw or knew of
Herbert Knox Smiths letter of Sep
tember first to the president until aft
er my administration had begun and ]
never saw or read the letter until twd
"This Correspondence shows tia,
the subject matter of the prosecution
OF the International Harvester com
pany came before President Roosevelt
on August %. 1907 which is the date
OF his letter to Attorney General Bona
parte; that Mr.. Herbert Knox Smiths
letter discussing the question and ad-
vislng against suit was dated Septem-
Der FL. 1907 and that Mr.. Smiths let
ter was forwarded by direction of
PRESIDENT Roosevelt under date OF
September "a to the attorney general
with direction to the attorney General
TO bring the letter to the president
that week to talk over, the matter.
The official records show that
President Roosevelt left Washington
on September 12: that on September
29 he left Washington for q trip
down the Mississippi river returning
to Washington on Oct. %, 1907; and
that he remained in Washington from
that time on.
THE Official records Of the war de-
partment show that left Washington
in June of the same year and went to
Murray Bay, Canada. that remained
there until August 13 and then went
to Washington on the IA and left
Washington on August 18 for a west
ern trip through Oklahoma, Missouri.
the Yellowstone park, Oregon and
Washington reaching Seattle Septem-
Der and sailing from Seattle for the
Philippines on September Is. L did
not return to the United States until
the Goth Of December. 1907.
Il have letter from Herbert Knox
smith. commissioner Of the bureau of
corporations written at my request in
which he uses the following language:
On November Z. 1907. which date
NIX from my personal diary I tele-
phoned Mr.. Perkins at the presidents g
order that the president took the view
that the bureaus investigation should
come before the suit.
This indicates with certainty the
time when the matter was decided and
shows that II the matter did come be-
fore the cabinet at all it must have
been after September "a and on or
before November z. 1907. a period
when I was out of the country and
could not have been present, and GER
tainly could not have made Il motion
or suggestion in the cabinet that no
suit be prosecuted until after the in
suit has not been brought in this ad-
ministration against the. harvester
trust. A report made to me BY the
attorney general shows that shortly
after the decision by the supreme
court Of the Standard Oil and Tobacco
cases. the attorney general was about
to begin suit against the International
Harvester company when. Its repre-.
sehtatiYes requested an opportunity in
apparent good faith to submit q rea-
sonable plan of reorganization or dis
solution which would meet every lust
cause of complaint. With my appro.
val the attorney general: delayed
brtngink suit, pending the. considera.
tion of this proposition and during
negotiations which ensued looking to
the accomplishment Of such result.
These negotiations were delayed,
first by reason, Of the time required to
make an examination Of the books of
the Harvester company and second,
because Of delay in completing the re.
port of the examiners. due to the fact
that they were obliged to suspend
work on II In order to complete their
work on the steel trust Investigation.
These negotiations until April 81.
1912. when as have before mentioned
they came to a conclusion and 1t was
determined that no agreement could
be reached which the government
would accept; and on that date the
attorney general was directed to bring
suit.
William H. Taft"
REAE REVOLVER DUEL.
Martins Ferry. Ohio. April 2s.--In
a revolver duel here today before
many persons, Earl Shaffer. aged IS,
was instantly killed. and Philip Smith,
aged 25, SO badly wounded that he