The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-07

statement as to my advocacy of MT. Stim- son for governor of New York in 1910.
 Reluctant to Enter
 Tn that. contest, as in this. I was ex- ceedingly reluctant to be drawn into it. In that contest, as in this, l acted only from a sense of duty to the people as a whole and in that contest l was assailed with precisely the same arguments by the great majority of those who are now assailing me.
 "As for the question concerning who are forcing me into the arena the an swer is easy" he said. (Which side is making the demand for open primaries and which side is stifiing this demand wherever possible, refusing to accede to it save under compulson and trusting to the use of patronage, and to those very machine leaders who have turned a com plete somersault as regards the President during the last four years?
 Touches on Primaries
 "These leaders are managing the cam paign against me, and if they were de- liberately trying to wreck the republican party they would follow precisely the tactics they have been following tactics which make it seem that they would rath- CT see the republican party defeated than sea 1t restored to what it was under Lincoln, and see it become again the genuine party of the people," he con- tinued. We stand for direct presidential preferent primaries everywhere. If our opponents wish the people to have their say let them support real primary bills.
 ''If in open primaries without coercion or fraud, without pressure brought by the use of patronage or by the promise or by the withholding of patronage the plain people of the republican party de- sire that they do not wish me to be nominated, then most certainly I do not wish the nomination; if they declare they do wish me, not in my interest. but in the interest of the people as a whole. then as l have already said, will accept and strive to serve the people with all of whatever power I possess
 Serves as Juror
 After spending half the morning in the courthouse ex-President Roosevelt was told by Judge Putnam that he had ex- cused the jurors for the rest of the court day. He left immediately for Oyster Bay.
 For the first time in his life Colonel Theodore Roosevelt today served as a juror and at the county court here he is earning s3 per day.
 It was improbable that the ex-Presi- dent would be called to sit on a case tOudy, llo but bttdusS LHe present case might be completed in time to necessitate the selection of another jury the jurors. including Mir. Roosevelt, were not excused. The ex-President had to pass away the minutes the best he could.
 He wAs led into the grand jury room. where he settled down in chair with a book.
 He was annoyed by the persistent attention of the camera photographers following him at every step
 Its awful hard" he said, "to smile and look pleasant when your picture is taken so often."
 Friends of Medil Mccormick declared tonight that there was no basis for an intimation which had appeared in dis patches from the west with reference to the Roosevelt candidacy that MT. Me Cormick was connected in any way with the International Harvester company He belongs to branch of the family in no way affiliated with that corporation, it was explained.