The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-27

complaining OF these things; l care
nothing for Mr.. Tafts personal atti-
tude toward me: I allude to it only
in passing and merely because Mr.. Taft
lays such emphasis on the matter
The speaker turned to reciprocity,
saying:
Mr.. Taft says that I changed front
on the reciprocity measure. This is I'M
true. He publishes a letter Of mine
in answer to a letter of his marked
CONFIDENTIAL incidentally. one of the
objectionable sins on the part of any
man calling himself a gentleman is to
publish confidential correspondence
without permission. AS to this 1 care
nothing, but I warn Mr.. Taft in dis
cussingA negotiations with a foreign
power, 1T is we'll not to publish such
expressions as that in his letter about
making Canada only an adjunct of the
United States. In this letter I told
him that 1 would support his recipro-
city position. 1 did loyalty support 1t
IN several different speeches. At first
l took the agreement on the faith of
Mr.. Iaft representation. Later. when
L came to look the matter up, how
ever became convinced that the re-
clproclty agreement as passed by Mr..
1aIt was unwise and undesirable, be-
cause 1t improperly sacrificed the in
terests or our farmers and fishermen
ana because 1t carried indefensible ac-
ton on paper. Nevertheless, because l
had stated that I would support the
treaty, l said not one word against it
until It was dead. Even then I de-
cllneo 10 speak on the subject until in
several states Mr.. Taft's managers
themselves with what can only char
acterlze as objectionable basenesS, be-
gan TO circulate the fact of my sup
port OF Mr.. Taft's proposal as a rea-
son why I should not be nominated.
Makes Charge of Falsehood.
Mr.. Taft says that the influence of
federal officeholders in the Chicago
convention this year will be less eff
pe1ore IN the history of the party. This
Is not only an untruth, but it is an
ABSURD untruth- Never in 80 years
close observation have I seen such
scandalous abuse of the patronage as
of this year.
Some of the abuse of patronage has
been done directly by Mr.. Taft him
self, as in the case of the various
North Carolina nominations. Moreover,
does Mr.. Taft think that the people have
forgotten the letter his secretary sent
out as to restoring to insurgent sena-
tors the patronage of which he had
deprived them? Having all these facts
IN view. 1T is simply astounding that
Mr. Taft should venture the assertion
that he has not used the federal pat
ronage to defraud politics.
Mr.. Taft states that 1 advised him
to have a meeting with Cannon. I ad-
Vised him to meet everyone, to consult
with everyone, to try to get on with
everyone. But no less emphatically 1
advised him to follow my example, to
consult freely with all the politicians
and to try to get on with them, but
where the politicians split off from the
people then to stand with the people,
and not with the politicians; and it is
precisely this that he failed to do.
1T is most curious thing that Mr..
FTNsaf -hn it,
not having assailed him about the
Payne tariff law. As a matter of fact,
have eagerly endeaVored to praise
Mr.. Taft wherever I possibly could
and 1 have merely kept silent where
disag greed. AS he now insists that I
should break silence about the tariff
law, 1 will say that I hold him culpa-
bly, responsible for having led the peo-
pie to believe that he favored a sub
stantial downward revision and that
he would work actively for it, and for
then having sat supinely by and al
lowed his new friends, under the lead
ership of Messrs. Aldrich and Cannon,
to produce a bill which made him con-
Wet himself of insincerity when he
signed 1T"
Turning to President Taft's state
ment in regard to a third term, Col.
Roosevelt declared that the danger lay
only in more than two consecutive
terms, which might afford opportunity
for the executive to entrench himself
in power.
''Mr. Taft, without my permission"
he continued, has quoted entire let
tiers from me written in answer to let
tiers of his which were marked Con-
fidential.' I shall so far avail myself
of his example as to quote four lines
of a letter from him to me which was
not marked 'Confidential.' 1t was
written shortly after he became presi-
dent. 1t runs:
Quotes Private Letter.
"'I can never forget that the power
I now exercise was voluntarily trans
ferred from you to me, and that I am
under obligation to you to see to it
that YOUR judgment in selecting me as
your successor and bringing about the
succession shall be indicated, accord
ing to the standards which you and
in conversation have always formu-
lated It is a bad trait to bite the hand
that feeds you.
mo other man in this country was
as much interested as 1 was in having
Mr.. Taft succeed. No other man with
nv principles and convictions has sup
ported him for so long time and has
so bitterly regretted being unable to
support him for longer time L
eagerly sought every opportunity to
stand by him and long after felt deep
in my heart that he was unfit to lead
his people I refused to acknowledge
the fact to myself, and struggled to
convince myself that he was fit, and
cIutched at every opportunity to back
him up.
Until less than a year ago, kept
desperately hoping that Mr.. Taft at
least would show himself reasonably
fit for the task before him, or that If
he failed, someone else would rise to
whom the people could turn. Re
Iuctantly 1 made up my mind that Mr..
Taft could not do the task, and I be-
came convinced that the people of the
great west felt that I would be untrue
to them if I refused to act as their
standard bearer.
81 do not think that Mr.. Taft means
i'll. I think he means well. But he
means well feebIY and during his adj