The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-19
WHY COLONEL IS REAL
MAD AT HIS old FRIEND
Because President Would Not
Appoint F. B. Kellogg.

Because President Taft refused to
opoint Frank B. Kellogg OF st. Paul
to place in his cabinet, is said
to be The real cause of the break
between the president and Colonel
/ Roosevelt This is the story told by
i The Saturday Evening Post:
The article, THE Senator's Secre,
tary" tells how Mr.. Roosevelt and
President Taft were virtually agreed
on MIR. Kellogg for the position. Mr..
! Roosevelt was intimate with Mr.. Kel-
leGg greatly admired the work he
i had done in the Standard Oil case
and was most anxious that he should
i have the place. President Taft seem
ed inclined to make the appointment,
according to the article. Then a
friend of Mr. Roosevelt, who attend
ed the dinner of the Gridiron club
/ on December II, 1908, ut the New
/ Willard hotel. learned indirectly that
| Mr.. Taft did not intend to appoint
/ Mr.. Kellogg The friend took this in
/ formation to Mr.. Roosevelt who was
! still president.
Colonel Got Real Angry.
The article reads by Godfred.'
shouted President Roosevelt, ''well
see about that"
He called in Secretary Loeb, and
instructed Loeb to get in commune
cation with Mr.. Taft by long-dis-
tance telephone and to ask Mr.. Taft
! to stop in Washington on his way
! back to Georgia. They got Taft to
! the telephone and it was arranged
that Taft should stop over for a
night in Washington instead of going
| straight back to Georgia,
1T may be remembered that there
was some newspaper speculation be-
cause Mr. Taft. on Thursday, De-
cember II, 1908. stopped over night
/ at the White House with President
1 Roosevelt instead of carrying out his
/ announced plan of going back TO
} Georgia without stopping at Wash
i ington Mr. Taft did stay over night
at the White House on that date.
and the reason he stayed over night
was because President Roosevelt
asked him TO. And The reason
President Roosevelt asked him to
was because President Roosevelt
wanted to find out about the appoint
ment of Kellogg as attorney gem
eral.
Taft Would Not Give Way.
president Roosevelt demanded the
appointment of Kellogg. lie went
so far as to say he understood Mr..
Taft had virtually promised the place
to him for kellogg. Mr.. Taft called
the attention of Mr.. Roosevelt to
the fact that he had not promised
the place TO Kellogg. that he had lis
tened to the Endorsements OF Kel
logg by Mr.. Roosevelt and others
and had taken the matter under adj
ysement. He said bluntly to Mr..
Roosevelt that he had made no def.
mite promise, and that if Mr. Roose,
welt had that impression from his
conversations about Kellogg it was
an erroneous impression.
Moreover. Mr.. Taft said he did
not intend to appoint Mr.. Kellogg.
He said he had the highest admira.
ton for Kellogg's abilities as law
yer and for the work he had done
and was doing in the Standard Oil
case. but he did not think it wise
to have as attorney general in his
cabinet a man identified with
prosecution then in progress. lie
intended to continue Mr.. Kellogg in
the Standard Oil case. of course, and
was confident of his success; but he
desired to keep him where he was
and not take him into the cabinet.
Besides he wanted as attorney gen
cral lawyer who was not identified
with any of the cases then pending,
in order that he might be free to
carry out the plans he (TafD had
in mind as to other legal policies of
the government.
Taft Was Nice and Polite.
Colonel Roosevelt urged Mr.. Taft
to reconsider and name Kellogg, but
Mr.. Taft refused There was no an
ger in the conference. Both men
were pleasant ana polite ana D0tn
firm, but Colonel Roosevelt was dis
appointed and, to tell the truth,
shocked"
The article says that President
Taft made several other appoint
ments which were in the line of Mr..
Roosevelt's wishes, and continues:
"Stil the rejection of Kellogg milf.
ed President Roosevelt Also it led
to other evidences of cross purposes
not friction. perhaps, but irritation
on the part of Roosevelt at least. |
1t was the beginning of the break |
"On March 3, 1909. the day be.
fore Mr.. Roosevelt left the White |
House. a friend called on him-an
intimate personal friend. They dis
cussed Mr.. Taft.
"Hc isn't acting right said Mr.. |
Roosevelt
"Pshaw, Theodore." said the friend, |