New-York tribune., 1912-01-04
nNothinq but Death Can Keep
Me Out of the Fight Now"
He Says, Setting RumorS
at Rest.
BEASSURES HIS FRIENDS
President Does Not Believe
Roosevelt Ever Said Health
Might Cause His With
drawal-Makes Own
Position Clear.
TFrom The Tribune Bureau J

Washington, Jan o'T 4 iOSiO''
took occasion to-day TO relieve the mihuS
=, many of his friends who may have
,.en anxious lest he should be wavering
4, his intention to remain candidate
,or denomination. The President made
q nerfectlv clear that he was in the hghI
% stay and that there was no ground
to, anprebension that his health or thaI
80 orv member of his family would
.ooLe II necessary for him to Withdraw
from the race.
oNothing but death can keep me out
- tho fight now" the President is quot"
Al as having said to one of his callers.
President Taft has no idea whatever
.hat ev-President Roosevelt ever gave
the interview credited TO him. In "hich
ne was made to say that possibly the
health of the President or that OF some
,nenoher Of his family would lead to Mr.
Taft's withdrawing from the race MT.
Taft believes that Colonel Roosevelt Is
far roo manly TO have said anything OF
the kind. Nevertheless, in view of the
fact that Colonel Roosevelt has deemed
(, wise not 10 deny the interview, Mr.
Taft has thought it only fair 10 MS
friends TO make his own position per-
fectly clear.
II was not until some of the party
leaders went to the President and told
hin that such a suggestion, credited to
Colonel Roosevelt and undenied in any
quarter might do harm. and would al
most inevitably tend to discourage some
of the Taft workers, that Mr.. Taft con-
sented to say anything at ALL except
that he did not for a moment believe
the authenticity OF the alleged inter
view.
"Quotinq Roosevelt" OVerdone.
Quoting Roosevelt" has, in fact, come
10 be the approved method Of starting
political gossip in Washington. and were
II not that many of those who seek 10
lend undue importance to their own
words by attributing them TO the eX-
President seriously everyday the game
there might be much deep indignation
toward Mr.. Roosevelt on the part of
those friendly TO the President. But
many do everyday their hands and make
il patent by the words they attribute to
Mr.. Roosevelt that not only are they
misouoting him but that they do not
even know him we'll enough TO he famil-
lar with his peculiarities Of speech. IL
the ex-Presldent could know all the
men who pretend to quote him, who as
sert that they have spent half the night
with him discussing his political future
and who make categorical assertions OF
what he has told them, he would i'm
mediately have to make additions to the
Ananas Club which would more than
double its capacity.
For instance, one prominent memCer
Of the Republican National Committee
came TO the meeting in Washington and
solemnlv asserted that he had spent the
greater part Of a night with Mr.. Roose-
velt that Mr. Roosevelt had told pm
that under no circumstances would ne
take himself out Of the Presidential
equation. and that it was more than pos
sible that he would be a candidate for
the nOmlDdllOH DelOiS tiS H"''N4'''' ~
yention.
Their came another member OF me
national committee who asserted that
he had enjoyed an equally long con-
ference with the ex-President. who had
replied repeatedly to the suggestion that
the convention was likely to nominate
him whether or no with the words
they better not" and had finally said:
well if they do, they will merely have
10 meet again and nominate some one
else, for | won't take II"
c course, the probabilities are that
Mr. Roosevelt did not make any Of these
statements attributed to him, but that
each member of the committee went to
see him imbued with an idea o. where
ne stood, that he made some such sas-
gestion to Mr.. Roosevelt, and that Ee-
cause he did not care to deny it the colh-
mitteeman came away persuaded that
the ex-President had said just what he
had expected him to say.
No Message to Oyster Bay Probable.
The suggestion has been made that
President Taft might follow the course
which MIR. Roosevelt pursued with Sen
ator Hanna in 1904 and send some mes
sage to oyster Bay TO the effect that
"he who is not with me is against me-
There is not, however, the slightest
probability that President Taft VIII do
anything of the kind, particularly at this
time
The famous Roosevelt Hanna message
was sent just on the eve OF the ONO
state convention, when the time had
come that a declaration from Mr. Hanna
was of the utmost importance. Now
however. as was pointed out in these
dispatches this morning. the talk of the
possible nomination Of Mr.. Roosevelt Is
proving most useful to Mr.. Taft, for 1t
is Kidding the Republican party OF all
sporadic and parasitic growths. That OF
itself would be quite sufficient to prevent
Mr. Taft taking such step as Mr..
Roosevelt took in the spring Of 1901.
Their, too. there are intimate friends
OF both MIR. Taft and Mr.. Roosevelt who
are confident that in due time Mr..
Roosevelt will show that he Is free from
any hostility to Mr.. Taft. and their iniiu-
ence will be exerted to prevent any step
on either side which would make rec
onclliation between these two statesmen
an impossibllity
AZ Is known that Colonel Roosevelt has