New-York tribune., 1912-02-14
ROOSEVELT WILL NOT
RUN, SAYS MACVEAGH
He Declares the Ex-PreSIdent
Has Taken Himself Out OF
This Years Race.
ANOTHER TIME, PERHAPS
He Denounces the Anything to
Beat Taft" Movement, and
Says It Cannot Deceive
Mr.. Roosevelt.

Lansing, Mich, Feb. l3.-bfankhn MAJ
Veagh, Secretary Of the Treasury, SPEAK
ing here tonight at the annual dinner OF
the Zach" Chandler Republican CluD'
came out fatty with the expressed behei
that Theodore Roosevelt would not-and,
with his makeup, could not-run against
Taft" for the Republican Presidential NOM
ination this year.
Secretary MacVeagh confined his conn-
dence to the present contest, however. in
timatlng that there might come a time
when the former President would be jusu-
fed in re-entering Presidential race.
Averrng that Colonel Roosevelt had placed
himself out Of the Presidential arena oy
his declaration of 1904, the Secretary said
] believe the anything to beat Tart
people will never succeed in getting Roose-
Welt TO lead them. They are dealing IN
this phase of their movement with one
who knows politics, and with a man VINO
has a wealth of great things OF the past
TO look after. to cherish and 10 protect
They are dealing with a man Who pehe-
trates political DISCUSSES and estimates po-
litical forces They are dealing with man
who knows political movements When ne
sees them-to whom they are fanllar
things They are dealing with man VINO
has background, and who has the inallen-
able duty to himself and to MS country
to protect his fame. A third term-eyen II
third term were legiumatized BY the
authority of unanimous demand of the
people-would be of far less value TO him
than the undmmcd record OF thc two
terms he has served. | was an uncom-
promising Roosevelt man when Roosevelt
was President; and / am his political friend
to-day.
Roosevelt Net To Be Deceived.
, And II is because | have so long trusted
his political and patriotic instincts that
have not wavcred in my belief that Roose-
welt would nOt-and with his makeup
run against Taft He knows what the
record of this administration is, both as
respects the policies that he bequeathed 10
II and as respects the policies that have
been added and made part of the rec
ord. And he knows, as well as you know
for no mind is a keener Interpreter OF
American politics than his has always
been-that ii would be impossible to say OF
such an unimpeachable record as Taft's
that II can be made an excuse for lending
his aid to an ill-timed opposition.
The record OF Taft cannot be impeached
before the people And Roosevelt is not
as ! measure him, the man to De caught
with the thin chafT of a thin opposition
movement There is no progressive crisis
in the Republican party, and no progres.
slve quality in the .,anything TO beat TAFT. y
Ey Eyerythins under Taft is going forward -
not backward. And as TO this the. people
c3 mot be fooled And. least Of all, | be.
lieve. will Roosevelt be fooled.
Moreover, Roosevelt has laid down the
course OF his future political career. He
stated himself cut OF the Presidential arena
when he made his declaration in 1904. And
he will not come back into it-and surely
he ought not 10 come back into ito con-
Fictitious revolt, nor for any but some
imperative reason which viii incontestably
justify. in the calm judgment OF all high
minded men, the change OF a deliberate
high conviction and the withdrawal Of Il
deliberate, profound promise II may be
difficult 10 explain away the present ap-
pearances created by Roosevelts silences
and the vOlubllitieS OF his lnSurgent visit
ors; but that. TO my mind. Is not so dim
cult as Il is to believe that Roosevelt would
accept a nomination this year under any
conceivable circumstances. For It must DC
admitted that nothing short or national
cr!sis-such as may come I'm the future, but
is not within the range of sane imaGina-
tion now-would ever be accented as JUS
tifcation for such change OF front-and
this Roosevelt must know.
Secretary MacVeagh undertook to define
what Is a Progressive?' giving to Presi-
dent Taft that title. and calling the Re
publican insurgents reactIonaries. His con-
cll sions regarding Republican Progressves
were summarized in these words:
We have to-day a Progressive admins
tration and a Progressive President: and
nave a ledtlOUdIS OpbbSiAlil WllIlil
the ctiorary. Notwithstanding the
honest belief of those who are carrying
n on that they are Progressiyes and not
reactionaries at all.
MIR. MacNeagh asserted that President
Taft had assumed and had been faithful
to the policies of his predecessor-"the
platform Of the Progresslves in the Repub-
IIcan party"-augmenting them by another
distinguished list OF great policies Of his
own" and added:
Taft and Roosevelt have been two emf
nont Presidents; and their administrations
nonnnlement each other, and are practically
on" Roosevelt came first. as he should
have come and Taft came next, as he
.%onId have come. Roosevelt blazed the
wsv and Taft has made that way high
way. ,, l....,,, 4, .,t..
beadway with La Toilette or Cummns
because they failed TO touch the national
imaCination. the Insurgents looked about
again and then thought OF Roosevelt. This
happy-go-lucky Roosevelt
movement IS the latest way ito beat Tart.
II il the new club, the new bludgeon. Why
they should wish to beat Tart at all Is
beyond reasonable human comprehension.
Tbev don't want to nominate La Toilette
or Gummins or Roosevelt. The anything
70 heat Taft" movement was begun as a
yendetta-and II has more or less Oh that
blood -the-eye character stu.