Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-03

the agreement.
II submit that Mr.. Roosevelt
course on reciprocity Is not in accor'
with the square deal.
Answers Fraud Charges.
President Taft next referred to MI
Roosevelt's charges that the presiden
had "been receiving stolen goods ant
had profited "by the use Of dirty in
struments' to secure delegates.
mo instance" said the president
"has been brought to my attention II
which the specifications Of fraud hav'
been sustained by any evidence what
ever. The charges made by Senato
Dixon as to Kentucky in a hysterica
and insulting open letter to me wer'
shown to be wholly without founda
ton in the Kentucky convention ant
by the statement of Senator Deboe."
Mr. Taft said that IL there had beer
fraud in the New York primaries tht
courts were open to the Roosevelt sup
porters for redress. They failed, M
said, to take advantage of this fact.
He inferred from this that the
charges of fraud elsewhere likewise
had no real foundation. 1t was the
policy Of the Roosevelt campaign tc
claim everything and to meet adverse
reports by charges Of frauds and BY
"trumped-up contests"
AS to Mr.. Roosevelt's charges Of the
shameless" use of Federal patronage
by the president, Mr.. Taft said that
706 Of the Federal officeholders now
in the service were appointees Of
Mr.. Roosevelt, and as natural result
q large percentage Of them favored
the former president for renomina-
ton. No man, he said, had been dis
missed because he favored Mr.. Roose-
welt, and there was every indication
that at the Chicago convention the
influence Of the Federal officeholders
would be less effective for any one
candidate than ever before in the his
tory of the party.
Mr.. Taft said Mr.. Roosevelt was not
only enjoying the support Of the many
Federal officeholders, but the patron
age Of a number Of state governors,
which was being used for him
with business-like manipulation that
lacks nothing in effectiveness" He
said the patronage Of Gov. Hadley OF
Missouri, of Gov. Stubbs Of Kansas,
Gov. Glasscock in West Virginia, Gov.
Osborn in Michigan and Gov Johnson
in California all was being used for
Mr.. Roosevelt.
Dealing with Mr.. Roosevelts
charges that in his administration Mr..
Taft had deserted the Progressives
and become a reactionary, the presi-
dent said that it was on Mr.. Roose-
velt's advice that he had his first
meeting with Speaker Cannon.
Roosevelt Set Example.
"I had been afraid that Mr.. Cannon
might oppose a revision Of the tarifI
and looked about Immediately after
my selection to see whether 1t would
be possible to secure votes enough In
the caucus to elect another speaker. ]
found that It was not. At the request
Of President Roosevelt, / had an In
terview with Mr.. Cannon, in which he
agreed he would help redeem the
promises Of the Republican platform.
This arrangement with Mr.. Cannon
was with the knowledge and emphatic
of Mr. Roosevelt"
Speaking Of the Payne tariff bill Mr..
Taft again defended his course In
signing it and declared that to have
vetoed it would have broken up the
Republican party.
HAS Mr.. Roosevelt ever condemned
the Payne bill?" he asked. Does he
say he would not have signed 1t II 1t
had been presented to him under con-
ditions that it had to meet? He has
never said that as far as know, and
the New York platform Of 1910.
adopted by the convention Of which he
was a part, indorsed the pending bill
and approved its passage. Is 1t a
square deal, therefore, for him to
charge me with not being a Progress
i've when all that I did was to deal
with the party as 1t was in congress
and to get as much as I could Of the
legislation promised out Of that party,
torn as it was by faction OF course,
I conferred with the regular Republi-
can leaders in the senate and the
house, and through them we redeem
ed the promises Of the Republican
platform to an extent that no political
platform had ever been redeemed be-
fore.
I'm all Mr.. Roosevelt's history he
never failed to use as instruments for
his purpose those whom he found in
power. Indeed, throughout his life. he
has defended that course as the only
sensible course to pursue. I have
merely followed his example and do
not hesitate to point with satisfaction
to the legislation which has been en-
acted in my three years."
Mr.. Taft referred to the strengthen
ing of the interstate commerce act
Certain amendments suggested by the
administration were defeated. These
Mr.. Roosevelt had de-
nounced as vicious. AS a matter OF
fact, Mr.. Taft said, all the things con-
tanned in these amendments "had
been recommended by Mr.. Roosevelt
and had been promised in the plat
form of the Republican party"
"In view Of his support Of these
very provisions in his messages and
elsewhere" said the president, "is 1t a
square deal for him now to describe
them as victims?"
Mr.. Taft warmly defended the COM
merce court, saying it had reduced ju-
dicial delays from two years to six
months. If it exceeded it's jurisdiction
or made a wrong decision, he said, the
supreme court was at hand to remedy
It, If the commerce court were abol-
ished the cases brought before it would
again be thrown by the railroads into
sixty or seventy United States courts
all over the country, with consequent