New-York tribune., 1912-03-17
So Frank A. Munsey Is Said to
Have Replied to New Hamp-
shire Mans Appeal for
Information.
COLONEL'S DELAY FATAL
Publisher Asks Concord Alder
man to Give Out Complete Copy
of ofLetter, Saying Facts Were
Garbled-Calls Report
Utterly False"

A published report from Concord.
N. H. yesterday that a letter had been
received from Frank A. Munsey, one of
the stanchest of the Roosevelt support
ers which represented him as saying
that the colonel had entered the race
too late and that President Taft had
cinched the nomination" resulted in Mr..
Munseys making the entire correspond
ence public last night.
Mr.. Munsey said in the letter, which
was written in reply TO a request for an
opinion on the situation from Alderman
Fred ]. Blackwood, of Concord that ION
the face of it it lool-s like Taft" and
that Mr.. Roosevelts followers got
started much too late is a certainty"
But he also declared that Mr.. Roosevelt
was an exceptional man. who had the
people with him, that the people were
freer Of politicians than ever before and
that IL was going to be very pretty con-
test"
This letter may be taken as a frank
summing up of the situation from the
point of view of a man who has been in
the situation from the start and is in a
position TO make a careful analysis. Mr..
Munsey understood that the letter was
purely personal and was indignant that
anything in regard to it should have
been given cut for publication.
Roosevelt Started Too Late.
When Mr.. Munsey was asked last
night why he had stated in his letter to
Mr.. Blackwood that the Roosevelt fol-
lowers got started too late Mr.. Munsey
replied:
Because that is the fact. 1t is obvious
that the men interested in seeing Mr..
Roosevelt nominated could do nothing defi-
mite until they received the assurance from
Mr.. Roosevelt that he would accept the
nomination II II came to him. Without this
assurance nothing really could be done.
Asked why it was that Colonel Roose-
welt was so late in arriving at decision
TO become the candidate of his party if
the nomination came to him, Mr.. Nun
sey replied:
1t was not until he had becoIse con-
WINGED, by the many letters he received, by
tnc straw IHFOuBnOul the COuIlss
which showed Overwhelmingly for him,
and by the tender of the governors OF the
different states that he ought TO express
his willingness TO serve the people. UP 10
the time he felt positively sure about the
sentiment of the people he steadfastly re-
fused to make any move looking toward an
acceptance Of the nomination If It came To
him. This is not an idle answer. 1t car
ries the accuracy of one perfectly familiar
with the situation all the while.
Mr. Munseys letter to Mr.. Blackwood is
as follows:
Mr. Fred l. Blackwood, Concord Wood
working Company, Concord. y. h.
Dear Sir: Answering your letter OF Feb
ruary g. which went to Boston and was for
Warded TO me some time ago, there is not
much Of a definite nature that can say.
In fact. no one can predict with any con-
siderable certainty the outcome of the con-
test for the nomination. On the face OF IL,
II looks like Taft, as he has the organiza-
ton. the patronage, all the glamour and
glory OF the office, and is surrounded by
shtul politicians and is backed up by the
money forces of the country.
This looks like an almost insurmountable
combination to overcome, but against II
stands very exceptional man, who has the
PEOPLE with him. To whatever extent they
Will be able TO make effective their wishes,
no one at this point can give an intelligent
guess II is certain that the people them
selves are freer from the politicians than
ever before, and II is going 10 be a, very
pretty contest TO see whether they assert
themselves and compel the politicians, or
whether the politicians are dominant in the
field
That Mr. Roosevelt's followers got started
much too late Is a certainty. but they could
not do much until he reached the point
where he was willing TO say he would ac-
oept the nomination If 1t came TO him
Yours very truly,
FRANK A MUNSEY.
March 8, 1912.
How have you arrived at the con-
clusion that the people themselves are
freer from the politicians than ever be-
fore?" Mr. Munsey was asked He re-
piled:
II is an obvious certainty that the people
every kind OF intrenched power than ever
before They think and act as independent
beings, and unless / am very much mis-
taken will show some Of this independence
or thought and action in the coming polit-
cal struggle.
Explaining how he came TO take so keen
an interest in the campaign Mr.. Munsey
said
II is with me simply a question Of citi-
zenship and doing my part as citizen. a
serious responsibility rests upon us in TINS
70 fancy. The hundred millions are the
Worthwhile people not the intrencned
forces, politicians, capitalists or the IA
Vored few
Roosevelt's Real Strength.