Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-30
ROOSEVELT IN
BITTER SPEECH
ASSA|LS TAFT
Deliberate Misrepresenta-
tions, Betrayal of People
and Outraging Of Canons
Of Decency, Alleged.

Worcester. Mass, April 27.-Merci-
less denunciation of President TAFT
was Colonel Roosevelt reply last
night to the presidents attack upon
him Thursday. Some of Colonel
Roosevelt's assertions were: -
That President Taft had not given
the people Of the country Square
DEAL" but that owing to quality OF
feebleness" he had yielded to the
bosses and the great privileged Inter
ests.''
That one part Of the presidents at
tack upon him was ''the crookedest
kind Of a deal' and deliberate misrep-
resentation."
Gives Lie to TAFT.
That the president 'had not m erely
in thought, word and deed been dis
loyal to our past friendship, but has
been disloyal to every canon OF ordin-
airy decency and fair dealing, such as
should obtain even in dealing with a
mans bitterest opponents
That the presidents statement re-
garding the influence Of federal office
holders in the campaign was mot
only an untruth, but it is an absurd
untruth:'
That Mr.. Taft convicted himself OF
insincerity when he signed the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill.
That in speaking of Colonel Roose-
velts' position in regard to the trust
problem, President Taft sis himself
guilty of crooked deal
Merciless to TAFT.
Colonel Roosevelt took up President
Taft's attack on him point by point,
f1aying the president in one scathing
sentence after another.
When Colonel Roosevelt reached
here, at the beginning OF his Massa-
chusetts trip, he found the streets
thronged. A band and a torchhght
procession escorted him to Mechanics
hall. where he delivered his main
speech Later he addressed an over
flow meeting.
Colonel Roosevelt in part said
an this campaign l regard the is-
sues at stake as altogether too import
ant to permit It to be twisted into one
Of personalities between President
Taft and myself. But MIR. Tafts
speeches yesterday contained state
ments that l must answer. Most CT
what he said needs no comment from
me. when. for instance, he said that
I have endeavored to minimize the
Importance of my Columbus speech, ne
says what he must know to be untrue:
he cannot have read my Carnegie hall
speech, before the Massachusetts low
or house, my MONDAY speech at st.
Louis, my Philadelphia and Pittsburg
and Louisville speeches, without know
ing that I have elaborated and en-
phasized what I said at Columbus.
Says Course Is Hypoeritical.
again. when Mr.. Taft in any speech
speaks of me directly or obliquely as
q neurotic, Or demagogue, or in SINH
lar terms. shall say nothing, except
that to point out that if he is obliged
to use such language he had better
preserve his own self respect by not
protesting that it gives him pain to do
so. No man resorts to epithets like
these if it really gives him pain to use
them. I have never alluded to him IN
terms even remotely resembling these.
have never quoted his private letters,
or private communications. have dis,
cussed exclusively his public actions.
Even where I was obliged to be severe
was always parliamentary, and never
hypocritical. Nor dor1 intend today to
deviate from this standard. although
the presidents speech makes 1t nee
essary for me to speak more plainly
on certain subjects than I have yet
spoken"
TrifIes With Intelligence.
Colonel Roosevelt referred to PTesl'
| dent Taft's explanation Of his state.
ment that ours Is government OF all
the people by representative part
| Of the people"
For him to try" said Colonel
Roosevelt, Ito escape the consequences
of his statements by saying that ne
alluded only to women and children
is trifling with the intelligence Of the
| people. TO speak Of such action on
his part as square deal Is itse11
| the crcokedest kind Of deal. He ID
/ trying to dodge the consequences o.
his statement by deliberate misrepre
sentation of that statement"
Colonel Roosevelt defined the politi
! cal 'boss'' as 1.-The man responsible
for the alliance between crooked
politics and crooked business. which
of the corruption In American politi
! Cal lie.
t1f there is any such man among
my supporters" he continued, II dc
; not know him. Mr.. Taft says that Mr.
Finn Of Pittsburgh is very bad boss
! There is an element Of grim comedy
in Mr.. Taft weeping over the thought
of Pennsylvania being put under the
rule of boss through Mr.. Penrose
being ousted from control Of the party
organization
Says Taft Forsakes People.
The bosses, Colonel Roosevelt de
clared; we're on the presidents side
"Mr. Taft says" he continued, "that
in my various campaigns l accepted
the assistance Of these bosses. So
did when they chose to 60 my way
and to support the cause of the people
The trouble with Mr. Taft is that he
gets their assistance at the price o.
going their way and opposing the
cause of the people.
"Mr. Taft said yesterday that new
err in thought, word or deed had hi
been disloyal In his friendship FOL
me. 1t is hard for me to answer sucf
la statement save by calling II the