Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-08-26
R. ANXIOUS
TO TELL STORY
Says "They PiIloried Me,
Then Got Afraid"


Oyster Bay, N. Y, Aug. 26.-Colone
Roosevelt. prevented from appearing IL
I person before the campaign contribu
ton committee Of the senate, addressed
a long letter replying oflcially to tn,
accusations made by Senator Penrost
and John D. Archbold Of the STANDARD
Oil company.
The ex-presi6ent has received no d.
rect answer to the telegram which he
sent asking the privilege Of testifylng.
He had heard, however, he said. that
Senator Clapp had vent word that 1t
would be impossible to get his com
mittee together In time to hear the
colonel today. Colonel Roosevelt com
planned bitterly over having lost the
chance to answer directly all the Ques-
tons which the investigating commit
tee could put to him.
Ready to Answer Questions.
He signided that the opportunity to
answer questions was one which he
always welcomed, and no had his en-
emies to blame, he said, for being de
prived Of this opportunity.
II feel that the committee ought not
to have gone away and let Archbold
go to Europe without taking any Of
his testimony on the really grave
charge and then failed to let me ap-
pear Immediately, knowing, as the
committee must know, what my later
engagements are" he snid.
They pilloried me and Their they got
afraid" he said, flushed with anger,
but they will find that they have pick,
ed up the wrong end Of the poker. /
shall, however, write Senator Clapp a
full statement Of some Of the things to
which l would have testified"
His letter will be begun forthwith,
the colonel says, and ought Il be com
pleted today or tomorrow. 1t will GOV
er the ground already gone over in his
recent statements, and will contain in
addition some letters o yet given out
which the president has discovered
bearing further on the relations which
existed between himself and the Stand.
ard Oil company during his admins
tration. 1t Is expected to shed some
light on the full aspect of the Roose-
welt campaign. Upon this last p~articu
lar the colonel was particularly insist.
ent. II he had gone to Washington, he
said, 1t was his purpose to tell the com
mittee just what his relations were
with ex-senator William Finn Of Penn
sylvania and George w. Perkins, all Of
which he was ready to explain.
incidentally l should like to say
he asserted, that they need not bother
about comforting additional powers
upon the committee to question me
about the primary campaign. Whether
or not they are given the power the
committee may put to me questions as
to anything of which l have knowledge
connected with the primary campaign.
or, Tor that matter, as to anything
which l have yer done as president or
in this campaign"
Not II thing has been done now
that was not done eight years ago, or
that l would not stand for now as
then. l suggest, however, that the
committee take up the primary cam
paigns OF all Of the other candidates
also If they desire to go into the matter
at ALL"
In connection with the charges which
had been made against him, Colonel
Roosevelt was DESTROYS that his an.
swer should not be misunderstood. as
was the case in his controversy with
Judge Parker, At that time, he said,
his point was not that money had not
been received from big corporations,
but that money had not been receiyed
with an improper understanding. As
regards Senator Penrose's present
charge his position, as well as Mr..
Cortelyou's, was not that no Standard
Oil contribution had peer received,
but that II such were the case neither |
he nor Mr.. Cortelyou had any knowl.
edge Of 1t.
R%sitsratss IT'S a Fabrication.
LET me repeat" he continued, that
if any contribution .Iss received from
the Standard OIL company it was
against my explicit and reiterated
prohibition. l saw Mr.. Cortelyou last
evening. He told me that he had never
heard Mr.. Archbold's name mentioned
in any connection and hat as regards
himself the whole story is a fabrica.
ton out OF the whole cloth, as of
course 1t Is about me.
Not to permit me to go and testify
today" he complained, amounts. a.
the Democratic and Republican friends
Of Mr.. Penrose, Mr.. Lorimer and Mr..
Acchbold In the senate Of course know.
to rendering 1t almost impossible for
me to appear later without causing the
most serious %dislocation of the an.
nounced and arranged plans.
The incident Ii especially pigni6.
said the colonel, las showing
tho way that the interests for whom
Mr.. Penrose and Mr.. ArchboId and
like speak have Joined In tho as
on the Progressives and on me.
They are entirely willing to see either
Of the two old political machines tri-
umph because they control both. Their