Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-03-06
Was A willing SUBJECT
SAID HE WAS WILLING TO LAY
DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE
"DEER PEPuL."
he HAD ENOUGH HONOR
Declares the People Have Decided lie
Is the Right and Only Man 10 Hold
Down the Job.

NEW YORK, March 5.--To clear up
conflicting statements as to what he
had said in the past In regard to the
presidential nomination, Colonel Roos-
evelt today made public letter which
he wrote last January to Frank A..
Munsey, the publisher.
Coloney Rooseyelts object In CIV
ing out the communication, he said
was to refute the charge that he was
breaking a promise in agreeing to ac-
cept the nomination If it We're offered
him.
He called particular attention to a
passage in the letter which, while
stating that he would not be candi-
date, he declared that he would not
80 on record as being unwilling to ac-
cept the nomination.
The portion of the Munsey's letter
TO which the colonel called particular
attention follows:
Told Only His FRIENDS.
what | said to you, and am about
to say to you, have for instance said
not only to other friends (and even
fees), who think | ought not to be
nominated, provided only I could
trust their sincerity, intelligence and
truthfulness. For instance, | have
said the same thing to Secretary SIM
son, Secretary Meyer and Congress-
man Longworth, who are supporting
Taft; to Mr.. Pinchot and Congressman
Lenroot and Kent, who are support
ing LaFollette. / am not and shall
not be a candidate | shall not seek
the nomination nor would j accept it
IL II came to me as the result of an In
tr1gue. But | will not tie my hands by
statement which would make it
difficult or impossible for me to serve
the pubic by undertaking a great task
Of the people as a whole seemed defin-
iIely to come to the conclusion that
ought to do that task. AS far as in
me lies, endeavoring to look at this
matter purely from the standpoint Of
the public interest, or the interest a
the people as a whole and not in The
least from my own standpoint.
Had all the Honor.
"If should consult my own pleas
ure and interests / should most en-
phatically and Immediately announce
that | would under no circumstances
run. / have had all the honor that
any man can have from holding the
office of president. From every per-
sonal standpoint there Is nothing for
me to gain either in running for the
office or in holding the office once
more and there is very much to lose.
Under no circumstances, If i con-
sidered my own interest the obvious
thing to do would be to announce that
! would not obey any popular man
date that would not run If nomnat-
ed. 1 shall not follow this course be-
cause / am sincerely endeavoring to |
look at the matter only from the |
standpoint Of the popular interest. It
is only necessary for the people to
have the right instrument, the right |
tool with which to work in any given |
emergency, but it is necessary that
they themselves shall choose and |
shall believe In the sufflciency of that |
instrument. II at this particular cri-
sis with the particular problems ahead
of us at this particular time the peo-
pie feel that I am the one man in
sight to do the job, then | should re-
gard myself as shlrking plain duty
if | refused to do it.
A Little EgOtism.
what I am interested in, remem-
Der, is not in the least In holding the
office, but doing a job that is actually
worth doing; this is the position that
to the best of my belief | have always
taken and always shall take. IL tho
people should feel that / was the in
strument to be used at this time, /
should accept even though l know
that l should be broken and cast aside
In the using. The right motto for any
man is Spend and be spent and IL
in order to do job worth doing from
the public standpoint he must pay
with hi sown life, actual life on the
field of battle or political life in civic
afafirs, he must not grudge the pay
ment In short l am not concerned
with the welfare OF any one man In l.
this matter, not with Mf Taft's well
fare nor Mr.. LaFollette's and least of
all with my own; am concerned only
with the welfare Of the people of the
United States"
Now your point Is that when l
feel thus / ought to be willing to
state openly what I feel instead OF
answering what 1 have hitherto an
swered to those who have asked me
would accept the nomina-
ton that in the words that Abraham