Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-10-13
FRIEND OF The TRUST
Charges the Colonel of Protecting the
Trusts While lie Was in
Office.

Hpuse OF representatives. Commit
tee on Foreign Affairs, OF Plymouth,
England, September l2, l912.-Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, oyster Bay, n. Y.
Dear Sir: In the newspapers OF Sep
tember 5-the morning / sailed for
Europe-you are reported as having
used the following language In a
speech delivered at Des Moines, la,
O-wit:
II see Mr.. ts-hisname. that
congressman from 81. Louis, Bartholdt
he is one Of the highwaymen-has
asked Mr.. Cummins to debate tho
Texas, California and Washington con
tests at Chicago. ! hope MIR. Cum
Minis will refuse. for the reason that |
wouldn't debate with pickpOcket tho
ownership of a watch he has just
stolen. If the police are handy ri
hand him over TO them. If they are
not I'll tend TO him myself. Any man.
any candidate for governor or other
Office who has knowledge Of the facts
and supports Mr.. Taft gives us the
right to say that he Is not competent
to pass upon honesty in public life"
Il shall not attempt 10 answer you
in Kind, as TO do so would mean to
stoop TO the level of the cowboy in
speech and manners. with apologies Co
the cowboy. Nor shall / discuss with
| YOU the merits of the Chicago contests
cor your repeated fulminatlons on this
subject show you to be either guilty
of persistent prevarication or else in
nocent of all knowledge Of the facts
concerning II, In assuming the latter
everybody will admit that In the face
of the printed evidence. / am takins
"A charitable view. And just one mora
word on this score. After your ,iefea;
| IN November when you Will have leis-
/ ure to study the record you will finu
that every delegate who was seated nj
Chicago by decision first Of he III hon
al committee, then of the committee
on credentials. and finally of he con.
vention itself, was honestly entitlcl TO
| his seat. This has not Deen rllc, as
YOU will know, of all national conven.
! tions held by either party in the past,
|
4 ton OF 1912. The situation VA so
serious as to discourage at the utse@
lany political trickery, ID all nember.
pf the national committee with 'vhom
! conferred, agreed rhat If there vas
anything that could Hay the cx'ite
ment and heal the breach in he re
publican party caused by your III
advised candidacy, Il was the are
deal, and by its decisions the commit
tea religiously lived up to that con-
victiOn. The only fraud attempted at
Chicago emanated from your side in
the shape pf the fake contests styled
as physiological" by your own press
and condemned and voted down by
your own friends Who, then, is the
highwayman II may be said that the
Democratic states and the smaller
states should not have been permitted
ho control the nomination but that is
an entirely different matter, and the
national committee could certainly not
be expected and had no right to
change a system which had been in
vogue for half a century merely to
make your nomination possible. For
one, | voted in each case as the facts
warranted and my conscience dictated
and being convinced of the justice OF
the committees decisions, | have chal-
longcd Senator Cummins who bases
his opposition to President Taft on the
disposition OF the contests, to produce
his evidence to the oontrary. and meet
me in joint discussion on any platform
he may designate.
However. this letter is not intended
as an argument You would not ad-
NIT the truth concerning the contests
even II YOU were convinced of II, be-
cause it would knock the props from
under your candidacy venture
these lines rather I'm an effort to show
that your reckless attempts at charac-
ter assassination are not sufficient
answer 10 the reasons and wel-gpund
ed arguments of those who oppose
you. myself included. Before | pro-
cced To the enumeration Of these reas.
ons let me suggest that have Known
you since you served your first term
In the New York assembly thirty yoats
ago. that ! served in Congress during
the time you were assistant secretary
Of the navy as well as during your two
presidential terms, that l was your
friend and admirer. and in 1904 help
ed to organize the National Roosevelt
League. of which | was chosen presi-
dent, and through which the citizens
OF German birth and descent were rail-
lied TO your support. This much to
establish the qualifications Of the
'highwayman" as a witness In the
present case. My reasons for pppos-
ing your candidacy are the following
to-wit:
Connection with Trusts.
l. ! charge yoa with being con-
scicusly or unconscpusly the tool ~
the steel and harvester trusts. II
President Taft had disregarded tho
law and the interests Of the people
as you have done, through your ~
ure to prosecute these trusts. he wouid
have mad no onr sition Tor renorina.
ton. But m mnH-sf h. hri thogz
ed his at'r Nelf re
procecdr 'a,s posse ullnd-