Arizona republican., 1912-02-26
Roosevelt Finally Casts Aside All subterfuge and Modestly Admits He is in the Race for the Presl-- dency.
WRITES LETTER
 TO GOVERNORS
Man Who Has Been Long Trying to Defeat Presl- dent Taft at Last Comes Out With a Formal An nouncement.
T4Ssocidtcd Press Dispatch

TASSOcidfcd Press Dispatch
 NEW YORK. Feb. 25.-'I will ac- c,nt the nomination for the presi- Gencv if it is rendered me. and Will adhere 70 this decision until the con vention has expressed its preference, k Col. Roosevelt's reply to the letter CT seven republican governors, asking him to stand for the nomination The eagerly awaited reply was given out tonight at Roosevelt's offices here. It is unexpectedly briet but definite. It says in part:
 T absolutely gree with you that thls matter is not one to be decided with ary reference to personal preferences or the interests of any man. but purely from the standpoint of the in tercsts of the people as a whole wlli accept the nomination for president 1T ii is rendered me. I will adhere to this decision until the convention has eN- pressed its preference One cmei principle which | have stood for which I now stand for, and which | have always endeavored and always shall endeavnr to reduce to action ls genuine rule by the people; therefore, l hope SD far as possible. the people may be given the chance. through di- lcct primaries. to express their pref erence as to who shall be the npm- iree of the republican presidentiai convention"
 The letter is addressed to Governors GIasscock. of West Virginia: Aldrich. uf Nebraska: Bass. of New Hamp- shire: Carey. of Wyoming; Osborne. of Michigan: Stubbs of Kansas; and Hadley. of Missouri. These governors assembled at Chicago two weeks ago and drafted a letter to Roosevelt, as serting there was a popular demand for him to he president again and urging him to become al candidate.
 TOPEKA. Kas. Feb. 25.-Gov- crnor Stubbs declared tonight that Roosevelt's letter of acceptance is positive. patriotic, and thoroughly Rooseveltian.
 If Roosevelt is nOminated.' he said. che will reeve practically the solid republican vote with heavy demo- cratic vote in Kansas.
 WASHINGTON. Feb. 2j.--A state ment. issued at the national Roose- welt headquarters tonight by Medill Mccormack, director. saws Roose- welt has no intention of forming a third party in the event he fails of the nomination at Chicago. He ad- mits such proposition has been made because friends of the colonel fear the convention will be packed" for President Taft
 BOSTON. Feb. 25.-'I think l have made my position clear I have no plans for tomorrow and afterwards no one knows what's in store"
 This was Roosevelts response to appeals tonight for some word in re- gard to his statement. As he spoke he smiled eXpansively. Crowds be- sieged the home of Judge Robert Grant a Harvard classmate. where he spent the night, but the colonel merely stated he is spending d quiet day, talking literature. He talked politics to none.
 WASHINGTON. Feb. 25.-A sensa- tion was created by the announce ment of Roosevelt It was evident few were prepared for the unequivocal statement from the colonel that he is q candidate for the nomination Presi- dent Taft was given d copy of the letter. but would make no comment. It has been only the last fortnight that the president was willing to ad- init to his closest friends that he be- lieved his predecessor would enter the race against him. It is doubted whether up to the last minute he was convinced fully any announcement coming from the colonel would be without q string attached. That MT. Taft is hurt deeply because from now on he must engage iu open contest against the man under whom he served many years became known soon after the letter was made public. There is q great deal of speculation tonight on the probable attitude of several members of the cabinet. par ticularly Stimson and Meyer who have been frequent visitors at the Roosevelt offices and home Not withstanding the bombshell from New York, the usual optimistic weekly re- view this week was issued tonight from the Taft bureau IL was stated that forty -four delegates for Taft have been elected so far. It was re- iterated by friends of the president tonight that he is willing to let stand his announcement of several weeks ago that nothing but death will take 
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