The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-27
cox NEL'S LOVE OF POWER
BLAMEDFO TAFT BREAK
Parted Affectionately March Only Three Meet
ings Since and the Last Two Widened the Breach.

knowledge, however, that one OF the
"Offenses'' which the colonel harbors
against Taft was the character OF q
letter which President Taft wrote to
Col. Roosevelt just before he sailed
for Africa The President sent Nal.
Archibald w. Butt, his military aid, to
New York to deliver this letter to the
| colonel as he was embarling. In this
letter President Taft wished the col
onel a pleasant journey and thanked
him again for what he had done for
him. The Presidents letter is said
to have closed with the expression: u
owe more to Charles P. Taft and you
/ than to any other two men on earth,
or substantially those words. Roose-
yelt's friends have made no secret OF
his anger over that letter. They say
he brandished it and cried:
Good Lord, So he puts money
above brains, does he?'
/ Whether this was tactful letter
I, for the President to write Roosevelt
/ is a question for political philoso-
! piers to solve. but the President has
i told his friends that he intended to
pay Roosevelt the highest compliment
] at his command.
Pinchot Made More Trouble.
i With the refusal of President Taft
Ito allow Clifford Pinchot, Rooseyelt's
friend, to dominate the affairs of the
Department of Agriculture, followed
, by his dismissal from office, the tale
!, bearers and the trouble-makers be-
gan to get busy. Mr.. Pinchot himself
travelled to Italy to get Roosevelts
!, ear first and to poison his mind
! against Taft. Roosevelt returned to
this country after his African hunting
, trip under the impression that Taft
I had been backsliding from the social
. ed Roosevelt policies. and the colon
els friends declare that his conviction
! in this regard has steadily been grow
, ing and that Is the real explanation
| of his present entrance into the race.
The Roosevelt supporters insist
that it is matter of principle with
the colonel. a desire to save his poll
. cies and to champion the peoples
s rights.
$ Taft Republicans insist, on the 9th
). err hand, that the charge of backslid
\ ing on the part of the President is
: absolutely groundless; that Mr.. Taf
. has carried out the Roosevelt policies
+ notably the antitrust law campaign
= with firmer hand and more consist
: emily than did Roosevelt himself
r. These Taft supporters add that al
! this talk about Roosevelt policies i
\. merely cloak to cover the colonel
n desire for power, which, they contend
:. is the controlling motive in the al
. nouncement of his candidacy.
&c President Taft's friends say that th
n Presidents confidence in Roosevelt
y his efforts to put the most commend
9. able Interpretation on all of Roost
g veIt's acts. his disinclination to liste
20 to the stories of talebearers, and hi
II continued acknowledgement OF hi
n, obligations to the ex-President hav
20 been little less than remarkable. II
10 has been the last to admit that Roos
welt had turned upon him.
Only Three Meetings Since 1909.
A Since Roosevelt and Taft parted
RI the senate chamber on March 4, 100
%. they have met just three times-on
~. in New York City at a public gathe
in ing, soon after the Inauguration; ont
%. in New Haven, in the fall of 1911,
!, and again in Baltimore last spring
10 The last two meetings tended
ofi widen the breach between thel
:, Roosevelt was involved in his fig
10 against the Old Guard in New Yo
~, state fight and needed the influen
q; such meeting would have upon fe
=, eral officeholders in New York sta
~ Roosevelt denied this and show
~. keen resentment.
ami After the Baltimore meeting !;
to spring newspaper dispatches, we
10 sent out that Roosevelt had assur
OF Taft he would support him for reno
ne. nation and this was very promp
18th denied by the colonel.
adj Through all OF the remarkable h
tory of the relations of these t
art. men in the last three years Preside
ing Taft up until tonight had insist
inv when talking with his friends. uI
de- taking Roosevelt at his word that
his would not again accept nominal
,se- for the presidency.
-