New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
SAYS pLATT'S BOOK ERRS.
pooseveIt Calls Autobiography
Statements False.
HOWE TERMS THEM FACTS
colonel Did Ask Senator's In
dorsement for Navy Berth,
Ayers Former Secretary.

,,bapv Jan. 13-Letters which have
,.ssed between Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
IA Louis Lang, author of The Autobiog-
'.rbv Of Senator Platt," were given out
80 to-day. Colonel Roosevelt wrote the
thor on December l9 last as follows:
have been interested in reading THE
autobiography Of Senator Platt" which you
Snnf / have no question that the Senator
sssnt 10 relate things accurately, and |
hnya no quarrel whatever with the state
i"snts he makes about my conduct as Gov
a-nor But among the erroneous assertions
are the following:
rTbs statements as TO the nomination for
hs Vice Presidency are erroneous. For in
lance. after the Senator told me that |
sonId not be renominated as Governor
sSid: "Very WELL We will fight told him
! should absolutely retGse 10 accept ths
nomination as Vice-President and that II
he New York delegation tried to force 1t
mon me / should get up and say that SEN
stor Platt had announced that / should be
refused a nomination for Governor ana
would have to be nominated for Nlce-Presl-
dent and that l should then and there an
nolInce that / would not take the nomina-
lion for the Nice-Presidenty and would be
a candidate for the nomination OF Gov
srnor The Senator evidently did not be-
Heve that I would do this, but when got
SoWnstairs / announced my intention TO a
dozen Of the delegates, stating what Sen
stor Platt had said. Immediately there was
great commotion, a message was sent up
10 Senator Platt and two minutes later l
was summoned to his room, where he eX-
plained that / must have misunderstood
him. that he had no intention OF saving
that l should not be renominated as Gov
srnor. that no further effort would be made
nv the New York delegation to put me in
romination for the Vice-Presidency and
that no opposition would be made TO my
nomination as Governor.
ceased
New York delegation put Woodruff In NOM
nation. Later ii develored that the con-
ventiOn as whole was bound TO have me-
and Senator Hanna, who had violently op,,
posed my nomination, made up his mlnd
hat the feeling was so strong that he could
not afford to antagoniZe 1t. After consid-
erable hesitation l then conclud,eSd d,S , 70 &C &c
tend TO permit myself to be forced into the
Presidency in order TO get me out OF
the Governorship, / did not feel at liberty
10 refuse the nomination When y became
evident that the earnest desire OF the Re
publicans as a whole was TO have me take
the position for the benefit Of the party;
Again, the statements about my cofnihs
10 Senator Platt for his endorsement as As
sistant Secretary of the Navy are aDso-
lutely without foundation. I never went 10
senator Platt to ask his approval OF the
application. The whole story about my
calling upon him on March IL or on any
other day, whether with John JACOB Astor
or anybody else, is pure invention. AS soon
Ss I saw the book / wrote to Astor, and
have now received his letter, dated Decem-
Der A. In IL he says that at the outoreak
Of the Spanish war l introduced him 10
the Secretary Of War and TO several mem
bers Of Congress, among them may or may
not have been Senator Platt, but that L
never at that time or previously saw sen
ator Platt with him about my appointment
ss Assistant Secretary Of the Navy.
II is rather singular that Senator flatt
should have imagined such an lntefVleW'
= i'll ma Ia IL
and II shows how much his MIND was s,,,al tdiI-
INK when the "reminiscences were written:
Let me repeat that the account as given py
Senator Platt OF this interview Is aDsoluteIy
and wholly without foundation, ana tnat
any one else. did ever have any such con-
yersation with him or make such call
upon him as Is therein related.
By the way. the whole statement about
contributions Is equally without I0unaaIlo9n,, 9.,,
I never called upon Senator Platt with
Odell on any such errand nor had
any such conversation with Senator Platt..
I do not desire to have this letter pub
lished because II is not worth while S0Ins ing
I think IL best that you should know the
facts in the case Sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Mr.. Lang wrote TO Albert II. Howe, for
seventeen years secretary TO the Senator
stating the Roosevelt denial and asking for
! statement. Mr.. Howe's letter is in part
rs follows:
I have read your autobiographical sketch
# senator Platt's life and particularly that
portion of the addenda relating to the ap-
ointment of Colonel Roosevelt 10 the AS
dstant Secretaryship Of the Navy, ana IN
'esponse to your specific inquiry have 10
,ay that the story as you have told II &C,
.oTds with the facts. Colonel Astor did
COMPANY Colonel Roosevelt to Senator
platt's parlor for the purpose OF soliciting
he latter's Endorsement or ColoneI hoose-
lelt for that position. The clrcumstahcess
Later Mr.. Lang asked the privilege of
publishing Colonel Roosevelts letter, to
which Colonel Roosevelt replied, under date
# December q. 1910:
desire that my letter should not be pub
jshed at present simply because 1t Is not
worth while to get into public contro-
persy. AS have told you, have letter
rom Colonel Astor stating that he never
,aw Senator Platt about my being Assistant
Secretary of the Navy. None OF the mel
ients to which / referred in my hrst letter
are related accurately or truthfully by
Senate Platt, but / think his mind was
falling and do not accuse MIN OF nteh'
tional untruth.
The campaign contribution" story to
which Mr.. Roosevelt took exception was not
that reciting how f. II. Hartman at his
solicitation raised $4,000 in 1904 to save
his election as President, and that OF Hig-
gins as Governor Mr.. Roosevelt referred
10 Senator Platts story Of how he had
saved Roosevelts election for Governor In
1898 by securing 100000 from ]. Pierpont
Morgan. Thomas F. Ryan, William c.
W ltney and three others at the eleventh
hour.