Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-04-24
4 PERvERsI0N OF FACT.
La Toilette Talks TO the Point In De-
tense Of His Campaign
Manager.

i
Of my candidacy by making scape-
goat of my campaign manager, WAL
ter Houser, is a cowardly perversion
Of fact. They know that no person
authorized the withdrawal of my
candidacy, and no person ever pro-
fessed to have such authority.
They know that I have persistent
ly refused to withdraw in favor of
Roosevelt or any one else, and told
them again and again that, once hav-
ing entered into the contest, I would
not back out.
They know that I refused to per-
nit Roosevelt's candidacy TO be cou-
pied with my own or combine with
him in any way. Clifford Pinchot and
others processing to, be my support
ers, but who in fact are Roosevelt
supporters became insistent when my
candidacy began to show strength in
Ohio, Michigan and Illinois and else
where, that Roosevelt's name be
joined with mine in resolutions of en-
do1sement and combinations to be
made on delegates by placing the
name Of Roosevelt men on the ticket.
This, too, while Colonel Roosevelt
was pretending that he was not a
candidate. I refused directing my
headquarters in Washington, Ohio,
Michigan and Illinois to be strictly
La Toilette headquarters, telling
Pinchot and his friends that would
not play double game or be a stool
pigeon for Roosevelt or any one else.
Pinchot thereafter called confer
ences among my supporters in Wash
ington, and sought to force me into
such a combination. Failing in this,
he called a final conference, when he
and his associates put up to me the
following alternative:
First, that La Toilette should
withdraw in favor Of Roosevelt, with
reservations as to differences of
opinion, and continue to stump;
Second, that La Toilette should
withdraw, but not in favor Of any
one, and continue to stump, leaving
individuals or groups to take what
ever course they might choose.
I answered that I had never play
ed that kind of politics and never
would-that I had become a candi-
date at the earnest solicitation of
progressive Republicans because /
stood for certain we'll defined prin-
ciples, that I did not recognize
Roosevelt as standing for those prin-
ciples, that I refused absolutely to
be stalking horse for the candidacy
Of any man; that never turned back
or surrendered, and that if I had
such a record as a progressive as
they were urging me to make, I would
never have been selected as a candi-
date to lead the present contest; and
if were to make such record, I
would never be able to hold my head
or to look an honest man in the face.
Pinchot knows that January 29
ended his connection with my candi-
dacy, and it was so understood when
he left headquarters after the con-
fe4 ence there on that day. He also
knows that five days later, when I
had to yield to a few days of rest
and recuperation, he seized that
time as his opportunity to make pub
lie the support he had long given to
Roosevelt's candidacy. These gen.
tlemen know before Pinchot left
headquarters, after he had finally
made his intentions plain, that I said
to him that I had no power to pre-
vent him from quitting, but that he
had obligated himself to support me,
that I wouldn't release him from
that obligation, and if he left, that
he would have to reconcile his course
with his conscience as best he could.
With Clifford Pinchot went his
brother, Amos, and also Medill Me-
Cormick and ellison Gardner. Those
gentlemen quit then and there. As
for Governor Hiram johnson of
California, he did not quit me until
Sunday, February IL. He was man
ly about it. He came and told me
that he would not at that time sneak
out under pretense that anything
given out at my headquarters war;
ranted such course, for nothing
issued from headquarters, in his
opinion, Was subject to such a con-
struction. He quit me to 60 to
Roosevelt, because he thought my
campaign had "fattened out" and
that I could not win, and that
Roosevelt could.
| I suggested that as California s
primaries were not to be held until
MAY IA, his situation was not urgent
land that he could wait until the re-
suit Of the North Dakota primaries
and see whether my candidacy was
as fiat as he thought. He declined
to wait.
ROBERT M. LAFoLLETTE.
The Dancer After Grin