The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-26
TAFT MAKES BITTER ATTACK ON
 ROOSEVELT AND HIS POLICIES
He Declares the Colonel Has Wilfully Misrepre-
 sented Him IS PAVING THE WAY FOR DICTATORSHIP He Has Not Given Him Square Deal. Speech Is Painful to Him.
 But He Believes
 It Is True

It Is True
 Boston. April 95.-President Taft donned his fighting clothes today. abandoned his nolicv of silence under the attacks that Colonel Roosevelt has made upon him and mon his administration, and for the first time since MT. Roosevelt announced his candidacy launched into bitter de- nunefation of the former President. From the. time MT. Taft entered Massa- chusetts and made his first speech at springfeid shortly after noon, until late tonight he hammered away at Colonel Roosevelt. The President made nearly dozen speeches. In all he made 1t clear he is unalterably opposed to MT. Roose- welt; that he saw disaster in a third term, and that he did not believe Colonel Roose- welt had given him square deaL' He spoke to good sized crowds
 In his first speeches he seemed to utter his attacks on Colonel Roosevelt with re- luotance.
 Wrenches His Soul
 'sThis wrenches my soul,' he said once. As the day worn on, however, and he made speech after speech in which he de- nounced Mir Roosevelt again and again, MT. Taft grew more aggressive in manner, emphasized his words with gestures, and apparently laid aside any feeling of re- sret he may have felt at this evidence that the long friendship with his former chief was broken.
 His principal Boston address was deliv- cred in the Arena to large crowd but before retiring to his private car he spoke briefly to an overflow, meeting in sym rhony hall. His speech in the Arena was delivered from manuscript, prepared dur ing the last few days in Washington, carefully gone over by members of nis cabinet and containing detailed answer to many of Mr. Roosevelts charges
 Bristles With Personalities
 MT. Taft's speech bristled with counter 4 charges against his predecessor in the White House. lie declared that MT. sse,ssasit br ifuly niisrcpresented him hSd Distorted some of his nuhlfo sd failed to live up 10 ls tuare deal and had x.a aise to tic Amer.
 s candidate for
 satnent said an ir light
 attache a tf
 may maH is4 4f
 Declarfae f ea0 W to be sel
 party" MT,
 President mis nov
 if successful ta eN remain the chi, for as many te M na A : would permit
 ..1f he is necessa. now to the m ment why not later?' asked the -res- ident, and continued:
 .One who so lightly regards constitu- tional principles and especially the inde- pendence of the judiciary, one who IS so naturally impatient of legal restraints and of due legal procedure and who has so misunderstood what liberty regulated by law is, could not safely be entrusted with spccessive presidential terms. say this sorrowfully, but l say 1t with the full conviction of its trutn,''
 Not First Hand Information
 Mr Taft referred to some of Mr. Roose- velt's charges against him as the loose anG vague indictment of one who does not know and who depends only upon sec- ond hand information for his statement The President said his speech tonight was one of the most painful duties of his life, that it was in response to an ob- ligaton he owed the republican party , which elected him President.
 Ut grows,'. he said, out of phase of national politics and national life that 1 believe to be unprecedented in our his tory. So unusual is the exigency that the ordinary rules of propriety that limit President in his public addresses must be laid aside and the cold, naked truth must be stated in such way that it shall serve as a warning to the people Of the United States"
 MT Taft said Colonel Roosevet's Coium- bus speech, accepted as his platform sent a thrill of alarm through all the members Of the community" MT. Roosevelt, he said, then found that if the nomination were to come to him he must minimize the importance of this charter Of democ- racy." Without giving up tho prlnciples announced in his Columbus address, the President said Mr Roosevelt relegated then, to an incidental place and changed his campaign to one of criticism of Taft and the Taft administration.
 Takes Up All Charges
 one by one the President took up the charges made against him by the colonel ant sought to refute them, In two in- stances he quoted from correspondence between himself and Colonel Roosevelt, and said he was prepared to make other letters public if Mir Roosevelt should de- sire.
 ..Bv excerpts from my speeches Mir. Roosevelt has charged that l am one who has publicly announced that 1 am in favor Of an aristocratic political boss, and that am linked with political bosses in securing my renomination. He charges that the patronage of the government Is being shameessly used to secure my nofn- ination and that in the convention and primaries which have been held fraud and violence have been systematically used to defeat the will of the people He says am reactionary; that was nominated bv progressives and after election joined the ranks of those who opposed me for nomination: and he intimates that have no. the spirit of the progressive, or the imagination or the clear headed purpose essential to the makeup of such per son He says that am fir interests, and an upholder of ileges and tlouts the imports el laws enacted and the execu ss sA taken during my adminstratic
 If in this contest there we
 only my own reputation or
 tlon of my own ambition. wo'
 my siience under these unjus would do so because of the 3Ai z Iations that have existed b' Roosevelt and me. my debt ot sfN 4 q hin, and my incliuat atiun. becf Ei