Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-23
Representative Gardner Says
Colonel Urged Taft to Make
Peace With Illinoisan.
CLEAR THE LORIMER ISSUE
Friends of President Want Him to
Reveal Letters from Rival
in the National Race.


former President Roosevelt which
friends of the executive are urging
him to make public in answer to the
attacks by the latter are coming to
light.
That many persons have seen let
ters in which Colonel Roosevelt ad-
vised his successor to work in har-
mony with Uncle Joe," inasmuch as
the latter's reelection as speaker was
assured, has become COM
mon knowledge around Washington.
1t is because of their knowledge of
such letters that friends of the pres
ident have shown Indignation over
the recent Roosevelt charges that the
president supported Cannon and his
crowd, when he might have thrown
his influence to the progressives and
defeated the "Old Guard"
COLONEL FULLY POSTED.
For the same or substantially the
same reason the presidents friends
are indignant over the linking of the
names of Taft and Lorimer by the
former president. There is autograph
correspondence showing that Colonel
Roosevelt was fully posted as to the
influence the president was exerting
to have Lorimer .unseated.
Representative Augustus P. Gard
ner of Massachusetts, son-in-law of
Senator Lodge, is the man who in
sists on exploiting what Colonel
Roosevelt said and advised during the
period when he was regarded as the
presidents friend. Yesterday Mr.
Gardner challenged Colonel Roose.
velt to produce correspondence bear,
ing on the Lorimer case and papers
relating to other matters. In some
circles his Challenge to the colone
swas regarded as vicious attack. To
I d&s ne issued anothef Statement, il
which ne said:
81 realize that my attack on Colo
mel Roosevelt may be considered vi
cious. Probably 1 should not hav,
made 1t so strong had he been les
scathing in his remarks about me.
''As a matter of fact, l absoluteJ,
refused to attack Colonel Roosevelt
/ until after l was shown certain cor
respondence which startled me lik,
a bolt out of a clear sky. A shor
time ago it was proved to me beyonC
peradventure of doubt that Presi
dent Roosevelt was engaged in advis
ing President-ElectT Taft to get togeth
er with Uncle joe Cannon at tn
very time when those of us who wer
fighting the old guard in congres
felt that we surely had Presiden
Roosevelt's sympathy, if not his ac
tive support.
HAS SEEN ORIGINAL.
1T was a cruel shock to me to fin
that President Roosevelt considere
that political expediency in the mat
ter of Cannonism outweighed a.
other considerations.
81 have seen the original CORE
spondence."
The uppermost question of the hou
is whether President Taft will foIlov
the insistent advice of his friends an
; political managers and give full pull
licity to the correspondence that pas:
ed between him and his predecessor
the days of their friendship. His o.
portunity, it is cOntended, will preser
itself when he visits Massachusett
to talk politics Thursday of tn
week. The closest friends of the G,
ecutive, however, are in doubt as
the course he will pursue. They hay
told him frankly that in their opiI
ion some such action as suggested
the only thing that can turn the tic
that has set in in Roosevelt's fave
in strong republican states.
RECIPROCITY TREACHERY.
Again today the president cancele
all his engagements and spent IL
time in the private portion of II
: White house with Secretary Hilles.
is supposed he was preparing for o
erations in the Bay state, where e
l cry crossroads already is ablaz
: while big guns from outside are b
ing dragged in by the rival fore
on every train. Massachusetts stant
d out as either Gettysburg or a Wate
u loo for Taft-which, no one y
knows.
5 Among other Taft-Rooseyelt corr
spondence in which the politicians a
Il much interested at this stage. is son
: bearing on Canadian reciprocity. al
some relating to the composition
o the Taft cabinet. In his campaign Z
II the presidential nomination this ye
y Colonel Roosevelt has opposed &
: reciprocity policy that the Taft a
; ministration sought TO carry out. !
2 has declared that originally he
: yored reciprocity, but that study co
e WINGED him that it was the wroI
policy Taft folk have charged IN
IT his change OF front was que to I
e fact that he found reciprocity W
4 not popular with the farmers and
% this connection they point out tn
r in letters to the president. writ
a before he had any idea of being