The Sentinel=record., 1912-03-05
Roosevelt Explains the Difference.

onel Roosevelt said today It was per fectly true that he had said he would not be a candidate in 1912.
 He had made that statement to many persons, he said, but had nos declared he would not accept the nom- nation if it were rendered him. He drew a distinction between becoming a candidate and being willing to ac- cept the nomination.
 The colonel made it plain that ne saw nothing in the Vsn Valkenburs letter. in which he said he would not be a candidate in 1912, to conflict with his recent statement that ne would become the nominee ot the party if his party asked it.
 Colonel Roosevelt's position in the matter is set forth in a statement xhioh he gave out today explaining the circumstances which induced nm to write to MT. Van Valkenburg. Inis Is tlG StaLemene.
 At that time persistent efforts nau heen made from Washington to con vince the progressives that waE really supporting Mir. Taft. on 'hls narticular occasic.a the statement was made with the greatest exphcitness' I promptly denied the statement, anu as assutcd on the one hand that II had been inspired from the white house and assured on the other hanu that it had not been, but on the con trary. was made purely on the ni' siatiye of the Associated Press. The Associated Press people assured me that they were not responsible for the false statements and as it will be seen nv reference to the letter itself Mir. Noyes was quoted as having got the information from independent sources. do not know who gave out this letter, but l am certain that t vas not Mir Van Valkenpurg for IlIow him to be an honorable man.
 gro all who were at that time writ ing to me to be candidate l an swered that I would not be. To all wbc asked whether I would accept if nominated. I answered yes, if ] knew them sufficiently well to be sure that they would understand me; otherwise I said simply that l would cross that bridge when I came to it, and in most cases if the man was at all close personal friend l told him that counted cn his doing every thing rosslple to prevent any move menl looking to my nomination.
 'sIt was not until the last three or four months that was finally obliged to come to the conclusion that there was real demand among the people as whole for my nomination, which did not come in any way from per
  inspired nor engendered by them. When became convinced that this popular demand was real and eonsid- erable and when the governors of seys.l states, increased by this time to ten, I may mention incidentally, asked me whether would accept if nominated, I answered Yes add ed an expression of my wish that wherever possible open preferential primaries might be held, so as to flnd out who the republican voters wished to have nominated
 "If the people do not wish me to serve. most certainly I do not wish to serve If they desire me to un. dertake in their interest a, great task, l shall do so and shall perform it with whatever courage and ability l possess. Whether there will be such an expression of the popular will, I cannot say as where there are no preferential primaries it unfortunate ly seems too often to be the case that the effort of the political leaders is not to give expression to the popu. lar will, but to thwart 1t in every way possible"