The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-03
ROOSEVELT ON HIS DEFENSE.

Colonel Roosevelt continues to mo"
nopolize large space in the newspa'
pcrs, while at tho same time protest
ing that he is denied hearing-vir'
tually ignored. His latest letter in de-
Tense of his position on tho Standard
Oil contributions goes to the inter-
minable length of $4,000 words. And
after all, everything is left pretty
much as before. The testimony of
Chancellor Day as to Archbold telling
him soon after the Presidential elec.
tion of 1904 precisely the samo story
as Archbold lately told tho Senate
committee, and the scene where Nor
gan is described as red and angry at
| Roosevelt s demand in the fall OF
1904 for another 100000 from Nor
gan's firm for campaign purposes all
| testify to Roosevelt g eager. money
chasing at that time for means to
"pnt him over' into tho Presidential
chair. ....
The prolific production of letters and
| kilograms in this defense by Colonel
Roosevelt is a miraculous circumstance,
| in view of the colonel's disclaimer of
ability to produce correspondence 30
far back. In reply to Mr.. Hearst 3
| demand that the Colonel produce let
ters of that fall Of 1904, Colonel Roose-
velt protested that it Was impossible,
saying "Anyone can readily appreci-
ate the difficulty in my picking out a
single letter. dating back eight years,
from my files. It would be tremen-
dous undertaking.
And yet, he can now encompass that
tremendous undertaking, and pro-
duce a food Of letters when it suits
him to do it. or when be considers that
they may help his case. The Cortel-
you letters he produced at once, while
he was "on the wing
But do they help himf Only super
.fcially. if at all, He is able to show
that he made record which be is
now able to cite. But that very rec.
ord is what is in question. Senator
Penrose says it is all "frame-up."
Secretary Knox is quoted as saying
that he happened to enter the Presi-
| dent g room when Mr.. Roosevelt was
debating the first Cortelyou letter di.
| recting him to decline any Standard
Oil contribution; that ON learning the
character of the letter. which (then)
/ President Roosevelt was debating, be
| assured Roosevelt that the Standard
Oil money had been spent and could
| not be returned; that Roosevelt's re-
ply was that he was writing the letter
SO as TO put il into the record 'to
make the record straight - Colonel
Roosevelt admits this, his explanation
being this, in statement to certain
New York newspapers on the morning
of August 9th:
| hesS letters VIII put the record
straight. OF This will establish a record
| OF my attitude. but il is certainly not
TO be Inferred from this remark Il don't
say tnat l did make II, but i may have)
that they were written solely for the rec
ord They were genuine letters, and ex-
pressed Just what I wanted TO express
when first heard report that the Stand
ard Oh had contributed OF wanted TO con
( tribute TO my campaign,
| The colonel said Mr. Knox had been
astonished at his ordering Chairman Cor
telyou 10 return any Standard Oil money
and continued: He CNnoxD said that he
had never heard Of Presidential candl-
nate taxing such course. but he assured
| me ne fell certain Mr.. Frlck would
| make good any loss that was occasion ed
10 the campaign fund By my action"
This is clear admission of the truth
of what Secretary Knox said, and also
a practical admission of Senator Pen.
rose suggestion that the record thus
made was g frame-up.' Roosevelt s
plea that ne did not write the letters
solely for the record - must fail to
the ground when We recall that Seq
retary Knox had just reminded him
that the Standard Oil money had been
used, and could not be returned No
doubt Roosevelt knew this fact quite
as well az Knox did; so that the Knox
Ireminder was needless; but it was
given; and the impression that secre-
tary Knox got from the interview. that
the letters were being written 10 make
a record that was impossible as an
honest record, was the only comprehen.
sible and honest understanding that he
could reach
The oplv possible conclusion to come
TO that is at once honest, candid. and
intelligent, is that Col Roosevelt wrote
those betters TO make a false aud i'm
possible record which he could cite in