The Washington times., 1912-03-05

President, and a statement issued at
oyster Bay last night. In which Mr..
| Roosevelt explains Just why he finally
became candidate, arc the latest
| political sensa tions here today.
Extracts from the Van Nalkcnburg
letter were printed day or so ago.
Colonel Roosevelt declared that, in or
der that his attitude might be fully
understood the entire letter should have
been printed. 1t was made public from
some unknown source yesterday and
the colonel. in debating a statement re-
garding It, said:
II do not know who gave out this
| letter, but ! am certain that II was
not Mr.. Van Valkenburg. for I know
| him to be an honorable man., Mr.. Van
| Valkenburg asserts that he did not give
| publicity to the letter.
Invention, Says Roosevelt.
The letter from the former President
to the Philadelphia editor was In answer
| to a story sent out by the Associated
Press last summer In which II was
| said that Colonel Roosevelt had assured
Mr.. Taft of his support for a second
| term. The story, says Mr.. Roosevelt
| in his letter TO Mr.. Van Valkenburg, is
a pure invention, and he asks Mr. Van
| Nalkenburg to furnish the president of
the Associated Press with copy of the
letter. The colonel says:
Mr. Noyes president of the Associa-
| ted Press) states that he understa nds
I did so express myself to a member of
the Cabinet and also to an insurgent
| Senator and says that he believes that
| President Taft thinks he has assur-
ances OF support from me. Mr.. Noyes
adds that he explains my denial on the
theory that l had explained my a!ti-
| tude confidentially and felt entitled to
| deny It when 1t was given publicity"
The colonel states that Mr.. Noyes had
been entirely misinformed, that the in
surSent Senator mentioned is myth" ."
| Mr.. Roosevelt says the only two MEM
| bers of the Cabinet to whom he has re-
Gently spoken are Secretaries Meyer
| and Stimson, and that both of these Of
| ticials understood perfectly that Mr..
| RooseVelts intention was not to sup
port any man for the nomination in
1912.
Mr. Roosevelt says he told no Cab
| met officer and no insurgent Senator
that he would support the President
| or any other man.
No Assurance to Taft.
Continuing his answer to the Asso-
ciated Press story, Colonel Roosevelt
says:
"The simple fact Is that these sto-
Ties are not Observation-Disclosures;
they are deliberate inventions. Mr..
| Noyes is entirely in error in stat
ing that President Taft thinks he
has assurance OF support from mo.
MIR. Taft thinks nothing of the
kind. He knows he has no assur-
neither Mr.. Noyes nor anyone else
has one least little particle OF
ground for the opinion thus eN-
pressed. ] at first thought that tho
str
from the White House, Dut | am
now assured that it was gotten un
and given out hy the AssociltGd
Press representative at the White
| House, and f"Orn Mr.. Noyes' stHte-
ment l should g1ther that this was
true.
N wish Mr. Noyes. as president OF
the AssoCiated Press, to know that
the story was not a misunderStand-
ing, was not based on misnforma-
tion. but was a deliberate invention,
made out of whole cloth, without
one particle Of basis beyond the
imagination of the man who made It.
Il have expressed myself perfectly
free to a large number OF men in
this matter. always to the same cf-
feet; telling you, for instance. per
YOU at lunch at my house, and tell
ing Clifford Plrchot, Jim Garfield,
and Representative Madison. and
Billy Loeb. and Secretary, Never,
| lust exactly what l have said al
ways that I would not be Candi-
date in 1912 myself and that I had
no intention of taking part in the
nomination for or against any can
ddate Sincerely yours
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Following the publication of the NaI
Valkenburg letter, Colonel Roosevelt
dictated a statement at oyster Bay il
which he again refers to the story tina
ne had pledged support - Prcsiden
Taft. at that time lie says. an @Mor
was being made in Washington u cor
vince the progresSives that he hat
pledged such support.
Story Promptly Denied.
When he promptly denied the story
continues Mr.. Roosevelt lie was as
+ sured on one hand that it Lad been in
spired at the White House. and n
heard on the other hand that It had no
been, but was made purely on tn
Initiative CT the Associated Press.
The Associated Press, says Mr.. ROose
: Welt. assured him that they were no
responsible for the false statements an
Mr.. Noyes was quoted as having re
ceived the information from independen
sources.
a ter to Mr. Van Nalkenburg,' continue
, the colonel. but J am sure it was no
MIR. Van NaTkenburg."
. In writing the philadelphia editor, IN
- colonel suggested that lie might furnis
: copies to Frank b. Noyes and Mr.. Nc
ClatChy.
The former President in his forma
r statement makes the following eXpoSitlo
of the reasons and the growing popula
4 demand for his nomination that induce
: him to become receptive candidate:
: Answers to Inquiries.
ITO all who were at that time writ
< ing to me to be a candidate, l answer
ed that | would not be. To all VIII
asked whether I would accept
. nominated, | answered, Yes If | knc
/ them sufficiently well to be sure tha
thcy would understand me: otherwise
: | said simply that | would cross tina
l bridge when ! came to it, and in mos
cases, If the man was at all clos
personal friend. ! told him that
counted on his doing everything pos
sible to prevent any movement lookin
! | to nv nomination.
ut was not until the last three c
four months that | was finally oblige
, to come to the conclusion that thcr
i was a real demand among the peOpI
s as a whole for my nomination, whiC
r did not come in any way from any pei
sonal friends of mine, and was neithe
inspired nor engineered by them.
= "When ! became convinced that thi
[ popular demand was real and wa
ConsideTa Bile, and when the govern
, Only One ''BRoMo oURISE, !" that 4