The Washington herald., 1913-12-17
ROOT ENDS TALK
OF PRESIDENCY
Senator Makes Formal State
ment ON Floor Of the
Senate.
CRITICS ARE ANSWERED
Reminds Democrats that by Next In
auguration He viii Be Seventy
two Years Old.

Senator Elihu Root yesterday snuffed
out bright Presidential prospect that
had been lighted for him by Andrew
Carnegie. Senator GaIlinger. and other
political admirers. Senator Root made
formal statement on the floor of the
Senate yesterday afternoon in reply to
Democratic Senators who had criticised
him in the currency debate and as
cribed to him a personal ambition for
the Presidency, by stating that he would
not accept the nomination and practcical-
ly admitting that he would not be a can
didate for reelection to the Senate.
Senator Roots announcement came
rather suddenly. He took the floor to
debate the currency bill, but before be-
ginning, asked the indulgence Of the Sen
ate to make the statement in regard to
the possibility Of his nomination for the
Presidency.
'I am going to depart from the Gus
tom to which my feeling ordinarily holds
me and make a remark regarding sOme
personal illusions which occurred In the
speeches Of two, perhaps three, Of the
Senators who replied to me-" said Sena-
tor Root. These Senators saw fit to in
innate that my motives in making the
argument 1 did make" referring to his
speech OF last Saturday on the currency
bill. ''was not merely the desire to con-
tribute what I could to the fair and in
teiligent discussion of the merits Of this
bill, but that there was also a motive of
personal ambition coloring my Judgment
and affecting my uterances.
Look of Contempt.
Senator Root turned in the direction of
the Democratic side, where sat Senators
Reed, Stone, and Owen. who had chided
him directly or indirectly, with harboring
Presidential boom. There was a sug-
gestion OF contempt, mingled with pity,
in Senator Roots look.
Referring TO their suggestion that his
speech had at the basis Of II the un-
worthy motive OF a personal political
ambition, Senator Root said:
That is not a very cogent argument
in itself, for what Senator says here
Is to be judged by the weight of what
is said rather than by any motive he
may have i'm saying it. Nevertheless, II
have this to say about II, and 1 should
not say 1t were it not for the fact that
a public statement has appeared coming
from the senior Senator from New Hamp-
shire CMr. Gallinger), and that public
statement has been commented upon in
this chamber and in the public press, the
substance OF the statement being that
under some circumstances L might be a
candidate for the Presidency of the
United States"
Senator Root paused, amid profound
silence. When he resumed, he said, with
great deliberation:
''I shall always be grateful for the
friendship and the good opinion Of the
Senator from New Hampshire, and for
the too partial friendship which had led
other gentlemen to express agreement
with him; but ask my friends upon the |
other side who do not agree with hin"
to the Democrats, ''and in whose |
minds a suspicion of personal ambition
upon my part may detract from the
weight of my utterances, to remember
the fact that before this administration
comes to a close and the.next President
shall have been inaugurated 1 shall have
reached the age of seventy-two years.
Before the next administration comes to
a close, i shall have passed the age OF
1t is manifestly impossible,
sir, that 1 should be the President of
the United States. could not render
the service. j would not undertake it
| would not accept nomination
could not accept the ONCE"
Rumors Currept.
Senators were listening intently to
every word of Senator Roots renuncia-
ion. Some OF them appeared to be pro-
'oundly impressed, for there was a touch
IF pathos in 1t.
Looking down upon Senator GalIinger,
Who is the Oldest member of the Senate
n point of continuous service, Senator
Root continued:
"Such suggestions are, and can be,
merely a graphic way of expressing the
ceiling of friendship and approval My
political career and my public career are
lrawing to a close No political ambition
whatever finds its place in the horizon Of
ny future"
AS soon as Senator Root had concluded,
Mr.. Gallinger said:
'1 desire, for the purpose of placing my
Ielf right, as well as to do justice to the
Senator from New York, to
,ay that the Senator from Missouri CMr
Reed yesterday, upon insufficient or in
cCrrect information from some source,
stated that a typewriter copy of what
in the papers over my signature