Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-06-04
ROOSEVELT TELLS
OF U.s. OF LIQUOR
Admits Drinking Light Wines, De-
MES Over indulgence.
REVIEWS HIS LIFE STORY
Cross Of Colonel by coun
sci sor Defense ProVes Dissppoint-
Ing. as Nothing Sensational
Is Brought Out.

Marquette, Mich, May Cool.
Theodore Roosevelt, a picture of rud-
dy vigor and perfect health, turned
a square jaw in the direction OF the
jury composed of twelve farmers,
transfers, miners and woodsmen. In
the county court here Tuesday in the
hearing Of his $40 900 libel suit against
George Newett, editor Of the Ishpem,
ing Iron Ore, who had editorially
charged In his paper the former presi-
dent with getting drunk and that fire.
quently. and gave his character for
sobriety as mot a total abstainer,y
but was never intoxicated in his life.
Colonel Roosevelt told the story OF
his life and his counsel, James II.
Pound. in spite of objections. asked
many questions that made the colonel
tell about the various high public Of
fees he had held, his Cuban campaign,
the books he had written. his life in
the west. and the attempt to assassi-
nate him at Milwaukee.
Mr. Roosevelt said. with great earn
estness. that he never drank a high
ball or a cocktail in his life; that he
had never been under the influence Of
liquor to the slightest degree and that
while not a total abstainer. he was
very nearly one In fifteen years. he
declared. he had consumed less than
dozen drinks of whisky, and then
usually under Doctors order, the
whisky being measured In a graduated
glass. He never took two drinks OF
whisky in the same day and. while at
state banquets he sometimes took a
single glass Of champagne in obedience
TO custom. he never had wine on his
private table. On two occasions the
colonel had drank mint juleps away
from Washington. but the counsel
brought out the fact that one OF these
occasions was in st. Louis and the
other at Little Rock.
Colonel Roosevelt's direct examina-
ton lasted for nearly two hours
The REORGANIZATION OF Colonel
Roosevelt by Attorney Horace A. An.
drews of Cleveland was Disappointing
TO the audience In thc courtroom. in
asmuch as il brought out no damaging
admission Colonel Roosevelt not only
held his own. but seized every oppor
tunity of saying things that strength
ened his direct examination and un-
doubtedly produced as good an effect
on the jury as II seemed to do on the
people in the courtroom.
The defense decided in 20 minutes
that IL had no wish 10 cross-examine
Colonel Roosevelt further and. after
few more questions from his own
counsel, he left the stand.
The other witnesses examined dIr-
Ing the day were men OF national
prominence who have been Intimate
with Colonel Roosevelt for years and
who testified they had never seen him
under the influence OF liquor and that
he only drank champagne at state ban
quets. white wine TO the extent OF one
glass at formal dinners. and no alco
holicB of any kind at his own table
These witnesses were Jacob Rlis of
New York. author of How the Other
Half Lives" and prominent as a So
biologist and reformer; Dr. Alexander
Lambert. a famous authority on alco-
holic and drug diseases and physician
to the Roosevelt family; DIR. p. NJ.
Rlxey, surgeon general of the United
States army. retired. and personal ply
stefan to Colonel Roosevelt while the
latter was president. and II. ellison
Gardner, a Washington newspaper man
who had been with Mr. Roosevelt on
almost oil of his campaign trips.
The witnesses agreed, In the main,
but Jacob Riis. who In commoa with
the other witnesses. were excluded
from the courtroom while Colonel
Roosevelt was on the stand. stoutly In.
sisted that he knew etSolutely that
Colonel Roosevelt never tasted whisky
or brandy and that he would not be-
lieve any man who said that he did.
| The cross.examinatlon of the witnesses
were not long in any case, or brought
out much OF comfort to the defense.
The hand-clappIng came when the
colonel, in response TO question in
his direct examination by Colonel
Pound as to whether he had ever been
under fire In Cuba. grinned fiercely
and. displaying every molar in his
Jaws, Kissed out: II was under every
| fire there was In the Cuban campaign