The Sentinel=record., 1914-06-25

New York, June 24.-Theodore Roosevelt who returned to America on the lmperator tonight, vigorously defended George w. Perkins, chair man of the progressive national eX- ecutive committee, whose resignation as chairman was demanded recently declared MT. Perkins utilization with certain big business interests made him unfit to hold his position.
 When they read Perkins out" said Mir. Roosevelt, they will have to read me out, too"
 The colonel reiterated that he would not be a candidate for the gov ernorship of New York this fall. He said his health was all right now and that he would speak at Pittsburg on June 30.
 q shall not be able to speak in the open air or make continuous speak ing trips" the colonel said. How ever, shall be able to deliver a cer- tain number of speeches indoors"
 "Mr. Perkins" declared the colonel in his reference to the national ex- ecutive chairman, has been on the whole the most useful member of the progressive party. He has striyen in absolute good faith for the principles of the party, both as regards corpora tions and business generally and as regards the group of questions deal ing with the welfare of the wage earner and his economic and social advance. As for reading him out of the party, when that is done they will have to read me out, too.'
 Mir. Roosevelt gave out letter from pr. Hamilton Rice, the eX- plorer, in which Dr. Rice said he was mistaken when he questioned the dis covery of the River of Doubt. He said he realized this after he heard Colonel Roosevelt lecture.
 Colonel Roosevelt was met at guar antine by Mrs. Roosevelt, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Derby, his son-in-law 4and daughter; Archie Roosevelt, Quentin Roosevelt, w. Emlln Roose- yeIt, George w. Perkins and Dudley Field Malone, collector of the port. The colonel proceeded to Oyster Bay.
 In a lengthy statement issued to- day Colonel Roosevelt declared the payment of $25,000,000 to Colombia for having secured the right to build the Panama canal as provided for in the pending treaty merely would be the payment of belated blackmail
 If the proposed treaty is right, he said. tho presence of the United states in Panama is wrong and there fore should be restored to Colombia and the United States should aban- don the zone.
 In his statement MT. Roosevelt said in part:
 "The payment of twenty-five mil lions to Colombia, together with the expression of what is in effect an apology for our having secured the rieht to build the Panama canal merely is the belated payment ot blackmail with an apology to the blaclmailers. If this proposed treaty submitted by President Wilson through Mir. Bryan is right, then our presence on the isthmus is wrong. In such case Panama immediately should be restored to Colombia and we should stop work on the canal and abandon the place bag and bag gage. There should be no halfway measures. If we as nation have been guilty of theft we should re store the stolen goods. If we have not been guilty of theft we should not pay blackmail.
 The handling of our foreign af. fairs by President Wilson and Secre tary Bryan has been such as to make the United States a figure of fun in the international world. This pro posed Colombian treaty caps the eli max, and if ratified will rightly ren der us an object of contemptuous de rision to every great nation.
 In 1908 it was still doubtful as tc whether we would adopt the Mica ra2ua or the Panama route. The government of Colombia was exceed ingly anxious that we should adopt the latter and offered to arrange. and did arrange, treaty with us to pre-