Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-04-29


as the undesirable feature of local taxa
ton than have no bill and If | couldn't
get the bill I wished I would sign that
bill rather than have none"
"Do you remember having sent Senator
Plat on the 18th of May, 1899. immedi-
atey after the passage of the franchise
tax bill as you wanted it, the following
telegram:
" Hon. Thomas c. Platt.
darlington, Washington.
" Three cheers.
(Signed)
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
NO but 1t is a characteristic tele-
gram
At that point recess was taken until
tomorrow.
THE QUIGG LETTER.
The letter written by Mr.. Quigg, at
present n delegate to the State constltu-
tional convention, was read. In part it
was as follows:
Sept. TO- 1885,
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Camp WI
koff. Montauk, N. Y:
''My Dear Mr.. Roosevelt:
THE Senator (PlatD thinks that YOU
should come to New York on Wednes-
day or Thursday of next week The
senator says that he is going to make
one more effort to induce Governor Black
to withdraw. He does not mean that he
will offer him any terms. but simply that
he will try to convince him that in justice
to himself, not less than the Republican
party. he should get out of the way
All these stories that you may have read
about attempted dickers with Black by
which as the price Of his Withdrawal he
is to be sent to the Senate. are false
hoods. No other considera ton has been
at any time been suggested to him then
| that he is not the man for this partic-
! ular occasion
| And now he (Platt has made up his
mind and is ready to take his position.
Perha ps since your interview with him is
to so shortly take place with him, It
might be well for me to repeat to you
precisely the report I made to him of
Your attitude on my return from Mon
tauk
Il told him that you said that you
would like to be nominated; that you
understood perfectly that if you were
nominated that 1t would be as result
of his support that you were not the
sort Of man who would accept nom
/ ination directly out of the hands of
the organization without realizing the
/ obligation thereby assumed to sustain
the organization and to promote and
uphold it; and that you were perfectly
prepared to meet the obligation and to
discharge it Justly; that if you were
governor you would not wish to be
anything else than governor; that you
would not wish to be n figurehead or
to accept any position before the pub
lie or in your own mind which was not
in keeping with the dignity Of the Of
flee or which would not allow YOU to
discharge your duties in the light of
your judgment and conscience but that
you would take the office If at all in
tending in good faith to act the part
of his friend personally and politically
to acknowledge and respect his posi-
ton as the head of the republican or
ganization and as the republican SEN
ator from the State of New York; tina,
you would not be led into any faction.
al opposition to the organiZa ton. but
that on the contrary you would ain
constantly to make it's interests identi-
, cal with the public interests; that yor
would consult with the senator freely
81 said that you would adopt no line
lof policy and agree to no important
matter or nomination without previous
consultation and that you wanted him
to agree to the same thing on his part
so that both you and he could NEE
in consultation with minds free anC
: open, each intending to reach a con
clusion satisfactory to both and in tina
! way to preserve absolute harmony il
the organization and among the sup
porters of the party.
l Il told him that you said that yo
did not mean by this that you would d
everyt thing that was wanted precisely a
it might he originally suggested but tina
: YOU did mean in good faith and homes
friendship to enter with him upon tn
consideration of all matters PROPOSED
without prejudice and with the intentio
n to reach a conclusion which the sena
n tor no less than yourself would dcoi
wiscst and hest ! told him that yo
: said that it would be grateful to you
h have Mr. Odell or some man of simila
f. position near you in Albany, in ordt
to facilitate intercourse and for the pun
= pose of supplying general informatio
= about the conditions of the State. an
7 finally that while in the end, as an hor
est man, you would have to act on yol
best Judgment and in the light of you
oath you would seek with him to kee
~, the party united and the organiZatio
- intact
, Please do not feel annoyed with m
:, If | do little preaching. Even in m
short period of observation. ! have sec
so many able men who have brougl
VI themselves forward to important ar
'r powerful positions finally fall down al
wander off into political retirement, tn;
- ! have looked into the cause Of It, AZ
a have always substantially the same stat
7 of facts. They have been brought fo
ward by the organization, promoted /
n the organization, sustained by the o
!, ganization, developed by the orga nizatio
"a until the idea became virtually fixed
~, their minds that they were the who
thing This notion first inspired
u, mugwump fattery and then expanded !
t"eir own ambitions. has carried the
40 into opposition with Senator Plat al
40 into attempts to establish new machn
n of their own. Then came the end. TIL
=, have collapsed because they allow'
u, themselves to get out OF joint with tn
a. general party sentiment which has era
ually centered around Plat as a lead
-. and which has acquired such streng
i, under his leadership as to make depa
90 lures under new ambitions mpracticab
-. 1.-The thing l fear Is that these plaus
~ BILE and poisonous mugwumps will
some time or other involve you in son
of their good government entangl