The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-26

be elected he would set up political
machine and that all politicians who
opposed him would have to '.sneak in
The reply of Colonel Roosevelt, writ
ten at Oyster Bay read:
Letter to Barnes.
my Dear Mr.. Barnes: Yesterday
saw sherman Bennett, George Smith,
Mike Dady, Cocks and Hitchcock,
chairman of the national committee.
1 have been carefully going into the
Hughes matter since L saw you.
appreciate to the fullest the force of
the argument you urged against his
denomination. 1t is not pleasant for
me to support man who has wan
tonly behaved badly to the very men
who did most in securing his selection
II would approve his turning them
down in the public interest, but OBJ
ject to its being done wantonly. More
over, I appreciate that he has alien
ated, quite needlessly, very many voters,
and if we had the right man to put
in his place (the right man from the
standpoint of getting votes) l should
say that it was certainly wise to noml-
nate such a man.
But no such man is in sight and
there does not seem to be the slightest
chance of his arising. Under the con-
ditions it seems to me that while it
will do damage to renominate Hughes,
it will do more damage not to re-
nominate him and that this damage
will extend outside of the state.
while therefore 1 want most en-
phatically to disclaim any intention of
seeming to dictate the nomination, 4
think 1 ought to tell you that my
judgment is the convention ought to-
renominate him. am sure that the
delegates from this district will be for
him. Bennett, Sherman. and Dady in
slst that there is no alternative to his
denomination. Hitchcock saws that
not to renominate him would be a
harm to the canvass outside of New
York as well as. in his judgment, in
New York. Even Smith finally an
nounced that he was inclined to the
same view.
81 may add that every one present
agreed to keep absolutely quiet in
this matter and to consult with you,
among others, before any kind of con-
cluSion was announced; but from the
talked. 1t was not l. for no newspa-
per man communicated with me di-
rectly or indirectly, and 1 was much
surprised as anyone when I saw the
statement in the papers,
copy of the above letter was sent
to Mr.. Parsons. On August "a. 1908,
Colonel Roosevelt wrote to Mr.. Barnes
from Washington:
Still for Hughes.
. ''Most emphatically whatever my
friends do up in Albany L shall stand
by them have given them, includ-
ing you, my best Judgment 1t is not
judgment based on newspapers; it
is judgment based on what Con-
gresham Bennett has found from his
personal canvass; what Sol Strass-
burger finds on the east side of New
York; what Prendergrast and Mike
Dady find in BROOKLYN; what Cocks
finds here in my own district; what
Jim Sherman finds to be the over
whelming sentiment right near you in
central New York: what Hitchcock
said as to the effect outside.
Now, if you and those like you fear
that shall ask you to cut your
Threats, your fear is groundless, but
my judgment is that the convention
will nominate Hughes and it would
hurt very much more not to nominate
him than to nominate him"
On August 81, Colonel Roosevelt
wrote from the White House to Mr..
Parsons who at that time was a New
York congressman. In part the letter
follows:
You were very strong in your state
ments of what the men under you
said as to Hughes's unpopularity and
certainly understand you to say that
Bennett felt exactly as you did. When
Bennett tells me, as the local leaders
sentiment is very strong for the re-
nomination of Hughes, L have got to
takes notice of it.
81 entirely agree with all you say as
to your just grounds for complaint
against Governor Hughes and further
more with all you say as the fact that
many of those who desire his renomi-
pose of hurting the Republican party.
Moreover, my dear Parsons, you can
hardly, seriously suppose that to quote
your own words, 1 am trying to treat
you as a puppet-
THAT is if you mean me when you
say those in charge of the national