New-York tribune., 1915-03-28
ROOSEVELT STICKS
TO ship CHARGES
Declines to Testify Before
Committee, but Again
Hits Purchase Bill.
tFrom The Tribune Bureau.

WASHINGTON. March PA long tele-
gram from Colonel Roosevelt asserting
that the administration in urging the
enactment of the ship purchase Dill
sought to purchase ships OF one or the
warrino European nations was LAID pc
fore the Senate committee lnvestlgaI-
ING the alleged ship lobby to-day. The
telegram was reply to the invitation
to Colonel Roosevelt to testify as 10
the source of the information for the
charges - is:2Ae in recent magazine
article >,
"Every man." says Colonel Roosevelt
in his telegram, who has looked INTO
the matter at all knew perfectly well
that we were literally purchasing
quarrel with every ship that was pur-
chased from any of the corporations
owning the German Interned snlpS'
Every man knew that the object OF the
bill was to purchase these lnterned
ships. If this were not so the proposed
law would have contained provlso
expressly exempting these interned
ships from its provisions"
Colonel RoOsevelt's message evoked
somewhat tart comment from Senator
Walsh. chairman of the investigating
committee, who explained the purposes
tation extended to the eX-President.
"Waiving any comment" said Senator
Walsh. ION the courtesy Of the reply to
the message of the chairman of the
committee or the degree of respect it
exhibits for the United States Senate,
whose directions the committee is en-
dcavoring to carry out, the telegram
will be read"
Colonel Roosevelt insisted that it
would be useless for him to testify be-
fore the committee when it was OBJ
vious that his information "is merely
that which is patent 10 every man who
takes an interest in his countrys well
fare and is acquainted with the course
of GU rent events"
president Wilson and Secretary
,-cAGoo," says Colonel Roosevelt, have
been pushing this ship purchase bill to
the utmost of their ability. This Is a
matter of common notoriety, and | do
not suppose that any one will pretend
to deny it. Their action WAS in the
interest of the foreign corporations
owning or interested in the ownership
of the interned ships. If it had not
been, then these ships would have been
specifically exempted from the opera
tions of the act. This statement again
cannot he denied"
As for Presi lent Wilson and Secre-
tsry Bryan knowing, the telegram con-
tinues, that this proposed act would
bring US into conflict with the powers
opposed to the power owning the in
termed ships, | can refer yO' TO the
speeches in the United States Senate
of Senators Lodge and Root and others.
| am informed that our government
was officially or unofficially notified Of
this fact by representatives of the for
eign governments with which We would
be brought into hostile cOntaC by the
measure; but -Yhether or not this is
so, any man in public position who did
his duty, who was informed in any way
of the sentiment in the foreign coun-
tries concerned about the measure, or
who had read the debates of the United
States Senate or the articles ir our own
press on the subject could not lossibly
have avoided knowing that we would
have been brought into conAict with
foreign powers by the success of the
measure; that, in the words of one of
your own body, we were purchasing a
quarrel with every ship.
at therefore appears first: That
President Wilson and Secretary Nc
Adoo pushed the measure. Second,
that 1t was in the interest of the for
eign corporations owning the interned
ships. Third, that the success of the
measure would have meant the likeli-
hood of embroling Us with the allied
powers. Fourth, that all of these facts
had been stated again and again; that
they were brought out at length in de-
bates in the United States Senate and
in publications of every kind; that the
CO 81. a.
ing the lrterned ships, which were, OF
course, foreign corporations, and the
fact that the purchase was in their in
terest, were matters of common no
toriety to every intelligent man; and
that it is. OF course, childish to main
tain that President Wilson and Secre-
tary Bryan and Secretary McAdoo did
not know these facts, which every one
else did know