The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-21
GARY DINNER WITH ROOSEVELT GUEST
 CAUSES GREAT STIR
Prominent Men of Finance Present, But All Decline to Discuss the
 Subject

1 The New York Sun of Sunday, which
 reached Birmingham last night, con- tained the following:
 Those who have their weather eye cooked for political signs of the times
 were very much interested yesterday in the report that Judge Ebert H. Gary. chairman of the board of the United States Steel corporation, had given a dinner on Friday night at his Fifth avenue home to about 20 of his friends. Of much more importance to the political gossipers, however, was the additional information that the guest | of the evening was none other than Colonel Roosevelt and that to make him feel perfectly at home Judge Gary had invited also certain of the coloners we'll known friends, political and so- cial. No one could be found who had a complete list of the guests, but it 1 was said that among them were Au- gust Belmont, Jacob H. Schiff, George F. Baker, George w Perkins and | Theodore Douglas Robinson. Others present were A. Barton Hep 1 burn, Frank A. Vanderlip, Cornelius Vanderbilt, r. w whitridge, Frank l B. Kellogg, Samuel Guggenheim, c. A. | Coffin. Henry Walters, Richard V. Lindabury, E. c. Converse, Clarence Mackay and George B. Cortelyou. | Gov. R. Livingston Beeckman of ! Rhode Island has been in town for
 several days and report has been | current that he recently visited the I colonel at Oyster Bay and inform ed | him that Rhode Island was for him as 1 the next republican candidate for the | presidency. Not only that, but it is | affirmed the governor said to the col ] onel that there were many other gov- ernors, at least more than seven, who 1 felt the same way about it, to say
 nothing of politicians by the hundred | in the republican party who are grop- Ing about for someone to lead them | to victory next year.
 | Friday was the coloneTs day at his office in town and it was made known | on Friday night that Mir. Robinson, Medilf Mccormick of Chicago and MT. Perkins had visited him. None of these would discuss the subject of their talk, l but MT. Perkins is just back from a vest ern trip and undoubtedly he had Interest | ing information to impart
 1 When the report of Gary dinner with | the colonel as chief guest came down the
 line yesterday there was a scramble for | accurate information on the subject August Belmont was the first man to be l reached. He was asked if he had attend l ed dinner at Judge Gary's home at
 which Colonel Roosevelt was present. l T will not discuss it. You must not ask me to. I will have nothing to say | about it; nothing whatever
 1 Mir. Perkins gave the same answer. | Really he said, you do not expect
 me to discuss an affair of this kind I
 would not talk about a dinner held al | the home of one of my friends | But you were at Judge Garys home | last night; were you not?
 l ''Yes, but cannot discuss it. l Finally Judge Gary himself was asked to tell all about it. He wouldn't say a word
 T don't care to say anything about | it." was his answer to a question as tc l whether he had given such dinner. l ''Is 1t not true that Colonel Roosevelt i was one of your guests?"
 l 1T will not have anything to say about it.''
 l Then list of the reported guests was
 read to Judge Gary and he was asked 1 if he would either confirm or deny the | report that these gentlemen had been al | his table.
 | You know he said 'how willing l
 always am to give you information if l
 can. Ordinarily would talk, but can't
 now You must accept that as final | Colonel Roosevelt said: 'I was at a dinner at Judge Gary's home. It was a private affair and had no political sig | nificance. I will not discuss it.''