The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-28
Bosses the Colonel RECOGNIZED.

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government in the last few years, and Col
Roosevelt is not the only one who has contributed
| to the impression that in some mysterious way
the political bosses have run things without tax
ing the people into their confidence. Col. Roosc-
welt has discovered that it is not safe to write
confidential letters to other political bosses and
then denouncc those other bosses without having
some assurance that the letters have been de-
stroyed. There are always two sides to a story,
and both sides usually get out when there is
a trial like that at Syracuse. The Colonel has
often told his side OF the story. Now his cor
respondence with Platt and Barnes and Parsons
is telling the other side. These letters reveal
nothing OF which the Colonel or his friends need
be ashamed. They simply show that in his inl-
pulslve criticism of men with whom he had quar-
relied he forgot his old frank dealing with them,
and the correspondence which might be still in
existence.
These letters now show that no one more
frankly recognized Senator Plat as the leader
than did Col Roosevelt, and New York gov
ernor more often sought the advice OF the Easy
Boss than did he. 1t mattcred not whether it
was a recommendation for legislation veto of
an Objectionable bill, or appointments to Office,
even judicial, the governor sought the advice of
Mr. Plat. He also appealed to Mr.. Ilatt not to
kick him upstairs into the Vice Presidency, but
there the "I:asy Boss" became adamant and the
Colonel had not long reason to regret it. He
became President. and in the exercise OF the grcal
powers then in his hands he did not forget to
consult with Mr.. Plat and others who have been
called bosses. How numerous they have been
in the last dozen years, There were Ndrich, and
Hale. and Spooncr, and Lodge. and Quay and
Pcnrosc, and Hanna, and Foraker. and Cannon,
nd nd and
Lorimer, all called bosses by some people at the
time. and also by the Colonel in more recent
wears. but all freely consulted by him when he
was President
While the honor OF nominating Col Rooscl cit
Tor Vice President belonged to Senators Platt and
Quay, after his election to that high place, it
was Lorimcr who engineered the first indorSc-
Incnt OF Air. Roosevelt for President. by passing
through the Illinois Republican convention in
100. a declaration OF Roosevelt for President in
1904; and the second Endorsement came from
Ohio at the hands OF Foraker. with the consent
OF Hanna, whose friends hoped that he might be
the candidate.
There were many Who believed that President
Roo>cN cit intended to recommend revision OF
the tariff in his message to Congress in 1905, ana
many newspaper reports declared that this recon-
was in the message when 1t was given
out at the White House a week in advance OF
release but when the message was published the
waS not there The report was
that invisible gov crnmcnt had been at work and
that the silent but powerful hand OF Boss Can
non had snatchcd il away. The facts probably
were that President Roosevelt sent copies of this
message to Aldrch and Cannon. and Foraker and
Hanna. and others in whom he then had conf
dcncc, and that when they advised against it he