Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-28
COLONEL s RECORD
RAKED BY BARNES
AS Governor, Vicc-President and
President, His Life Is
Barred
NOT ADVERSE TO BOSSES
Letters Reveal His Close Rela
tons Long Maintained With
Senator Platt.


hitherto unknown chapters OF political
history were revealed in the Supreme
Court here to-day. when confidential
correspondence that passed between
Theodore Roosevelt. on one hand and
william Barnes and former United
States Senator Thomas c. Platt-"the
boss"-on the other, were read to the
Jury.
1t Was the former Presidents sixth
day on the witness stand in Barness
$4,000 suit for alleged libel
The Colonel identified the letters and
wound up the day by claiming as his
own the speeches and interviews pub
l'shed in New York newspapers in
which he said some things about the
men he called the bosses" The names
OF Barnes. Murphy. Guggenhelm. Cox
Lorimer. Penrose and others were scat
tered through these articles
ROOSEVELT AND PI.ATT
ON FRIENDLY TERMS
The letters that passed between COL
oncl Roosevelt and Senator PIatt
showed that the two continued 10 con-
suit on friendly terms while the former
was Governor Vice President and then
President. In telegram sent To Col
onel Roosevelt while he was Governor
tn" Senator urged the signing of a bill
for cxempting from the franchise tax
grade crossings OF steam roads and
Central" and Senator Dcpcw. were
anxious Colonel Roosevelt; replied
that he had received the telegram TOO
Iatc," and that. any way he consid-
cred the matter was ono on which he
should take the advice Of .he Tax
Commission unless II could be shown
that they were wrong"
In another telegram. when Senator
P!att insisted that Colonel Roosevelt
then Governor. attend the meeting of a
commission the Colonel after protest
inE, agreed TO do 30. and added. but
You are not an easy boss"
The Colonel. when Vice President.
asked that his friends be taken care
OF" by the Senator. In other letters.
appointments were discussed, while in
one. written by the Senator after Col
onel Roosevelt was In the White House,
the Cabinet to be selected by the Mayor
elect OF New York, Seth Low. was writ
ten OF.
The name OF william Barnes. the
Colone! admitted. did not appear once
In all this correspondence.
THEIR LETTERS BORDER
ALMOST on FoRMALITY
The letters between Mr. Barnes and
the Colonel covered n period between
1904 and 1910. Their tenor was en-
tirely friendly, but at times they AL
most bordered upon the formal Tho
appointment Of men 10 onlce and q
variety OF political affairs were dis
cussed. and the DR.. Jekyll and Mr.,
Hyde elements Colonel Roosevelt said
Mr.. Barnes had In him were the sub
ject of questions which resulted
Host!l!ties broke out between the
opposing lawyers several times. The
Roosevelt counsel fought against the
admission of the newspaper articles
Then when the Colonel was asked
about campaign contributions from
men affiliated with the American Pow.
der Company, the New Haven Railroad.
Harvester Company, the Steel Corpora.
tion and the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company. and whether he. as President
OF the United States, had ordered the
Attorney General to investigate or
bring action against the concerns. the
attorneys ella ashed again
The tennessee Coal and Iron Com
pany and compe tition by the Steel Cor
poration was under discussion when
John NJ. Bowers, chief counsel for Col
onel Roosevelt, said:
Now please stop with that We will
be all summer trying this case"
we may" replied William WINS,
chief counsel for Mr.. Barnes; I'VE did
not start this game"
yes, you did," declared Mr.. Bowers
hentedIy.
Yes. you did," returned Mr.. WINS.
Colonel Roosevelt made the first pub
lcation."
Then the court intervened
The belief prevailed here tonight
that the cross-examnation OF the for
mer president would end some time
tomorrow. Mr.. Barnes was in court
again to-day.
PLATr ASKS COLONEL
TO SIGN MEASURE
telegram in which former United
States Senator Plat requested Roose
welt to sign n bill for exempting from
the franchise tax bill grade crossings
of steam railroads. and said that our
friends OF the New York Central and
Senator Depew were anxious" was read
when court convened for the sixth day
OF the trial, with Colonel Roosevelt
still on the stand. In reply. the Col
onel wrote Senator Platt he had re-
cctved the telegram too late"
These messages were part of addi-
tional correspondence that passed be-
tween Colonel Roosevelt and Platt, and
which was presented in court to-day.
William l.. Barnum, the cross-examiner.
started his inquiry by asking Colonel
Roosevelt whether he had taken plott.