New-York tribune., 1916-07-28
Gives Out ColOnel's Letter
COnsigning Him to the
AnaniaS Club.
DENIES QUOTED
OPINION OF HUGHES
Says Statements Attributed to
Him Are Absolute
Fabrications."

Colonel Roosevelt, in a letter given
out yesterday, consigned j. A. II. Hop
kins to the Ananias Club. Hopkins is
chairman of the New Jersey Progress
sive state committee.
Shortly before the Chicago conventions
Hopkins and C. P. Connolly, Of Orange,
n. j., visited Colonel Roosevelt to dis
cuss the. candidacy of Hughes. In letter
which Mr. Hopkins wrote Colonel
Roosevelt on July IL he suggested that
the unqualified recommendation Of Mr.
Hughes which the ex-President had
given to the Progressive national COM
mttee was hardly in keeping with the
gold brick" and other uncomplimen-
tary phrases applied to Mr.. Hughes
when Hopkins and Connolly called for
their discussion.
Colonel Roosevelt denied without
qualification the statements attributed
to him. This was thought to have ended
the controversy until Hopkins yester-
day gave out the Roosevelt letter. In
doing so he merely stated, at is per-
haps unnecessary for me to make any
comments upon this other than TO say
that have never entertained nor ex-
pressed any opinions resembling in the
remotest fashion the statements con-
tanned in his letter, which, so far as |
am concerned, are absolute fabrica-
tions.'
Colonel Roosevelt's letter is as fol-
lows:
"432 Fourth Avenue, New York.
July 20, 1916.
"Sir: ! have at last seen copy Of
your letter of July IL TO me. have
never seen the letter itself, and do not
suppose you sent 1t to me.
"All that is necessary for me at the
moment TO discuss is your quotation
from what you allege said in a private
Connolly when you called at my house
The only other person present was Mr..
Connolly, who has sent me the follow
ing telegram in relation thereto:
Yesterday, at a meeting Of the
Progressive State Committee, | pub
licly denied Mr.. Hopkins's statements
relative TO our interviews with you.
recall no such expressions as he at
tributes to you, and | certainly should
have remembered them if you made use
of them
"Owing TO the extreme difficulty of
quoting accurately a private converse
tion from memory, and from the open
ing such habit gives to untrustwor-
thy persons 10 color and pervert what
was said, it has become an axiom of
honorable conduct among gentlemen
that such conversations are not to be
quoted. A man who quotes them is
very rarely honorable, and a man who
is not honorable is very rarely truth
full am glad that Mr.. Connolly was
present, and that he of his own ac-
cord made the statement given above.
Your alleged statements from me
are not in accord with the facts. |
shall, however, refresh your memory
on one point. You stated you would
have supported Mr.. Hughes if we Pro-
,,ressives had nominated him earlier
in the year. ! think, but am not sure,
you mentioned February as the date.
You stated that this would have put
the Progressives in an excellent per-
sonal position, and would have humili-
ated the Republicans by forcing them
to follow the Progressive lead. In
other words. you were willing to sup
port Mr.. Hughes if his nomination
could be brought about in a manner
that would satisfy your vanity and
spite, but you are not willing to sup
port him on broad, patriotic grounds.
"Yours truly,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"