New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-06
Writes Western NameSahe
He Would Refuse Treas
ury Portfolio.
MOOSE WILL AVOID
EMBARRASSING T. r.
Their National Chairman Reiter-
ates the DisintereStedness
of Their Policy.

George W. Perkins is not candidate
for any public Office and would not &C
cept the Treasury portfolio il it were
offered him. Nor would the Progress
sive organization "even attempt to en-
barrass Mr. Roosevelt in his appoint
ments or administration were he again
President"
So Mr.. Perkins says in a letter TO S.
A. Perkins, Republican national COM
mitteeman from the state Of Washing
ton, made public yesterday. The two,
though old friends, are not related. The
letter is the outgrowth Of recent dis
cussion between them in this city in
which the Western Perkins repeated
reports current in various places that
the New York head of the family would
be Secretary Of the Treasury in the
event of Mr.. Roosevelt's return to the
White House and that an effort would
be made to corral all appointments for
Progressiyes.
Here is the letter:
Pursuant to the promise made you
as you were leaving for the West the
other day, am going to summarize in
this letter the views / expressed in our
several conversations.
Pledged to Patriotic Course.
"As to the Progressves, said to you
in our conversations, and / want to re-
peat it with all earnestness and sin
cerity in this letter, that know where
of / speak when | say that there is no
ground for the belief that the Progress
sive organization would even attempt
TO embarrass Mr.. Roosevelt in any way
in his administration or his appoint
ments were he again President. Do not
overlook the fact that we Progressives
are openly pledged TO patriotic
course. We have, times without num-
Der, pronounced our disinterestedness
in the policy we have been pursuing,
and am satisfied that the men who to-
day are representing the party are
working in an unselhstih spirit and are
not going to do anything IN the future
TO stultify their record.
with some Of the rumors regarding my
motives in the work have been and am
doing. II is embarrassing to speak of
ones self, but In view of what you said
and the nature of the situation, | want
70 reiterate in this letter what ! said
TO you in conversation. viz, that
have absolutely no ambition for office,
nor do desire reward of any kind for
the work / have been doing. | cannot
and do not think of myself as being in
politics. | have been working as have
because for a long while | have felt
very deeply that the country was drift
ing i'm the wrong direction, both indus
trially and internationally and that
national inefiiciency and unprepared-
ness are millstones around our necks.
My business life has thrown me, as
you know, into contact with lnterna-
tional and industrial affairs. / have,
therefore, had an unusual opportunity
10 study and observe the changing con-
ditions Of the world IN politics, in
business and in industrial relations.
For ten years or more / have on many
occasions publicly spoken and used
such influence as ! could command for
broader natlonalism and information
alism in our business and political life.
81 am not looking for office IN CON
nection with any Of the work | am
doing. / have no desire for Office. Mr..
Roosevelt absolutely understands this.
This the Year of Fate for Uncle Sam.
81 believe that a. goes the next four
years at Washington so goes the next
forty years for our country; that this
is the year of fate for the United
States. believe that vast deal de-
ponds on the experience. tact, wisdom
and strength of our next Chief Execu-
tive. For many years | have been for
tunate in knowing quite well practi-
cally all Of the prominent men in the
political life Of our nation. Taking
into consideration the character and
variety of the problems confronting
US. it has for several years been my
judgment that Mr.. Roosevelt is the
best equipped man in this country to
assist. as our national leader, in solv-
ing existing problems and leading US