New Britain herald., 1916-09-30
ROOSEVELT STILL
 COLD TOWARD TAFT
Vetoes Promptly Love Fest Plans
 Of Union League Club

to speak at Battle Creek, Mich feel ing perturbed about his part in the reception to be given next Tuesday night at the Union league club to Charles E. Hughes. When the Colonel learned that an order had been given to supply the reception committee with buttons having the pictures of himself, William H. Taft. and MT. Hughes together, he was angry.
 Before leaving for the west he told friends that he had no intention to make the affair a get-tOgether meet ing between himself and MT. Taft. He said he would be present only because he was an honorary member of the club and wanted to make the reCep- tion to MT. Hughes a success. The Colonel was quoted by one of his close friends as saying: 1T will make no advances to shake hands with MT. Taft. I will be in the receiving line and I will shake hands with MT. Taft only in the same man. ner that I did at Professor Louns- l bury's funeral in New Haven. I 1 would do the same thing with MT. ! Barnes, or with MT. Root, if they were in line.
 1 "This attempt to make it a recon 1 ciliation meeting between myself and MT. Taft is all wrong. The reception is to be given to MT. Hughes, and that is the only reason I am going l to be present. I do not want my l picture to appear on the same but ton with those Of MT. Hughes and MT. Taft. I think such an arrange ment Is outrageous.' It is simply a scheme to beclould the issues''
 The Colonel was asked regarding l chance 1 he said:
 | "Five-siNths of the progressves in this country are for MT. Hughes. I believe he will be elected"
 Don't you wish to make it a little stronger?" the Colonel was asked.
 ''That's all I care to say" was his reply.
 Those having charge of the recep- 1 ton have made it appear that it was not to be so much a reception to the republican presidential candidate as it was to be a peace fest between | the Colonel and MT. Taft. MT. Roose- welt, his friends said. accepted the invitation to be present on the under standing that, while some of his old political enemies might be there. 1t was to be simply a reception to Mir. 1 Hughes
 Protests to Wilcox.
 When the Colonel learned of the | handshaking program and that but | tons were to be worn by the recep- { ton committee containing Roosevelt Taft-Hughes pictures, he dictated a red-hot letter to William R. Wilcox, | chairman of the republican national | committee, protesting against 1t. The Colonel had to catch 5 o'clock train for Michigan and did not have time to finish the letter, but he asked his secretary. w. J. Hayes, to call on MT. Wilcox and tell him of his real i sentiments.
 Secretary Hayes tried to deliver his message, but Mr. Wilcox cut him short by telling him he had heard all about the buttons and did not want to go into the matter any further. l Later MT. Wilcox was asked about the buttons. and he said:
 "Oh, yes. about those buttons. heard that story today. I called up one of the members of the club who l ought to know, and he said he did ! not know of any such buttons." Do you know whether there was l a plan to have the faces of MT. Hughes, MT. Taft, and MT. Roosevelt on them 2" MT. Wilcox was asked.
 "It is foolish to have buttons with ] three pictures on them," he replied.
 Mr. Wilcox was asked about the general arrangements for the recep 1 ton and he said;
 "I told you all the facts about l that the other day. am mem Der of the club and I am to be at the reception. There is nothing un- usual in this. It was suggested that the members of the club would like to have the two former presidents there. There Is nothing sensational l about it."
 MT. Wilcox was asked if MT. Barnes was going to be present
 "Mr. Barnes is a member of the club" he said. but I don't know whether he will be there or not
 No Buttons, Says Wilcox.
 Asked if Colonel Roosevelt had protested to him orally or in writing about the button affair, Mr. Wilcox said:
 All I can say to you about 1t is that I had no telephone message. or any message, sent to me by anybody from him.
 MT. Wilcox the next moment ad- mitted that the Colonels secretary had come to him. about the mattet, but he said, he had told him he had just heard from a member of the club that there were to be no such buttons.
 The Colonel was at his office a short time yesterday and then had luncheon at the Harvard club with Lieutenant Peckhoff, a son of Maxim Gorky, who lost an arm while fight ipe n the French army. Other guests