New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-15
T. r. on Prohibition
Favored the 18th Amendment, 1t Is
Asserted
To the Editor of The Tribune.

10 tne EdltOr OF The Tribune.
Sir: In July, 1918, Theodore Roose-
velt by appointment gave an interview
to the writer in company with H. C.
Scotford, of New York City. So much
has been said about the attitude of
Colonel Roosevelt toward prohibition
and other issues that it seems perfectly
clear that the mind of the great states
man, who was always progressive in
thought, absorbed though he was with
the prosecution Of the great war of
humanity, was at the same time con-
slderlng in secondary way some of
the other questions that were before
the American public. Casual converse
lions may place an emphasis upon first
one phase of a question and then an
other, which could give the appearance
OF conflicting views. When, however,
the Colonel wrote about his conclusion
upon a subject, or declared for action
upon it, there was no difficulty of un-
Outstanding his final analysis of it.
read the conversation with Roose-
welt which John j. Lesry jr. reported
IN "McClure's" for November, 1918.
Tho opening statement Of Mr.. Leary
Is that Colonel Roosevelt YVES not one
OF those who favored the Eighteenth
Amendment" He does not say the Colonel
thus declared himself. The closing
statement Is that Roosevelt said he
would take no part in the contest one
way or the other: II shall not allow
1T or anything else to swerve me from
the (war) work we are now in" The
former statement we think is incorrect
as far as it relates to Rooseyelt's
final decision. The latter statement
we know represents his attitude. Mr..
Roosevelt did not desire to turn from
what he considered the main issue, and
while he had the desire to let nothing
else important employ his time, he
recognized the merits Of both the
suffrage and prohibition campaigns
and said to Hon. Wayne B. Wheeler, of
Washington, and Colonel L. B. Mus
grove, Of Alabama, that he had to
break that rule once in order to help
the suffrage fight, and if it became
necessary he would do it again in order
to help prohibition. In my interview.
which was with reference to prohibition
and the Republican party in New York
and the nation, in speaking of the prog
ress of prohibition and its ultimate
achievement by ratification he said. al
will do everything I can to make it pos
sible."
Shortly after this wrote to Sena-
tor Frederick Davenport regarding the
matter, inclosing a Roosevelt letter,
and Mr.. Davenport replied, II thank
you very much for sending me tho
copy of letter of Colonel Roosevelt to
DR.. Iglehart. Coupled with the testi-
mony of Mr.. Wayne Wheeler of Mr..
Roosevelt's conversation with him, it
makes no doubt of the position of Mr..
Roosevelt. had conversation months
ago with him about the matter, and
there isn't the slightest question about
what he. thought. No man in America
could read the signs Of the times more
clearly than he"
If, in the conversation with Mr..
Leary, there seemed to be any sugges-
ton from Colonel Roosevelt that it
might be wise to make trial of the
beer and wine program, it must be re-
membered that this was one of the
stages of thought which practically all
public men reached at one time or an
other, which was abandoned for the
complete program, Notwithstanding
that the earlier notion may have been
alluded to at times as plausible So
1utfa,o - fkA S~frl.