Give the man room

by Robert J. Casey; Mary Montgomery Borglum

SAW THE CHIEF YESTERDAY. POLICY AND ATTITUDE UNCHANGED.

The sculptor, putting all this together, continued his report to General Wood. Here is part of that revealing document:

Before three o’clock the next morning (Friday) I was awakened by ’phone call telling me that the favorite-son group had over 518 votes and that they did not need the colonel. That was the first definite rebuke, and my telegram of Thursday indicates my feeling at the time. I am of course bearing in mind what I learned months ago, and I cannot understand why Progressive leaders do not know it, or why the colonel did not know it—that he never had a chance in Chicago. When I found that he was not willing, or that his agents in Chicago were not willing to risk their ability on the floor of the convention against the favorite sons, I felt, and many felt, that they were simply playing poker with the threat of an independent Progressive convention back of them.

Thursday night I sat with a number of gentlemen at Union League Club. We went over the entire situation regarding the colonel’s candidacy. There were in this group men representing three states that had favorite sons. Finally, after their declination to consider the colonel on any terms, I urged upon them your availability. I pointed out to them the colonel’s friendship for you and his absolute faithfulness to the friendship, and I urged upon them the desirability of nominating you directly. They replied that they would be glad to do this and that in ordinary circumstances it would be done, but, because of their relation to the favorite-sons group, such a step would be considered disloyal and would endanger the whole situation.

They further said that your great value as a candidate was the colonel’s loyalty to your lifelong friendship and that your nomination would secure the colonel’s support of the old organization. After considerable debate I proposed sending a telegram to the colonel. This telegram was duly approved and Speaker Cannon remarked, “If the colonel answers that in the right spirit, we will know that he is sincere. And if he doesn’t——” Mr. Cannon shrugged his shoulders. Here is the telegram:

“Colonel Roosevelt, Oyster Bay, New York, Thursday, June 8, 1916, 2 A.M.

“Please send me a line confirming your approval of Wood. Powerful members of Old Guard approve and ask your approval. They say he can be nominated. Address me, Union League Club.”

I sent this telegram and, as you see, it contained my address and asked for a reply. I waited twelve hours, until about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Having promised a reply to these Old Guard gentlemen, I was extremely anxious. I called the colonel on the phone and succeeded in getting him. The day was wet.

The wire was noisy and the connection bad. I told the colonel that I had wired him and was waiting for an answer. He replied, “Didn’t you get my telegram?” I told him I had not. He then said he had answered my questions by telegram and told me that if there was anything else I wanted to know, to see his son Theodore. The connection was bad, the answer unsatisfactory.

I immediately tried to find Theodore, Jr., but could not locate him. I searched political headquarters in Chicago for the telegram the colonel said he had sent me. I went to the head office and had them search the wires, but could find no telegram. None had reached Chicago. I requested both companies to go back over the lines to Oyster Bay and locate the message. They did and reported in two hours that no message had been received at Oyster Bay or in New York for me from Colonel Roosevelt.