Roosevelt Off For Chicago.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 4, 1912:
Starts To-day for Convention — Firm on Negro Question.
Special to The New York Times.
    OYSTER BAY, N. Y., Aug. 3.— Col. Roosevelt spent the day quietly, and his only visitors were two Harvard College professors, who came on to talk over economic questions. He will start for Chicago to-morrow afternoon at 4 o'clock on the Twentieth Century Limited. He has said that he would not have another word to say on political questions of importance before the convention of the Progressives at Chicago.
    When he was told that his statement in regard to the negro question had aroused no little comment, especially in connection with the exclusion of negro delegates from the Southern tier of States, the Colonel declared that nothing could change his position.
    He asserted that as a result of the stand he had taken he might lose some votes in the South among the negroes, but that he believed he had treated the problem in a fair and stiaight forward manner, and that he would get more votes in the North than he could possibly lose by any of his utterances. He declared that it was an open declaration of his beliefs, and that he would not retract, no matter what the consequences were. That, he said, was the principle on which he was carrying out the third party movement.
    Col. Roosevelt said to-day that so far as he knew the question of the selection of his running mate on the Progressive ticket was still "up in the air." It is believed here that Gov. Hiram Johnson of California will be named as the nominee for Vice President, and that the place will not be given to a Southern Democrat. In fact, that is the programme which will be carried through unless such Democrats as have already hitched themselves on to the Bull Moose party are able to show that a Democrat on the National ticket would carry enough votes with him to count in the race for the Presidency. At present it does not seem that such will be the case, and it appears that Roosevelt will have to depend almost entirely on the Republican, and perhaps on the Socialistic vote, if he hopes to make a good showing when the final count is taken.
    Asked if he would make any comment on an article by William Jennings Bryan to-day, in which he levelled severe criticism at the acceptance speech of President Taft, Roosevelt declared that he would rather be silent at this time:
    He was asked also if he expected to go to El Paso, Texas, in response to an invitation to attend a conference there to consider the plight of the American refugees from Mexico.
    "Why, I haven't even thought of going," he declared.
    Col. Roosevelt will motor into town to-day to catch the train for Chicago. As soon as he arrives in the convention city he will have a conference with his campaign manager, Senator Dixon, but before that he expects to make no further comment on the questions which are now harassing the Progressive Party in its effort to go forward "placidly to success."