Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-09-12
President RooseVe|fs
Letter Of Acceptance

Oyster Bay, N. Y, Sept. 12.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt's letter accepting the
Republican nomination for the presi.
dency has been made public. 1t is in
part as follows:
1t is difficult to find out from the ut
terances of our opponents what are the
real issues upon which they propose to
wage this campaign. 1t is not unfair
to say that, having abandoned most OF
the principles upon which they have in
sisted during the last eight years, they
now seem at a loss both as to what 1t
is that they really believe and as to
how firmly they shall assert their be-
lief in anything. In fact, it is doubt
full if they venture resolutely to press
a single issue. As soon as they raise
one they shrink from it and seek to
explain it away.
The party now in control of the gov
eminent is troubled by no such diff
culties. We do not have to guess at
our own convictions and then correct
the guess if 1t seems unpopular. The
principles which we profess are those
in which we believe with heart and
soul and strength. Men may differ
from us, but they cannot accuse us of
stiffness or insincerity. The policies
we have pursued are those which we
earnestly hold as essential to he ma
tional welfare and repute. Our ac-
lions speak even louder than our words
for the faith that is in us. We base
our appeal upon what we have done
and are doing, upon our record of adj
ministration and legislation during the
last seven years, in which we have had
complete control of the government.
We intend in the future to carry OH
the government In the same way that
we have carried it on in the past.
SO well has the work been done that
our opponents do not venture to recite
the facts about our policies or acts Inc
Their oppose them. They attack them
only when they have first ~misrepresent-
ed them, for a truthful recital would
leave no room for adverse comment.
Panama.
Panama offers an instance in point.
Our opponents can criticise what we
did in Panama only on condition of
misstating what was done. The admin
istration behaved throughout not only
with good faith, but with extraordi-
nary patience and large generosity to-
ward those with whom it dealt. 1t was
also mindful of American interests. 1t
acted in strict compliance with the law
passed by congress. Had not Panama
been promptly recognized and the
transit across the isthmus kept open
in accordance With our treaty rights
and obligations there would have en-
endless guerrilla warfare and
possibly foreign complications, while
all chance of building the canal would
have been deferred certainly for years,
perhaps for a generation or more.
Criticism of the action in this matter
is simply criticism of the only possible
action which could have secured the
building Of the canal as well as the
peace and quiet which we were by
treaty bound to preserve along the
line of transit across the isthmus. The
service rendered this country in secur-
ing the perpetual right to construct,
maintain, operate and defend the canal
was so great that our opponents do not
venture to raise the issue in straight
forward fashion, for if so raised there
would be no issue.
The decisive action which brought
about this beneficent result was the
exercise by the president of the pow
ers vested in him, and in him alone, by
the constitution, the power to recog-
nize foreign governments by entering
into diplomatic relations with them
and the power to make treaties which
when ratified by the senate become I'M
der the constitution part of the supreme
law of the land. Neither in this nor in
any other matter has there been the
slightest failure to live up to the con-
stitution In letter and in spirit. But
the constitution must be observed pos
itively as well as negatively. The pres
ident's duty is to serve the country in
accordance with the constitution, and
/ should be derelict in my duty if l
used a false construction of the consti-
tuition as a shield for weakness and IT,
Nudity or as an excuse for govern
meatal impotence.
Foreign Policy.
Similar Misrepresentation is the one
weapon Of u opponents in regard tC
our foreign policy and the way the
pavy has been made useful in carry
ing out this policy. Here again al
that we ask is that they truthfully
state what has been done and ther
say whether or not they object to 1t
for If continued in power we shall con
tinue our foreign policy and our han
ding Of the navy on exactly the sam,
lines in the future as in the past. T,
what phase of u foreign policy ant
to what use of the navy do our oppo
nents object? Do they object to tn
way in which the Monroe doctrine ha
been strengthened and upheld? d
u opponents object to what was don
in reference to the petition of Amer