The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-12
ROOSEVELT DEFENDS
HIMSELF AND. PARTY
President Writes Letter of Acceptance and Takes
Defensive Position for Administrations Acts and
PoIices-In Long Communication Addressed to
Cannon the Executive Seeks to Justify Himself

OYSTER BAY, N. Y, Sept. IL
following letter of acceptance to Chair
man Joseph c.. Cannon, of the netifi-
cation committee:
Oyster Bay. N. Y, Sept. 12.-Hon. ].
G. Cannon, Chairman of the Noti1cati ton
Committee-My Dear Sir: accept the
nomination for the presidency rendered
me by the Republican national conven-
ton, and cordially approve the platform
adopted by it. In writing this letter there
are certain points upon which 1 desire
TO lay especial stress.
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 insisted
during the last eight years, they now
seem at a loss. both as to what it is that
they really believe, and as to how firmly
they shall assert their belief in anything.
In fact. it is doubtful 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. Such
an attitude is the probably inevitable re-
suit of the effort to improvise convictions;
for when thus improvised it is natural
that they should be held in a tentative
manner
The party now in control of the gov
eminent is troubled by no such difficulties.
We do not have to guess at our own
convictions, and then correst the guess if
II 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 ac-
cuse us of stiffness or insincerity The
nOllciQS q x1-l,io io1,
we earnestly hold as essential TO the ma
tional welfare and repute. Our actions
speak even louder than our words for the
1alth that is in US. We base our appeal
upon what we have done and are doing,
upon our records of administration and
legislation during the last seven years,
In which we have had complete control
of the government. We intend in the
future to carry on the government in the
same way that we have carried it on in
the past.
A party whose members are radically
at variance on most vital issues, and if
united at all, are only united on issues
where their attitude threatens widespread
disaster to the whole country cannot be
trusted to govern in any matter. A party
which, with facile ease changes all its
convictions before election cannot be
trusted to adhere with tenacfty to any
principle after election. A party fit to
govern must have convictions In 1896
the Republican party came into power,
and in 1900 it retained power on certain
definite pledges, each of which was scru-
pulously fulfilled. But in addition to
meeting and solving the problems which
were issues in these campaigns, it also
became necessary to meet other problems
which arose after election; and it is no
small part of our claim to public conf
dence that these were solved with the
same success that had attended the solu-
tion of those concerning which the bat
ties at the polls were fought. In other
words, our governmental efficiency proved
equal not only to the tasks that were an
teipated. but to doing each unanticipated
task 1t arncn -