The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-08-04
ROOSE TELT ACCEPTS.
Speech of Characteristic Force Ind
Direotness.


81 am deeply sensible of the high
honor conferred upon me by the rep
resentatives of the Republican party
assembled in convention, and l accept
the nomination for the Presidency
with solemn realization of the obli-
cations l assume. l heartily approve
the declaration of principles which the
Republican national convention has
adopted, and at some future day /
shall communicate to you, Mr.. Chair
man, more at length and in detail a
formal written acceptance of the nom.
ination. "
Referring briefly to the lamentable
circumstances under which he became
President, and the constituent ele-
ments in the worth of party Mr..
Roosevelt continued:
"In all of this we are more FORUM
ate than our opponents, who now APP
peal for confidence on the ground.
which some express and some seek to
have confdentially understood, that
If triumphant they may be trusted to
prove false to every principle which
in the last eight years they have laid
down as vital, and to leave undisturbed
those very acts Of the administration
because of which they ask that the
administration itself be driven from
power Seemingly their present. at
titude as to their past record is that
some of them were mistaken and
others insincere. We make our appeal
in wholly different spirit. We are
not constrained to keep silent on any
vital question; we are divided on no
vital question; our policy is contin-
uous, and is the same fer all sections
and localities. There is nothing ex-
perimental about the government we
ask the people to continue in power,
for our performance in the past, our
proved governmental efficiency, is a
guarantee as to our promises for the
future. Our opponents, either openly
or secretly, according to their several
temperaments, now ask the people to
trust their present promises in consid-
GRAFTON of the fact that they intend to
treat their past promises as null and
void. We know our own minds and
we have kept Of the same mind for a
sufficient length of time to give to
our policy conference and sanity. In
such fundamental matter as the en-
forcement of the law we do not have
to depend upon promises, but merely
to ask that our record be taken as an
earnest of what we shall continue
to do. In dealing with the great
organizations known as trusts, we do
not have to explain why the laws
were not enforced, but to point out
that they actually have been enforced
and that legislation has been enacted
to increase the effectiveness of their
enforcement. We do not have to pro-
pose to turn the rascals OUT for
we have shown in very deed that
whenever by diligent investigation a
public official can be found who has
betrayed his trust he will be punished
to the full extent of the law without
regard to whether he was appointed
under Republican or a Democratic
administration. This is the efficient
way to turn the rascals out and to
keep them ont, and it has the merit
of sincerity. Moreover, the betrayals
of trust in the last seven years have
been Insignificant in number when
compared with the extent of the pub
lie service. Never has the admins
tration of the government been on a
cleaner and higher level; never has
the public work of the nation been
done more honestly and efficiently.
AssuredIy it is unwise to change
the policies which have worked so
we'll and which are now working so
we'll. Prosperity has come at home.
The national honor and interest have
been upheld abroad. We have placed
the finances Of the nation upon a
sound gold basis. We have done this
with the aid of inany who were form
erly our opponents, but who would
neither openly support nor silently
acquiesce in the heresy Of unsound
finance and we have done it against
the convinced and violent opposition
of the mass of our present opponents
who still refuse to reoant the unsound
opinions which for the moment they
think it expedient to assert. We
know what we mean when we speak
of an honest and stable currency.
We mean the same thing from year to
year. We do not have to avoid a
definite and conclusive committal on
the most important issue which has
recently been before the people, and
which may at any time in the near
future be before them again. Upon
the principles which underlie this
issue the convictions of half our num-
Der do not clash with those of the
other half
$50 LONG AS THE REPUBLI-
GAN PARTY is IN POWER PHE