The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-11
AREFARMERSBASE2
What Roosevelt Said of
Them in 1896.
Falsely Declared That Bryan Had a
Great Hold on the UnintelIigent
and the Vicious of the
Land.

(By c. n. Edwards. Secretary National
Congressional Executive Com
mittee.)
Washington. d. c., Oct. 10.-The
Republican speakers and the press
bureau of the Republican National
Committee are industriously denying
that President Roosevelt. when he was
Police Commissioner Theodore Roose-
welt. in New York City in 1896. ever
said that Mr.. Bryan and his adher-
ents have appealed to the basest set
i'll the land. the farmers
Here are the facts ana also some
extracts from an interview that will
prove interesting reading:
At rally of the Sound Money
Club at the Wool Exchange in New
York City October 81. 1896. the lead
ing speakers were General Horace
Porter and Police Commissioners Theo-
dore Roosevelt. Mr.. Roosevelt had
but recently returned from a stump
ing tour of the West. in which he
had devoted much time to Illinois. In
the course of his speech at this Sound
Money Club meeting at the Wool Elk
change. he said
Il shall confine my remarks to
what General Porter has said about
patriotism. Patriotism comes first and
/ hope YOU Will not fail to display it
next Tuesday.
MIR. Bryan and his adherents have
"~"ealed to the basest set in the land.
the farmers.
IF they are not so. then why do
they believe that he can make a dol
lar out of fifty cents? He tells them
1T can be brought about by a free
royalty-the right to burn and plum
der without the interference of the
police.
(The port of this speech was
taken II m the New York Journal
of October %. 1860
1t appears that this speech was not
reported in any of the Republican
papers of New York. but this is not
unnatural because the time was near
the close of the campaign and so
much political news was going that
much of it had to be omitted. How
ever. the sentiments OF the speech
were expressed on the same day that
the speech was delivered and printed
as an interview in the New York Sun
Of the same day that the New York
Journal published the report of the
speech.
Extracts from the interview follow:
In October 1896. after stamping
tour. chiefly through Illinois ana
Michigan, Theodore Roosevelt, then
Police Commissioner of the city of
New York. gave q column interview
To the New York Sun. This inter-
view was evidently as carefully con-
sidered as Mr.. Roosevelt ever consid-
ers anything. 1t was published in
the New York Sun of October IS.
Pr page, 3D. column. The Sun was
then, as at present. on the same side
of the political fence as Mr.. Roose-
welt and anxious to do him honor in
exploiting his views. In the course
of this interview. Mr.. Roosevelt said:
Men who know that they have in
them the capacity of success. and
who feel the thrill of pride that comes
with strong hands. stout hearts. and
cool heads. do not see the necessity
of being jealous of anybody. The
strength of the PoDulists lies with
the ignorant and vicious and also
with the weak. who have not the in
telligence to see that their failure
i'm life is due not to others, but to
themselves but who wish to put the
blame of their shortcomings on some
one else"
Again
'TTndoubtedly Bryan has a great
hold upon the unintelligent ana the
vicious He attracts that type OF
farmer whose gate hangs on the
hinge. whose old hat supplies the
nlace of n MISSING window pane. ano
who is more likel. to be found at the
crossroads grocery store than pehlhl
the plough. He attracts sun iiort
the professional ldpoiin7 iil'' ~ -
TYNE that labors as little as possible
and continually strives to delude sucH
worl<ingmen as are ignorant and 1905
ieh enough to be misled into some
movement which can not but end IT
disaster. But the thrifty. intelllges,
and resolute are in the majority diu
IL was my invariable experience thal
mon of this stamp. even if somewhat
predisposed to Bryan. were repelled by
the cheapness of the man. do no'
like TO use such a word in reference
TO n Presidential candidate. but there
is no other word describes him sc
we'll"