Mountain advocate., 1908-10-02
MIR. ROOSEVELT
LAUDS TAFT.
True Friend of Reform and
Foe of Abuses.
NAMES Him POLITICAL HEIR

sentative Of All the People.
In the following letter of President
Roosevelt 10 Mr.. Conrad Kohrs of
Montana he tells why voters should
support William II. Taft ut the polls.
Mr.. Conrad Kohrs of Helena, Mont,
is an old time Montana cattleman and
one of the most prominent citizsns of
Montana. He and the president came
into close relationship more than twen-
ty years ago, when they were both
members of the Montana Stock Grow
ers' association. the president being at
that time the representative of the
little Missouri stock growers in the
association. The intimacy has been Kept
up ever since. Mr.. kohrS Is one of
the pioneer citizens of the northern
Rocky mountain region and one of the
men who has taken leading part III
its great development
Mr. Kohrs' letter was called forth by
Mr. Bryans statement that he (Mr
Bryan was the presidents heir and
natural successor:
Sycamore Hin.
Oyster Bay, n Y. Sept 8, 1905.
My Dear Mr.. Kohrs-I have received
your letter about the candidacy of Mr..
Taft. the man who feel is in an especial
sense the representative of all that In
which | most believe in political life.
Every good citizen should desire to see
both prosperity and justice. prosperity
and fair and righteous dealing as between
man and man, obtain permanently in this
great republic. AS a people we are justly
proud of our business industry, of our en-
ergy and intelligence in Our work and 1t
is entirely ri,ht that we should ask our
selves as to any given course of conduct
will IL be prof table?' But Ii Is also no
less emphat"ally true that the bulk OF
our people, the plain people who founi In
Abraham Lincoln their especial champion
and spokesman, regard the question. is
this morally riSht?" as even more impor
tant than the question. rs this prohta-
ble?" when applied TO any given course of
conduct Indeed. in the Ions run our peo
pie are sure to find that in all dealings
alike in the business and political world.
what is really profitable is that which Is
morally right. The last few years have
seen u great awakening of the pubic con
science and the growth of stern deter
mination to do away with corruption anc
unfair dealing. political, economic. social.
1t is urgently necessary that this great
reform movement should go on. But no
reform movement is healthy If ii goes on
by spasms. II IL Is marked by periods oil
frenzied advance. followed, as such peri
DDS of frenzicd advance must always be
followed. by equally violent periods Of re
action The revolutionary and the reac-
tionary really play into one anothcrs
hands TO the extent that each by his eN'
cesses necessarily tends TO arouse such
disgust. such a foCl.ng Of revolt. in the
minds Of quiet people as temporarily to
restore the other to power.
To permit the direction OF our public ar
fairs to fall alternately into the hands Of
revoiutionaries and reactonaries. OF the
extreme radicals of unrest and of the big
oted conser yatlves who recognize no
wrongs to remedy, would merely mean
that the nation had embarked on fever
lsh course of violent oscillation which
would Ne fraught with great temporary
trouble and would produce no adequate
good in the end The true friend OF re
FORM the true foe Of abuses, is the man
who steadily perseveres in righting
wrongs, in warning against abuses, but
whose character and training are such
that he never promises what he cannot
perform, that he always little more than
makes good what he does promise and
that while steadily advancing, he never
permits himself to be led into foolish ex
cesses which would damage the very cause
he champions. In Mr.. Taft we have -
man who combines all Of these qualities
to a degree which no other man In our
public life since the civil war has sur
passed To flaming hatred OF injus' ice.
to a scorn OF all that is base and mean, t.
a hearty sympathy with the oppressed.
he uuites entire disintercstedness, courag"
both moral and physical of the very high
est type and "a kindly generosity of nature
which makes him feel that all of his Eel
low countrymen are in very truth his
e1,af 1ofr int Sc
are his and that all his great qualities are
to be spent with lavish freedom in their
service The honest man of means, the
honest and law abiding business man. can
feel safe In his hands because Of the very
fact that the dishOr st man of great
wealth. the man who swndlcs or robs his
fellows wou.l not so much as dare to de-
fend his evil doing I'm Mr.. Taft's presence
The honest wageworker, the honest la
boring man. the honest farmer. the honest
mechanic or email trader or man OF small
means can feel that In n peculiar sense
Mr.. Taft will be his representative be
cause Of the very fact that he has the
same scorn for the demagogue that he has
for the Corruptionist and that he would
front threats OF PERSONAL violence from
mob with the unquaiing and lofty indif-
ference with which he would front the
bitter anger OF the wealthiest and most
powerful corporations. Broad though his
symputhes are. there Is In him not the
slightest tnri of weakness. No consider
alton Of pers onal interest. any more than
Of fear for his personal safety could make
him swerve n hairs breadth II )m the
course which he regards as right and In
the interest Of the whole people.
/ have naturally a peculiar interest In
the success Of Mr. Taft and in seeing him
backed by majority in both houses of
congress which viii heartily support his
policies. For the last ten years while
have been governor OF New York and
president ] have been thrown into the
closest intimacy with him. and he and
have on every essential point stood In
hearties Lagreement shoulder to shoulder
We have~th, same views as to what is de-
manded by the national interest and hon
or both VIII lin our own borders and rs
regards the relations OF this nation witt
other nationS There Is no fight for de-
cency and fair dealing which | have
waged in which have not had his heart
lest and most effective sympathy and sup
port and q policies for which ! stand
are his policies as much as mine
1t is not possible in the space of this
letter to discuss all the many and inf
nitely varie questions OF moment with
which Mr.. Taft as president would have