The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-06-18

completely. They were powerfully
entrenched. Led by the Governor,
two United States Senators, eight out
of eleven members of Congress and
a corps of past masters ii the polit-
zeal game. they counted in solid rank
the State legislature, the state EN-
ployees, and four thousand federal
employees. Their propaganda was
published through the united daily
press and ninety percent of the coun-
try newspapers. largely. Their COM
missary was furnished from the treas
ury of three great railroads., the uni
| ted public service interests, and the
wealth of the state. The recession of
the Populist movement made the term
reformer or radical an obnoxious
stigma in u conservative state. 1t
was a stubborn soil in which to plant
seeds of reform and promised a har-
vest of bitterness and disappointment.
None but a man of iron soul, none
but a man of heroic purpose. would
have dared to contemplate the con-
test against such odds. But Provi-
dence had furnished us the man. A
MAI who saw clearly and was not
afraid.
You know something of the furious
warfare which has gone forward in
Wisconsin during those years. It was
a holy van in the peoples cause.
Year after year, riding the saddle by
night and by day, his sword was new
er sheathed. When the way was lark
he kept the fires lighted upon the hills
when the people wearied his strong
arm was about them.
Behold The harvest! In Wisconsin
we have a real primary law, truth
lives, and the people rule. In Wis
consin our railroads pay their equit-
able share of the public burdens, We
inaugurated, in the Prudential and
Equitable Life suits, the first REBEL
ion against the insurance abuses in
this country. We have a complete
civil service law and the spoils sys-
tenn has vanished. We regulate our
railroads and our public service cor
porations completely in matters of
rates and service. We have outlined
the legislative lobby. We have abol-
ished the bribery of free passes. We
determine the selection of our United
States senators By popular vote. We
have entered upon the conservation
OF mines, and our forests, and our
sonal right has been unjustly invaded
OF confiscated.
We offer him here. I have see
him in h fray, with jaws set, his
with i~ndomi1itable energy for the jus
tice of his cause. Man of battle, un-
parallelled in the history OF American
politics, fighting for the cause of the
common people, his sword ringing up
on the armor OF his enemy, neither
asking nor giving quarter. Call him
ambitious, call him hypocrite, call
him demagogue, all familiar words
In the ~vernacular of his enemies, but
call him what you will, he will live
in memory as the most splendid type
of fighting citizens which this genera
ton has given to the Republic.
While the battle ragged in Wiscon-
sin the national party slumbered. A
lone in the wilderness this pioneer
was blazing the way for the fight up
on which we have now entered in the
nation. In 1904 we brought this IN
| spired and lofty message to the ma
tiona1 convention. We were repudia-
ted and Inundated. Dur loyalty re-
manned mistaken and our courage
was sustained by the rectitude of our
great mission. In 1904 the platform
was silent Of this issue. In 1904 not
a candidate whose name has been pre-
sented here today had uttered a word
or written q syllable on the great
central propositions which today form
the very ark OF the Republican cove
1ant. Today, in the stress Of the CAM
paign, we have heard their pronounce
ments In keynotes. They kept nor
Of the candidates whom we offer is
blood OF his blood, bone of his bone,
and written into the record of achieve
ment. His name is his key note. In
1904 we nominated for President a
man of splendid initiative, boundless
energy. clear political perspective,
and militant spirit, who in the nation,
has lasored to the same great ends.
I give o the name OF our Pres
ident and the man who Justly should
be his successor, the names of Theo-
dore Roosevelt and Robert NJ. La
Toilette.
In his first message to Congress-, !
to the amazement OF the special inter
ests of the country, he declared war
in the same u which we had
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