Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-09-27
WAR ON THE OLD GUARD
Roosevelt Defiant-ifOrmer President
Attacks Committee for its Repeated
Endorsement Of Sherman.

dore Roosevelt here today as result oil
last nights committee meeting. Roose-
felt attacks the committee for its re-
oeated endorsement OF Vice-President
Sherman, and its official declaration
that there was no fraud or deceit IN the
original selection OF Sherman as tempo
rary chairman OF the state convention.
Roosevelt said:
The conduct OF the majority OF the
state committee last evening puts in
the clearest light what this contest
really is. The statement OF Messrs.
Griscom, Krulewitch, Kracke, Wan
maker and Henkel, proves concluslvely
that trickery was used in the effort
TO win a majority and to keep the
management OF the party under the
control OF the men who have discredited
it by their actions.
''There has never been state con-
yention to which it was better worth
going than this; for never in any other
has the issue been so clearly drawn be-
tween cleanliness and honesty and poll
ties and honesty in public life and that
peculiar baseness in political manage
meut which has made the very word
politician obnoxious to the people.
"Our fight is squarely against cor
ruption and the unclean bossism which
has bred corruption. The men, who
by trickery, kept control of the state
committee and who now come here in
the effort to dominate the convention
are the very man who are responsible
for corruption which produced Aids
and for all that has been discreditabIe
in the party management; and now
these deeply discredited bosses resent
the effort OF the people, the effort OF
the plain people, who make the great
bulk OF the republican party, TO rescue
that party from the faction which has
used it only to further their own base
and selfish purposes. "
Saratoga, n. Y, Sept. $50 bit
ter was the feeling today between the
two factions in the republican party
that it was freely predicted that there
would be actual fighting before the
convention finally concluded its work.
Last nights meeting of the state COM
mittee, when the selection OF Mr..
Sherman as temporary chairman was
affirmed, has angered the Roosevelt
following. Today they are urging
Roosevelt to throw the entine state
committee overheard. They are sug-
costing that there be nothing IN the
nature OF a compromise, but that a
platform be framed and iammed
through which will be ultra-progres-
sive in its tone.
Drive the old guard out OF the
party for good" is the slogan of Col
Inns, Griscom and their friends, today
and Roosevelt is considerating the
suggestion. Should he try to force
through the radical platform his friends
are asking for there will be an open
split and bolt of considerable magni-
tude.
Convention Hall here seats 1000
people, but the tickets had been issued
to three times that number and the re-
suit was that there was an early rush by
those who knew that room was to be at
a premium. As an indication that the
old guard had abandoned hope OF con
trolling despite an outward appearance
of confidence, it developed that Sher-
man was planning to deliver part OF his
prepared speech from the floor. He
refused to give out advance copies OF
the speech.
Just before the convention was called
to order William Barnes, jr., in bit
ter statement, admitted defeat.
They seem to have the votes, " he
says, and with them might makes
right. But they have to take the
responsibility"
Roosevelt officially" o. KID" the
platform today While the document
is to be a closely guarded secret until il
is submitted in sections to the com
mittee on resolutions, it was learned
that the big noise" is not the plank on
direct primaries. The platform den
ounces in unmeasured terms, and in
the most vigorous language, graft and
grafters. The big corpora;inns which
have "debauched legislators and pur-
chased favored laws and privileges,
are condemned, and the party is
pledged to enact legislation that will
make more severe the penalty for
bribery. The "grafterS within our own
party" are denounced, and the party
is pledged to retire from public life
all who have been tanned by the sug-
gestion that they haye accepted unlaw-
contributions. This latter is intended
as a direct slap at officials who have
been brought before the public by the
legislative graft committee investiga-
ton.
Abe Gruber, Of New York in oppos-
ing the motion to substitute Roosevelt
for Sherman said:
Twelve years ago on this platform ]
warned a republican convention against
turning the executive mansion into a
shooting gallery. My advice was not
needed. Since the memorable day the
man who has ever since been shooting,
has seen his party organization divided
in every state, his party's candidates
overwhelmingly defeated, depressed
and the intelligent and honest working
men without employment and hungry.
Looking for other fields for shooting
practice, this man is now shooting at
the courts and its judges.
Himself posing as lawyer who
never had case or drew brief, he
now finds snort in holding I'D the