New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-13
ROOSEVELT DEN0UNCES
ILLINOIS GRAFTERS
Calls Them TRAITORS of the
Basest Kind" in Speech at
Springfield.
ARRAIGNS "JACK POTTERS"
Ex-President Also Reviews the
Knights of Columbus and
Urges Broad Religious
Tolerance.
TBv Telegraph to The Tribune.

Peoria Ill. oct. 12-Coming into I'LL
nois to-day. ex-President Roosevelt did
not mince words in denouncing bribery
and corruption, and he chose the CAPT.
tai Of the state to express his sentiments.
II WAS a comparatively small crowd
which greeted the Roosevelt train, fact
due to the inability of the officials In
Springfield to ascertain from the man
ayers of Mr.. Roosevelt's trip the time of
his arrival or whether any stop would be
made Both of yesterdays Sprlngheld
papers announced that there would be
no stop The crowd which had gathered
at the station, however. was most en-
thusiastic.
81 think the average American c1tl-
zen." Mr.. Roosevelt said, in part, is an
honest man. and therefore it is his first
duty to insist on honesty in public life
and business life alike. "a voice, Give
it to the jackpotters"D Good, my
friend: | am glad 10 hear you say that.
No man who is worth his salt will sup
port any one of the creatures who was
tainted in that scandal. The most i'm
portant thing before us as a people is to
the bribetaker, the bribegiver. The men
whom you speak Of as jackpotters' are
traitors to the American people, traitors
of the basest kind, and ii is Infamous IN
any one to cOndone their iniqulty or to
support them and stand behind them.
directly or indirectly. The presence in
public life of such men is shame and
scandal, and l do not care a rap whether
they belong to my party or to some other
party / hold il my bounden duty TO be
equally hostile TO them in either event.
All the People Responsible.
The very fact that We have the power
we, the people of the country-should
make us keenly alive to our respo'tsl-
bility for the exercise of the power. The
knowledge that We cannot in the last
resort blame anybody but ourselves for
what happens in our public life ought to
cause US to realize our responsibility.
We cannot escape the responsible ity if
there is corruption, wickedness, 1awless-
ness in public or in private life, ara you
can guarantee that what l can do to
war against those evils and against their
kind in every state in the Union will he
done.
but il rests, my friends, with you to
do it in Illinois. l can disagree with
honorable men en- public questions; 1
can fight hard for my side, and if l win
l am glad, and if l don't win l am sorry,
and l can submit to it; but when it is a
question Of corruption l recognize no
party lines. If a man is a crook, hunt
him out of public life. If you don't, then
you are harming this country, not only
for yourselves, but for your children and
your childrens children. We can af-
ford to divide on ordinary political lines,
but we cannot afford TO divide on the
line that separates the honest man from
the dishonest man. Sometimes you will
hear men sneeringly say: Oh they are
all scoundrels, and there is not much
difference between them, so let us sup
port our own scoundrel.' Now, the rea-
son why l want to find out our OVID
scoundrel is to drive him out Of public
life
An old and gray headed Frenchman in
the crowd at Springfield ran forward
shouting eXcitedly. "Parlez vous Fran
Gals. parlez vous Francais?" "Oui, oui,''
replied Mr.. Roosevelt, and he then said
in French that he had the pleasure of
spending two most delightful weeks in
the FrenChman's country, obviously to
= infinite delight of the old