The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-03-02
ROOSEVELT HAS LEADERS
At WASHINGTON GUESSING

Washington. March Washington
political circles are no better in
formed now as to the attitude Theo-
Idore Roosevelt is going to take in the
approaching congressional elections
than they were a month ago. Stand
patters, progressives and democrats
are straining their ears for sounds that
will indicate which side of the fence
the strenuous ex-president and rhino
hunter is going to be on. as regards
the Taft and. LaFollette factions of
the republican party. But so far not
an inkling of information appears to
have been received from Africa.
Pending information from the cor
respondents awaiting Roosevelt in
Cairo, both standpatters and progress
sives are claiming Roosevelt's sym
pathy. The progressiyes are unable
to see how Roosevelt can indorse Taft
without indorsing Aldrich and Can
non. The three are inseparably linked.
The president, Senator Aldrich and
Speaker Cannon form a triumvirate.
They cooperate even on the smallest
things, and each of the triumvirs pub
iiciy pays tribute to the wisdom and
craftsmanship of the other two.
If Colonel Roosevelt should go so
far as to endorse the Taft-Aldrich-C Can
non administration, as John A. Ste
wart, president of the New York state
league of republican clubs asserts he
will do, it is difficult to see how he
can retain his present hold on those
western editors who have recently
been voicing their dissatisfaction with
the Taft administration. An endorse
ment of Taft by Roosevelt will in all
likelihood mean that Senator Robert
M. LaFollette will step into T. RS
place as the logical one to rescue the
republican leadership from the con-
troll of the trusts and special interests
But will Roosevelt endorse the work
'of Taft? In their eagerness to arrive
at some conclusion, both standpatters
and progressives have gone over his
record with fine tooth comb. Here
are some of the things they found:
That as an assemblyman in New
York state, as civil service commits
sioner, and as police commissioner,
Roosevelt was regarded less as a re-
publican than as an independent. He
was theoretically, at least, in those
days, believer in free trade He CO.
operated freely with Mr. Cleveland
when the latter was governor of New
York, and he opposed the nomination
of James G. Blaine in 1884 Carica-
lures of that period represented him
as q mugwump, grouping him with
George William Curtis and Carl
Schurz. Yet. none the less. he was es-
sentially party man. His own ex-
planation of his attitude at that time
was interesting and may be now care
fully weighed by anyone who may de-
sire to try to prophecy what Roose-
welt is going to do when he returns to |
American soil. He said:
81 intend to vote the republican |
presidential ticket. A man cannot act |
both without and within the party. He |
can do either, but he cannot possibly |
do both. 1t is impossible to combine |
the functions of a guerrilla chief with |
those of a colonel in the regular army. |
The one has greater independence of |
the other is able to make what |
action he does take vastly more effec- |
tive | am by inheritance and educa-
ton a republican. Whatever good ! |
have been able to accomplish in pub
lie has been accomplished through the
republican party have acted with /
it in the past, and wish to act with ii
in the future"
Again the query: What will Roose
velt do? viii he be a regular like
Taft. Aldrich and "Uncle Joe" or
guerrilla" like LaFollette, Clapp,
Dolliver, Cummins. and mil
lions of western republicans?