New-York tribune., 1910-08-27
Bossism. Not Primaries, the Main
Issue in This State, Says
Mr.. Roosevelt.
RUTHLESS WAR ON GRAFT
Stand on Local Situation Be-
heved in West to Have Mo
mentous Effect on Future
of the Party
r. TeIesrsph . ne Tri61ne- J

publican State Committee. 10 becIoud ths
issue in Mr.. Roosevelt's state and make
it appear that the only question invoived
between the old guard and the Taft
Observation-Disclosures forces is both aca-
demic and unimportant. dealing solely
with the proposition for direct primaries
As soon as he had read the Woodruff
statement Colonel Roosevelt dictated a
statement which makes II perfectly OBJ
vious that he regards the issue a.
clean, progressive Repubiicanism against
wadsvTorth- Woodruff Barnes OF al. OF.
70 put il in language which the colonel
has in the past occasionally used. "ra-
tionaI progressiveness versus the Old
gang Mr. RoOsevelt's statement * ~
follows:
The Proqrcs5Ves dre cTp1atIcsllY ~
favor Of taking real step forward about
direct primaries, substantially on ths
lines OF Governor Hughes's proposition,
but this is not the main issue The n,si,
issue is that we stand against bossisr1.
big or little. and m favor oF genuine popu-
lar rule. not only at the elections but with
IN the party organization and, above all
species Of ccrruptior, big ard little sr5
against the alliance between corrupt
business and corrupt politics. as TO N~f1Ief
Il has been found that too often In t7s
past the boss system has offered pecut-
iarly efficient and Objectionable means Of
communication. We are against tns
domination OF the party and the public
by special interests. whether tnese 5psT
cial interests are political, business Or
compound OF the two
Supplementing this statement later,
Mr. Roosevelt declared that ne would
not permit the old guard OF New York
State to pick the issue there He said
that his statement referred to the New
York situation solely. and had no bear
ing on the situation in national politics.
In tho estimation Of those who had
the pleasure of watching the former
President as he read the Woodruff state
u7ent. the chairman's use OF the words
fad and folly as applied 10 direct
primaries was at least iii advised, the
words ELI advised to be read falsetto-
In fact II recalled TO one distinguished
1-euber Of the party the remark OF q
CON fedarate who was leading some
yvhat desperate retreat. Hearing nr1nS
in his own ranks. the general exclaimed
ancri1v- Tell the fools TO stop firing
- only makes those darned Yanks mad
der"
In the estimation Of some Of the pollti-
,a1 observers in this part of the country
ro1oneI Roosevelt's stand in New York
Is certain TO have d momentous effect on
the future of his party II is confidently
axnec+ed that the night he IS waglnE
against the "old guard" VIII result IN
their elimination and the supremacy OF
th4, Progressive element in the party
Mr. Roosevelt Is. OF course. far from be
ing an extreme radical of the type OF
C,Imn,ins and La Toilette. but he is Ger
1ain1r Drocressive-a Progressive Of the
Taft type
Heretofore an alliance between the
South and the solid conservative East
has always been sufficiently powerful to
control events in the national c0uven-
tions of the party With New York at
tached to the Progressive wing OF the
party. an alliance between that state
and the West is far more probable and
Reports from Pennsyl-
vania are 10 the effect, strange as that
may seem. that only a capable leader =
required to carry the conservative old
Keystone state into the Progressive
column.
That this movement VIII inevitably re-
suit in isoIatiug New England and pos
sibIy few other Eastern states. omit
ing. of course, the Southern Stsres.
which. with fun delesa tious in the con
-eutiOn. cast no material Republican
vote. is the prediction of many expert
suced proEnosticatcrs.
Won't Courtensncs De1sgoguery,
When he reached Council Bluffs Nr
Roosevelt took occasion in his speech 70
make clear the fact that he stood for
Ieanliness and decency in politics in
n his New York fight. but he also
made il clear that he would not colIn-
enance deu1asoguery- Certain iusur-
euts sought to extract considerably
omfort from the use by Mr. Roosevelt
f language employed by some OF them
I his reference TO the too frequent ALI
nee between corrupt business and cor
upt politics. when he said that the
oss system offers a peculiarly efficient
nd objectionable means of such com
AS soon as this similarity
{ language was called 10 the attention
I Mr. Roosevelt he declared that while
e had had the New York situation ex-
.usiveTy in mind when he made his
tatenent he had always opposed the
oss system as vigorously before he left
ne White House as since. that ne had
weighed against such communication
, numerous public speeches and implied
nat credit for such language should be
iyen TO him rather than 10 any So
allied insurgent Incidentally. he made
plain that he could hardly be expected
, keep track OF the language of
nv public speakers during his absence
-om this country.
some of the former Presidents friends
allied his attention to-day TO intima-
ons which have appeared in some quar-
srs that he was playing politics. on
MS trip, that ii closely resembIed A
stumpins tour, but he met that suS-
estion With the remark that his fear
.ss denunctation Of the labor orsanf-4
ons which were responsible for the riot