The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-04
Col. Theodore Roosevelt, From
Stand Erected in the Street
Fires Volley at Two
Old Parties.
BOTH ROTTEN, HE SAYS
Republican and Democratic
Parties, Said Elk President,
are Boss Ridden and
Privilege Controlled.

venemeBS OcCIdFdtl0N tUdt pOln
old parties--republican and democrat
were rotten, featured the opening
uun fired by Theodore Roosevelt this
morning In his Keokuk address, the
key speech to his western Invasion.
"Roth old parties he said, "are boss
ridden and priviIege-controlIed, and
there Is no more good in either Of
them. There comes time in the his
tory Of every people when the old in
struments become useless. The same
thing happened fifty years ago, and It
Is the case today. There was the same
tearing Of heartstrings In those peril
Gus days as there is now, men tearing
themselves away from the old parties
to join the progressive movement
Speaking Of the Chicago convention
that nominated President Taft to sue
coed himself, the former president
said: "The Penroses, the Barnses, the
Luaqenheims and others stole the
nomination, scuttled the republican
ship and then made for safety" In
closing his remarks on the Chicago
convention, the colonel expressed his
doubts as to the possibilities Of a
square man aligning himself with the
other side, for he asked, "how can
they, when the issue at hand Is, Thou
shalt not steal?'
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, former
president of the Unitd States and at
the present time leader of the pro-
gressive party that hal it's inception
when President Taft was nominated
In Chicago to succeed himself to the
highest office which the people OF this
country can bestow on any mar fired
the opening campaign gun in his
western invasion this morning in this
city, when, with barred head, he faced
multitude of men, women and chill
dren from platform erected at Third
and Main streets, and for close to half
an hour arraigned the old parties for
their rottenness and corruption, and
Landed the possibilities and square
ness promised by the new party now
aborning and at whose head the col
onel has been placed in command to
wage the fight. as Roosevelt says, of
the people.
After Chairman Westcott nad intro.
duced the colonel as the greatest man
the world has ever known, and the
next president. the colonel approach
Cd the front of the stand, while a rip.
Tle of applause that had its inception
IN close proximity to where the ex
president was standing, spread
throughout the vast crowd until II
reached vast proportions. After II
mad subsidized the hero of San Juar
hill greeted the crowd with his IA
yorite smile, and said:
Battle of the eople.
My friends am extremely glad tc
in Iowa and make my appeal direct
70 the people themselves. If we had
had direct primaries in the balance Of
the states, like those OF Iowa, would
nave been here before to present my
appeal to you. There is nothing to BIZ
gained in my going to any state un
less could make my appeal direct t.
the people, for the politicians would
certainly beat us. But with the PEG
pic back of me. we can and will beat
the politicians and bosses.
IT has been charged that the pres
ent movement is one of personal feel
ing as the result of the theft commit
TED at the Chicago convention In Jun,
iast but such Is not the case. 1t II
moi a movement of my own nor of an.
ohe man, for the movement of an,
great cause is not the movement o
any one man 1t is the expression o
.ne people, and that is the reason
mat | am in it.
me Barnses, Penroses and Gug
eenheims stole the nomination at Chi
oaso' and scuttled the republican ship
anu .hen made for safety. They dir
not DO It because they disliked me