The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-07-05
LA TOILETTE DEMO UNCE s
ROoSevELT'S CANDIDACY.
Senator Declares TX. Pre- sldent's Allie q
in Extravsgant Primary Cam
p1isn Wore Trusts and
Etk Bosses.

paisn Wore Trusts and
-S Bosses.
Washington, June Ex-senator La.
Toilette will continue his opposition to
Colonel Roosevelt. The Wisconsin man
makes this plain in an editorial in the
current number of La Follette's Week
ly." The editorial, which denounces
the candidacy of Roosevelt and blames
him for having divided the Progress.
sives in their first national contest,
says:
Until Roosevelt came into the open
Is candidate for the presidency Eve
months ago there was strong and rap
idly growing Progressive movement
within the Republican party. 1t was
based upon clearly defined principles.
1t stood forth as the representative Of
modern political thought on fundamen.
tai democracy. It had assumed nation.
al proportions. 1t was united.
Into this movement when it gave
promise of national success, Roosevelt
projected mis- ambition to be President
a third time. He spent weeks carefully
planning spontaneous call" for him
self. He responded by announcing that
he would be receptive" candidate.
His candidacy began to drag. He and
his friends were in despair. Then came
his defeat in North Dakota. He be-
came desperate.
La Toilette calls Roosevelt's primary
campaign the most extravagant in the
history of American politics and accus.
es the Colonel of having accepted the
aid Of men identified with trusts and of
the bosses, saying;
IAN enormous campaign fund was
raised. Headquarters were opened in
New York, Washington, Chicago and
states east and west Newspaper writ
ers were engaged at large prices to
boom his candidacy. Special trains
were hired and the receptive candidate
started in frantic pursuit of the nomi
nation.
''In The history of American politics
there has never been in primary cam.
paign for presidential nomination an
approach to the extravagant expendi
lures made in his campaign. Men no.
toriously identified with the steel trust
and the harvester trust became his
most active supporters. Leading reac'
tionaries, stand patters and political
bosses of the Hanna and Quay sort. be-
came his closest political friends and
representatives in many states
"A number of the newer recruits oi
the Republican Progressive cause, mer
who, before 1909, with three or four
exceptions, had either been indifferen,
or opposed to the Progressive move
ment, became the noisest supporters OF
Roosevelt, the winner 1t mattered
not to them that Roosevelt had coop
Grated with Aldrich on legislation dur
ing the entire seven years he was presi
dent.
They forgot that it was only wher
Roosevelt was out of Office and il
Africa, through the united efforts Of
men who for years had been fighting
special interests that the progressive
cause became a national movement
that Roosevelt was for Taft in 1910
when Taft was denouncing all progress
sives as pirates and traitors, that h
waited until little more than year ago
balancing the chances before deciding
whether to cast in his lot with the Pro
gressiyes in this presidential year
counted for nothing with the class o
Progressives who wanted to win
not real Progressive victory-just I
victory"
The editorial asserts that the nomina
tion of Roosevelt would have com
promised the Progressive movement ant
defeated real achievement for years.
It continues:
"And they did win precisely that kline
of victory. They carried overwhelm
ingly the great stand pat states of Illi
nois and Pennsylvania. That stampe'
the Roosevelt candidacy with its tru
character. No real Progressive coul'
have secured anything like such q vot
In either of those two states.
"It had, however, the outward seem
ing of success; the sort OF success ths
intoxicstes that catches the crowd
1t enabled Roosevelt to win in two o
three really Progressive states. Forth
nstely 1t did not enable him to secur
the nomination, which would hav
compromised the Progressive move
ment and defeated real achievement 70
, years.
upon Theodore Roosevelt and his fol
lowers rests the responsibility of havinl
i divided the Progressives in their frs
! national contest. Stimulated by Al
, overmastering desire to win. they de
, nounced loyalty to conviction and prin
ciple as stubborn selfshness. In tn
, convention thew nut forward no plat