The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-18
His position on this point can admit
of no possible doubt.
TAFT CLEARS THE SITUATION.

Il
President Taft fine address to the
Republican Editorial Association of
Maryland, when its members called
upon him in the east room of the White
House, on Friday, is clarifying dec
laration, He declared bluntly the hon.
est square truth that GA man cannot
| be in the Republican party and Ill d
| third party at the same time, and he
denounced as dishonest men those Pres
identia electors who permit their names
to- appear on the Republican ballot
while they intend to vote for Roosevelt.
There can be no two opinions about
the soundness of this position. 1t clear
~ is q dishonest proposition for any
man to pretend TO be Republican and
to claim Republican votes in his candi-
dacy for Presidential elector, while
at the same time he announces his in
tention to vote for some other candi-
date than the candidate for the Repub-
lican party. 1t would be Just as honest,
for instance, for the Presidential elcc-
tors from Kansas or California who now
Roosevelt, while asking Republican
votes for their support. as it would be
il they should conclude TO vote for Gov
crnor Wilson, or for Debs, or for any
other Presidential candidate. IL they
run on the Republican ticket they are
III honor bound TO vote for the Repub
lican candidate. and not for the candi-
date of some other party, and it is clear
ly a common sense proposition that If
they do not intend to vote for the Re.
publican candidate they have no
right upon the Republican ticket; and
that if they arc going to vote for some
body else they have just as much a right
to vote for Wilson as for Roosevelt. If
any Republican electors are chosen, by
any of the States. who will vote for
any other than the Republican candi-
date, it will be the first instance in the
history of the republic when electors
failed to vote for their party candidate
and betrayed the party and the voters
who elected them.
1t Will be remembered that during the
exceedingly hot political times which
followed the Presidential election of
1876, there were the greatest possible in
ducements held out for Republican cleo
tors to vote for somebody else than Mr..
Hayes. Not only that, there were claim
ants, as Cronin of Oregon, and contest
ants in Louisiana, South Carolina, and
Florida; but every Republican elector
stood firm and fast for Hays, and every
one was needed. The detection OF even
one would have put Mr.. Tilden in the
Presidential chair. Hays needed every
one Of the Republican electoral votes,
and he got them,
But how would it be now if Roosevelt
electors were chosen in Kansas, Califor-
MIA, or any other StateS Those electors
would not have the power to elect Mr..
Roosevelt, but they might have the pow
er to defeat President Taft. As Repub
licaDs, how could they do it7 They an
nounce that they would do it, and Col.
Roosevelt claims that this would be per
fectly honest and proper. Such demor
alizing, degraded political sentiments as
90 into the defense of that kind Of polit
lcal treason and rascality were never
known before in American politics.
President Taft does well to denounce,
and he does well to make plain to the
American people precisely what this
sort Of political treachery and double
dealing means
On this showing, there ought not to
be any possible chance for the election
Of Roosevelt elector by Republican
votes, for a Republican elector who says
that he would not vote for the Repub-
Iican Presidential candidate has no bust
ness on the Republican ticket, and if by
any legal trickery it is found possible
for him TO stay upon that ticket then
the real Republicans of his State are
absolutely disfranchised, and it will be
impossible for them to vote for Presi-