The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-11
BACKS UP DIXON
Roosevelt Writes a Letter to
Campaign Manager
Attacking Position Taken by
Head of Taft Bureau.

Head of Taft Bureau.
Washington, March 11.-Copies of q
letter on the subject of presidential
preference primaries written by Thee
dore Roosevelt to Senator Joseph NJ.
Dixon, director of the Roosevelt ma
tional headquarters here, have been
given out by Senator Dixon.
Colonel Roosevelt apparently endorses
Senator Dixon's challenge to Director
| Mckinley, of the Taft headquarters
for such primaries and scores Mr.. Nc
Kinley's reply that The did not favor
changes in the rules of the game while
the game was in progress"
Colonel RooseVelt's letter in part fol-
lows:
My Dear Senator Dixon:-I have
received your letter of March stat
| ing that in your opinion it is of vital
| Importance to the success of the Re
| publican party in the November cleo
! lions that the Republican national con-
| vention shall nominate the candidate
| whom the mass of Republican voters
| wish nominated and therefore this SEN
timent should be given expression
/ through presidential preferential pri-
\ maries in the several states in order
| that the wishes of the voters may De
| ascertained before, instead of after toe
nomination.
Il have also seen your correspond
! ence with Mr.. Mckinley. You proposed
to him that as far as possible the
selection of the Republican candidates
for the presidency should be determin-
ed by the voters of the party in the
presidential primaries.
Mr.. McKinley's answer is contained
practically in one sentence in the let
ter sent you: I do not favor changes
in the rules of the game while the
game is in progress.
Not Game, He Says.
1.-The point of view expressed in that
sentence contains the issue within the
Republican party at this time. We
who stand for a progressive cause, for
the cause of honest and genuine de-
mocracy, genuine representative gov
eminent hold that a public contest be-
tween parties or within parties is not
carried on as a game; is not carried
on fer the purpose of winning prizes
for the contestants or with a view to
the personal wishes or welfare of any
one man.
I'VE hold that it should be carried
on for the purpose of ascertaining
and putting into effect the will of the
people so that the people may Jointly
do for themselves what no man can
do so well for them.
1--WE hold that the object of this
contest is not to secure rewards for
individuals, but to secure the mere
effective government of the people by
the people and for the people.
our opponents, on the contrary,
take Mr.. McKinley's view that we are
engaged in a game in which the in
terests of the people, it is true, are
at stake, but in which the people
themselves are not to have their
choice Mr.. McKinIey's position was
stated with frank cynicism by Con-
gresham Campbell on behalf of the
reactionary element in the Republi-
can party, when, in a recent speech
in New Hampshire, he is quoted as
0cf Icia czT11 Nv
declaring that the Republican party
does not believe in an appealing UNI
pire to the bleachers.
Far From Lincoln.
Mr.. Campbell has simply stated
more frankly the view held Gas is
evident by Mr.. McKinley's statement)
generally among our opponents. Their
feeling is that politics is a game that
the people should simply sit on the
bleachers as spectators and that no
appeal lies to the people from the
men who for their own profit are
that men should venture to take such
position and it shows that the men
and those for whom they speak and
whom they represented have wan |
dered far indeed from the ground held |
by Abraham Lincoln when he declared |
this to be a government dedicated to |
the welfare of the common people |
and to be managed justly and honor
db4J ny THESE pain people LOT Lne1r |
own welfare in accordance with the |
fmnl utable laws of Righteousness.
Our opponents take the view that |
this contest is merely a game, that the |
object of the contest is to win prizes |
for the contestants and that public |
office is the reward that goes to the |
winners of the game and that, there |
fore, it is a piece of allowable smart |
ness to refuse to make changes in the |
laws during the progress of the con-
test, if these changes would deprive |
the led captains of the political world
of the advantage they now hold over
the plain people.
The Issue as He Sees It.
I'm short, the issue may be stated
as follows:
Should election laws be framed
with view to the interests of politi-
clans or should election laws be franz
ed with view to carrying out the
popular will?' We have on the one
hand Mr.. Mckinley and Mr.. Campbell
and the reactionary element for whom
they stand, an element which has
made it evident that they prefer to
see the Republican party ruined rath-
er than to see it again what it was in
the days of Lincoln, and on the other
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