The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-16
MERE ROOSEVELT BOOSTERS


Roosevelt In the recent campaign. is
quoted as saying: Il think we have
elected more Congressman in the pres
eut House than have the Republicans -
Ot course he meant the next House; but
that ls ridiculous; yet is merely of
piece with the bombast that constantly
came from Dixon from the first OF
Roosevelt's "shying his castor into the
ring' then before and at the National
Republican convention in Chicago. next
continued through the summer and ex-
emplifed especially by Dixon in his pre-
dictions Of the certainty of Roosevelt s
election as President.
| Dixon is quoted rs having good deal
to say about the principles of the Pro-
gresslve party. There are no doubt,
Progressive principles, but they did not
come to the front during the recent
campaign. From first TO last that cam
paign was simply shout and yell Of
Roosevelt boosters. The Roosevelt men
not only refused to hear about anybody
except Roosevelt for their nominee, but
they cared nothing about any declara
tion Of principles or whether the plat
form they adopted was one Of practical
possibility or not, 1T dealt in general
tiles, the gist Of all being ''let the
people rule, - but how bhe people are to
rule in any different manner from the
way they have been ruling in the past,
the platform wholly failed to state. 1t
was as though lot Of zealots should
get together and declare that there
ought not to be any more disease among
human beings, with no possibility OF
pointing out how disease is to be pre-
vented.
The fact is that all the Progressive
party wanted this year was Roosevelt.
With him there was enthusiasm, shout
ing. and turmoil. They apparently laid
no foundation and cared for no foun-
dation upon which to build a perma~
nent party; and, of course, there is
nothing permanent about it, IL was
merely campaign yell, that was all
Another thing that distinguished the
movement was the previousnessl' OF
its assumptions. Thus, although there
was q National Republican committee
duly authorized 10 do everything nee
essary towards preparing for opening
the National Republican convention,
the terms Of It's members not having ex-
pired, the Roosevelt men undertook to
change the committee by claiming that
newly elected chairmen should imme-
diately take their places in the com
mittee, without waiting as heretofore
until the terms Of the old committee
men should expire. Again, when there
was talk recently about the calling Of
the Illinois Legislature in special ses-
sion, the newly elected Progressive
members prepared to claim their seats
without waiting for their term of Of
fee to begin. or course, under the law,
| if Governor Deneeu had called a spe-
cial session of the Legislature, that
special session would have been made
up Of the old members; but that was
not the way the Roosevelt members
| figured. Their numbers were not suf-
6cient TO do more than hold the balance
of power as between the Republican
members and the Democratic members,
but they wanted to get right III and
hold that balance of power in the spe-
cial session, even though the terms OF
the old members had not expired. But
Governor Depeen concluded not TO call
the special session. it is interesting TO
note that former Senator A. j. Hopkins,
| l,,,b, IN ~
effect as special counsel for Smoot,
while pretending to be judge in the
Smoot case, was prepared to present his
claim to be elected U. S. Senator again
from Illinois. Hopkins claimed 10 have
been the primary choice Of the Repub-
Leans in 1909 for the Senatorship; but,
Of course, that could not be urged be
yond the term Of the Senators elected
for the four-year term. whose Office will
expire with the present year; and SO
Hopkins has no further claim now upon
the Illinois Republicans; his claim was
always minority claim; and it is prac-
tically certain that he could not be
elected Senator from Illinois now any
more than he could be elected when he
was candidate before and Lorimer beat
him.
The vote Of Illinois this year is
quite interesting, Indications are that
the combined Republican vote OF that
State is little In excess this year Of
what 1t was four years ago, while the
Democratic vote is much less. The bg-
ures arc not complete, but they ipdi-
cate popular vote for Wilson Of about
100000. for Roosevelt $4,000, for Taft
250.00O In 1908 Taft had in round
numbers $4,000 votes, Bryan 100000,
The Taft and Roosevelt vote this year,
combined, is practically tho same as
Taft vote four years ago, while Viii
son g vote falls below Bryan s by about
$4,000: and yet. by reason of the he.
publican split, Wilson gets the electoral
vote of the State. The loss in the
Democratic vote seems to have gone