The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-07-19
"CONTRACT
WITH PEOPLE"
Roosevelt at Work Drafting
Platform
CHIEF AIM IS PROSPERITY
He Believes This to Be the Nations
Chief Problem-Aiming to Put
All Proposals in Work
able Form.

Oyster Bay, N. ", July l9.-The plat
form Of the national progressive party
is to be a contract with the people"
Colonel Roosevelt said yesterday. just
as a business man signs a contract for
| the fultilment of certain obligations, he
explained, the new party would sign
contract to undertake certain well-der
fined measures provided the opportunity
is accorded it. Colonel Roosevelt has
given his approval to the name of the
national progressive for the party by
using ii repeatedly, and it is assumed
that this is to be the title which will
be adopted at the christening in Chicago
next month, although final determine
| tion will be left to the convention.
AS the prospective nominee OF the
party, who has already accepted the
nomination tentatively, Col Roosevelt
is drafting platform embodying his
ideas which he will offer to the conven-
tion. He indicated that he would use
his influence to avoid the twin perils
Of ultra radcalism and vaguely concealed
conservatism, and that he hoped the
platform would be both practical and
genuinely progressive. In his opinion
neither the Republican nor Democratic
platform offers definite promise OF solu-
tion OF what he considers the great
problem before the nation the adoption
Of measures to obtain fairer distribu
tion of prosperity.
The national progressive party, he
said, would go before the people pledged
TO definite reformation methods OF such
a nature that it would have practical
programme which obviously could be
carried out. The ex-president's person |
al platform probably will be presented |
to the Chicago convention on Aug. 5, |
the tav IL assemblies He said he hoped |
to arrange a meeting of the delegates /
for that night to make speech which I
will be "his confession of faith" This |
speech will embody his statement of /
position on which he has been work /
ing for more than a week. In 1t Col. +
Roosevelt win seek first to interpret I
the spirit in which the work OF the |
new party should be undertaken, and
will then proceed TO detailed recital
of the steps which he believes should T
be adopted
In explaining his decision of Nednes-
day night to abandon the trip to Kansas,
Iowa and Michigan, Colonel Roosevelt 4
said that multitude of things was con-
stantly coming up in connection with
the formation of the party, and that
although he had hoped TO be able to com
plete arrangements early enough to make
the trip, he had found that he could not
do So
do YOU think that Kansas, Iowa aud
Michigan are safely for you and that
it will unnecessary for YOU to 60 there?"
he was asked.
II don't know anything about it, he
replied. I'm not a prophet. II is I'M
possible for me to go away
A published report from Washington
that Senator Dixon, the colonel's cam
paign manager was at heart opposed
to the formation OF new party aud
would seize the first opportunity to take
a back seat in the campaign, amused
the colonel greatly. He said that ii
was the exact reversal of the truth. and
that the senator Just now is hard at
work with the organization of the party :
n Georgia
Ralph c. Otis and Day Mckinney,
workers from Chicago, came /:
TO Oyster Bay yesterday to tell Colonel
that Illinois was in great |.
shape" and that in their opinion he
would carry the state. They were puz
He'd at the attitude of Governor Deneen. :
hey said, but believed that he would /
,oon come out for the ex-president and I
he new party programme. They told !:
Colonel Roosevelt that they would take i
are of their territory if he would take |.
are OF his part of the country. 4
"Yes. | think we'll take Illinois, he /,
responded adding that he believed their /:
trength there was greater than at the (:
ime of the presidential primary, whom !;
lie won every congressional district eX !;
ept two. In the East, he said, pros !;
,ects were constantly growing better. !;
During the primary campaign, he con- /;
inued. he had been able to make little I;
roadway in arousing the people of New 4
FORK state, but now believed they were !;
ngered at the course of affairs at the I;
'hicago convention and were turning to /:
he new party. He said it looked as !:
hough they would win Brooklyn by 3 I:
o |, and that there were excellent pros I;
eets of carrying New York state. /;