The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-08-07


voters generally than he did before
and during tie Republican national
convention, and It makes the signiA-
cant prediction that Roosevelt will
come out Of his convention at Ghica-
90 this week distinctly weaker than
when he went in. The Press says:
In Chicago today Colonel Roose-
welt begins to undergo a popular
test very different from the one last
June In the same city. At that time
he was in the glamour of the figure
battling as a personality against I'M
emotional machinery He was, so to
speak, hurting himself against a
stone wall in a desperate effort to
crash through it. That sort of eff
fort, whether partially successful or
wholly fruitless, is always. in the
eyes Of the general public, very
engaging; the enterprise itself, with
Its pluck, It's daring, and It's def
ance, irrespective of the deeper ques-
lions at issue, challenges the admir-
fation even OF those who are opposed
to the cause for which such struggle
is made. Probably the gladiator
fighting yalourously in the Roman
arena was admired as a human en-
CINE by the very persons decreelng
his doom.
In Chicago last June Colonel
Roosevelt held the attention OF
Americans as a fiercely battling war
rior against odds. Perhaps in a
million OF minds the chief thought
at that time was as to whether his
bold enterprise Sonld win that duel
between a man and machinery. But
for hundreds of thousands of others
Republicans there D was some.
thing else ofrintsrest in, the situa-
ton. 1t was, as they thought, that
the struggle was to determine .he
leadership Of, their party. :. Not
whether Nj. lRooseyelt should take
the Republican party or go out OF
it and make another party, but
whether, all in the party, Mr.. 'IRoose-
velt or somebody else should lead
1t.
Now Mr.. Roosevelt, on the same
fed of Chicago. will have nothing to
fight with his tremendous energy
and electric personality. All in the
convention are his friends and fol.
lowers. Where he would go they
would go; what he would do they
would do. The excitement of con-
flict will be lacking; the glamour
of the warrior. hopelessly sur
rounded but fighting to break his
way through. will be absent. And
SO, in respect of that change, will
the public scrutiny of him this week
be different from what it was in that
other week of June. Then, marvel
ing and almost breathless, the
American people we're. WATCHING
what he did. They were watching
him as the personal man in action.
Now, when he is not on the battle
field, but in the council chamber,
they are watching to see what he
says and what it means. The other
scrutiny was warm and emotional.
This will be cold and analytical.
- = There are the Republicans,
perhaps hundreds of thousands, who
desired the nomination of the colonel
by the tirst June convention, but
who will not countenance his purpose
to destroy their party, which ara MOI
nominate him at the other Chicago
gathering. What program is adopted
this week to carry out that an
nounced purpose of killing the Re.
publican party is OF more concern
to those hundreds of thousands Of
voters than any other issue that will
be before them in this campaign.
|. We can speak with authority, for
We. have had hundreds; Of letter
from Republican, voters declaring
their stand -in--the matter. in saying
that when Mr. Roosevelt pronounced
sentence Of death Upon his party for
not nominating him an army OF Re
publicans previously in favor of him
turned against him for good and all.
Make no mistake about it. Republi-
can voters will not allow Mr.. Roose-
welt to destroy their party. And if
he leaves his convention this week to
execute the sentence of death which
he has pronounced there will be still
other numbers of Republican voters
to turn from him.
Platform Shots.
That the Democratic national