Imperial Valley press., 1912-06-10
ROOSEVELT SPEAKS OUT
REGARDING VOTE STEALING

OYSTER BAY. n. Y, June 10.-ln
vigorous appeal, Colonel Roosevelt
pIainly forecasts the course which he
purposes TO pursue. He calls on all
who wish TO see the party of Lincoln
in existence TO protest at once against
those who are deliberately wrecking
il. In the statement Colonel Roosevelt
says, in part:
In view of the action taken by the
national committee in unseating two
duly elected delegates in the Ninth
Alabama district and replacing them
by men who have no more title TO sit
in the Republican convention than they
have 10 sit in the Democratic conven-
ton. | would like TO make as serious
an appeal as is in my power to every
good citizen who regards the Repub-
lican party as an instrument for good
government.
Mr.. Roosevelt then reviews the ac-
tion of the national Republican COM
mittee in the case of the contested
Alabama delegates and says:
In the Ninth Alabama district. two
Roosevelt delegates had been unques-
tionably elected. The contest against
these two regularly elected Roosevelt
delegates had literally no foundation
scription.
There was no more ground for un-
seating these delegates than there
would be, for example, in the unseat-
ing of the Taft delegates from Rhode
Island, or in any district iii any state
where there is no contest whatever.
The majority of the committeeman
thus voted 10 seat in the Republican
convention men who have no shadow
of right to represent any portion Of
the Republican party anywhere, and
who have no more right TO sit in that
convention than any other two out
siders. Nine of these committeeman
came from the Republican states of
Illinois, Kansas. Missouri, New Jersey,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsyl
vania and West Virginia. Every one
of these nine national committeeman
has been repudiated by his home vot
ers.
1T is in view of these facts and Of
what these facts foresnadow that
wish to make my appeal to the sober
md of all n n ar
the usefulness of the Republican party
has not ended. Every man who wishes
TO see the Republican party continue
to exist should at once protest against
those who are deliberately proceeding
to wreck it. The Taft leaders speak
as if they were the regular Republi-
cans. | do not cOncede that theft is d
test of regularity.
THE Republican party is not a COM
mission, nor has it appointed as it's
receivers the nine repudiated commit
teemen I have mentioned, nor their
other colleagues, who have in similar
fashion been repudiated- by the popular
vote of the Republicans of their states
Nor is the question now at issue one
as to the personal preference of any
Republican for any particular man for
VI lOI Tie uOCtIlucS WHlCu
that man embodies. The question is
now merely whether the deliberately
expressed judgment Of the great ma
iority of the rank and file of the Re-
publican party is to be no less delib-
erately nullified by the very men
whose leadership has just been repudi
ated by this same majority.
"A nomination obtained by the votes
of delegates seated in utter defiance
OF justice, as these two Alabama
delegates have just been seated, would
be worthless to the man obtaining it,
and would be Indignantly repudiated
by the party as Whole. Apparently,
certain national committeeman and
certain bosses who, from the outside
influence the national committee, have
yet TO learn that the rank and file of
the Republican party must be treated
as masters and not the servants of
their representatives The Republican
party cannot continue to exist unless
it's official action is determined by the
expression of the sober and deliberate
judgment of the majority of the party"