The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-02
LAFoLLErrE FLAWS ROOSEVELT
Says The Colonel Has Set Back the
Progressive Movement 4.


Senator La Toilette has written the
following editorial in the current num-
Der of the La Follettes Weekly:
Until Roosevelt came into the open
as a candidate for the presidency five
months ago there was a strong and
rapidly growing progressive move
ment within the Republican party. 1t
was based upon clearly defined prin-
ciples. 1t stood forth as the repres-
entative of modern political thought
on fundamental democracy. 1t had
assumed national proportions. II
was united. Into this movement
when it gave promise of national sue
cess, Roosevelt projected his ambit-
ion to be president third time. He
spent weeks carefully planning a
Spontaneous CALI for himself. He
responded by announcing that he
would be a receptive candidate,
His candidacy began to drag. He and
his friends were in despair. Then
came his defeat in North Dakota He
became desperate.
An enormous campaign fund was
raised Headquarters were opened
in New York, Washington. Chicago
and states east and west. Newspaper
writer's were engaged at large prices
TO boom his candidacy. Special
trains were hired and the receptive
candidate" started in frantic pursuit
of the nomination, In the history of
American politics there has never
been in a primary campaign for pres.
idential nomination an approach TO
the eXtravagant expenditures made in
his campaign. Men VIGOROUSLY iden-
tilted with the steel trust and the har-
vester trust became his most
active supporters. Leading re-
actiOnaries stand-patters and politi-
cal bosses of the Hanna and Quay
sort became his closest political
friends and representative in many
states.
A number of the newer recruits to
the Republican progressive cause,
men who before 1909, with three or
four exceptions, had either been in
different or opposed to the progress
i've movement. became the noisest
supporters of Roosevelt, the win
ner" II mattered not TO them that
Roosevelt had co-operated with Aid
rich on legislation during the entire
seven years he was president They
forgot that IL was only when Roose-
welt was out of Office and i'm Africa
through the united efforts of men
who for years had been fighting spec
ial interests that the progressive
cause became a national movement
That Roosevelt was for Taft in 1910
when Taft was denouncing all prog
ressives as pirates and traitors,
that he waited until little more than
year ago. balancing the chances be-
fore deciding whether to cast in his
lot with the progressives in this pre-
sidential year counted for nothing
with the class OF progressives who
wanted to "win"-not real progress
sive victory-iust a victory.
And they did win precisely that
kind of a victory They carried over
whelmingly the great stand-pat states
of Illinois and Pennsylvania That
stamped the Roosevelt candidacy
with its true character. No real pro
gressive could have secured anything
like such a vote in either of those
two states. 1t had. however. the out |
ward seeming of success, the sort Of
success that intoxicates-that catch !
es the crowd It enabled Roosevelt
TO win in two or three really progress I
sive states. Fortunately, il did not
enable him to secure the nomination
which would have compromised the