The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1912-06-20

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The coionel's declaration was:
THE time has come when | feel
that ! must make certain state.
mcuis--not merely 20 honestly
elected members OF the republican
national committee, but 10 the rank
and file OF the republican party and
TO the honest people OF the entire
national convention went into
this fight for certain principles
At the moment can only serve
these principles by continuing TO
bear the personal responsibility
which their advocacy has brought
me
"On behalf of these principles. |
made my appeal straight 10 the peo-
pie themselves went before
them. made my argument in full.
aud every move ! made WAS in the
open. without concsaiment OF any
Kind The opposition TO me was
extraordinarily bitter. for ! was op-
posed by the practically solid pha-
lanx OF the big. conscicnceless poll.
tlciana. with. back of them. the big
conHciencelcss bcneflciarieR Of spe.
ciai privilege IN every form. and Of
course the many hig newspapers.
which are controlled by or IN the
interest OF bosses and special priyi.
iege. Nevertheless. the appeal TO
the people ] Won In many Of the
republican states aud OF the demo
cratic states where there ls large
and real republican party. primaries
Of different kinds we're held. and a
substantial expression of the will
81 the people was obtained. In
these primary states. where some
1000 eco voters. The rank and file
of the republican party. east their
votes beat Mr. Taft considerably
over TO 1. In these states ! OBJ
tanned about six delegates TO MIR.
Taft's one. Nearly three-fourths
OF my delegates came from these
primary states, where the people
had chance 20 express themselves
AIR Taft's strength. as indicated
by the two roll calls already taken.
consisted chiefly (aside from his
90 stolen delegatesl OF nearly the
solid delegations from the terri.
tories and from the Southern
states. In which there IL no real
republican party South Carolina.
Georgia. Florida. Alabama. Arkan.
sas. Mississippi ard Louisiana. and
Of Northern states like New York.
where the people had no chance 20
express themselves at primaries,
and whore the delegates we're pick
cd by the bosses
In spite OF these odds against
me. | obtained a clear majority OF
all the delegates elected TO the con.
vention In my campaign ! again
and again stated that II the people
decided against me would have
nothing to say, but II they decided
for me. and the politicians then
robbed me OF my victory. | would
not silently and tamely acquiesce.
II was evident that my opponents.
with Mr.. Taft's encouragement.
intended 10 beat me by foul means
n they cannot do so by fair means.
"The crucial, but not the only
step In the concerted and hitherto
successful effort TO cheat the peo-
pie out OF the victory they had
fairly won was taken up by the
now dcfunct national committee
without one show of justification
aud with cynical contempt for the
most ordinary rules OF decency In
making up the temporary roll call,
uuseated 90 fairly elected Roosevelt
delegates and substituted for them
90 Taft delegates. who, in the con
vention. represent nothing what
ever but successful fraud. was
clearly entitled to all the 90 dele
gates. all the 90 possessed. for In
stance. clearer titles than the un.
contested Taft delegates from New
York and as to 20 of them their
titles were as flawless as that OF
any other delegate In the conven-
tion.
"Mr. Root was elected and Gov.
Dencens motion for partially
cleansing the roll OF fraud was de.
feated by the vote of these straight
out fraudulent delegates, the last
vote being vote on a straight-out.
moral issue, the result of which, in
my Judgment, ought to render II i'm
possible for any man longer TO take
part IN the proceedings of the con
vention as now constituted. The
majority In each case was slightly
over 80.
I'm each case, therefore, II II had
not been for the rascality which
placed these fraudulent delegates
on the roll and permitted them to
vote, the cause OF decency would
have won, Mr., McGovern would