The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-03-14
DO THEY FEAR HIM9

W ia'ic ieauers nave treated first
Inc possible candidacy, then the
probable candidacy and lastly the
1inal announcement of Mr.. Roos-
evelt for the presidency, has been
SO rldiculously amusing as to
cause the observing republicans
Tor the time to forget the SER
lousness OF their own situation in
the enjoyment Of the perturbed
and panicky condition into which
their political opponents have
been thrown.
While recognizing the great
advantage which would accrue to
their candidate from a scrap for
the nomination between the Roose
welt and Taft forces, the actions
OF the democratic leaders still
show clearly that they would
much rather waive that advantage
than have Mr.. Roosevelt get in
to the fight with ever so slim a
chance of winning the nomination
They have tested his metal, they
know full well his indomitable
courage, his staying qualities, his
resourcefulness; they have seen
the battle fire in his eye, heard
the grit of his teeth, felt his body
blows; and they know the place
he occupies in the hearts of the
American peOple-even with the
members Of their own party
a place no president has SO near
ly filled since the martyred Lin
coin, and they dread such an OPP
ponent. They deny it; they say
they do not fear him; that he
would be easy; that his own party
would not stand by him; (and
that is no doubt true of some of
the leaders, but they know that
the people would, if given show
The actions of the democratic
leaders belle their boastful claims
regarding the colonel. For months
they have been organizing sys-
tematic campaign against him;
their leading orators both in and
out of congress have directed
their fire at him more than at
the administration. MIR. Bryan in
his western speech-making tour,
gave almost his entire time and
attention to Mr.. Roosevelt, and
while charging that his old oppo
nent had stolen his political thun-
der by adopting his governmental
measures and ruthlessly appro-
priating his reform ideas, he still
denounced him as an unsafe and
undesirable presidential possible
ty. j.
Congressman Slayden (Dem) OF
Texas, recently introduced reso-
luton in the house of representa-
tives for the purpose OF placing
congress on record, admitting at
the time that his aim was to
"head off the Roosevelt move
ment." This resolution was not
voted upon, but proposal to
consider it ON the floor of the
house was defeated by a vote
of 80 to 81, which permanently
pigeon-holed it. Congressman
James, of Kentucky, one of the
leading democrats of the nation,
openly stated that he opposed the
resolution for the following rea-
sons:
"The country would say the
democratic party, through its ma
tional representative in the con,
gress of the United States, had
shown that they were afraid OF
Roosevelt by the passage of tins
resolution. OF course l am
against a third term in the presl-
Dental office, whether for Roose-
Welt or any other person. But
the Slayden resolution does not
in fact strike the Roosevelt case,
though it was evidently intended
to 10 so, because it says that
Washington and other presidents
of the United States, in retiring
from the presidential office after
their second term, established
custom that has become, by uni
versal concurrence, a part of our
republican system of government
and that a departure from this
time-honored custom would ne
nnwise. unpatriotic, and fraught
with peril to our free institutions lt IONS
Roosevelt could very well ans
- 4h.n4 hn retired after the