The Alaska citizen., 1912-04-29

As result or his fight, Taft has been destroyed and the great Re publican machine" is creaking to disintegration, but La Toilette Is caught in the ruins as he himself predicted. Worn and spent-and with every honest progressive in the Republican party feeling a sense of shame at the bitter injustice of another come forward to harvest from his reaping.
 Roosevelt, of course! That man for whom fate and destiny and death have worked as handmaids. Born to wealth and power, he has never known those struggles, failures. heartburnings and bitternesses that scar the life of the usual man. He has always been successful. and car ries with him the intoxicating. al turing atmosphere of the WINNER. He has advanced no great idea nor made any contribution to state manship like Bryan or LaFollette- he has blazed no paths nor endured the hardships of the pioneer in pol itical, economic or sociological front iering, but has ever followed along | behind. but with such shoutings. | such color, such enthusiasm, that | those who went before were en- tirely lost to sight
 As matter of fact, every rad ical idea has been fought by Roos- evelt in it's inception, and from first to make a single attack upon any | leader of his own party, no matter how corrupt the man. But when the idea has gained popular standing, and others have exposed and ex- pelled the party leader, MT Roos- evelt has gaily stepped forward and
 given the impression that he alone | was responsible.
 AS matters stand now, it seems certainty that he will be the Re- | publican nominee, not because he is the idol of his party, nor from any frantic desire of the Republican | leaders to tread better, higher path.
 But the Republican jobholders and jobhunters think they can WIN | with Roosevelt and they KNOW they cannot with Taft. And so we see the amazing spectacle of mach inc" leaders throughout the country attributing enthusiastic indorsement to the Roosevelt boom, and trying their hardest to simulate childish love and joy.
 The forces of Big Business are | not fighting Mir. Roosevelt, nor | throwing the slightest obstacle In | his path. This does not augur any secret understanding, for MT Roose- welt has progressed far since 1904,
 when he thought 1t no sin to accept
 money from Hartman and the in
 surance companies.
 The complacent attitude of Special Privilege is due to the fact that
 they do not fear Roosevelt as they | fear LaFollette. They feel that
 Roosevelt shot his bolt when he
 aroused the public conscience, and | that he is entirely lacking in the | conclusiveness that would work them | further harm. They feel that he isn't a FINISHER, and that the dis
 fractions offered by each new day
 will make him forget what he has | in hand. LaFollette, the bulldog,
 who never lets go when he once
 sinks in his teeth, is the DANGER OUS man in Wall streets estimation. And, too, the money lords feel
 that MT. Rooseyelts abounding con-
 fidence in himself will permit their
 smooth men to fool him. They
 played him for a sucker" in the
 Tennessee Iron company deal, and
 they are willing to bet that they
 can do it again.
 As remarked, MT. Roosevelt has
 progressed" in late years. Those
 who know him best insist that he | has gotten down to fundamentals
 at last, and that he will display
 all those constructive qualities of
 patience and determination that
 were so sadly lacking in his for
 mer administration. It remains to
 be seen.
 AS for the Democratic nominee,
 Woodrow Wilson would seem to
 stand out as the man. Governor
 Folk has been pushed aside by the
 machinations of the Missouri gang that have never forgiven him. Under
 wood is suspiciously safe and sane," and has been branded as unfit by
 Mir Bryan, and Clark, aside from
 his massive visage and frock coat,
 cannot point to single progress
 sive or statemanlike act or speech.
 Governor Harmon of Ohio will
 have the backing of the reaction
 aries, and huge slush fund, but | hora apaiD aa fin the caao 0f Mir