The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-18

press themselves, and taking these
states all told in spite of Mr.. Taft's
triumph in the states where there
were no real primaries I received 435
delegates (including those which the
national committee has stolen) as
against the 243 for Mr. Taft, the So
Cumnnins.
81 Carried FL States.''
ITO put it in another way, I sauareIy
carried twenty-one OF the old Repub-
lican states, and these states cast 1853
votes in the electoral coIlege-within
three of a majority of the total cleo
toral vote. Mr.. Taft carried enough
states (where there were no primar-
ies) to give him eighty-two electoral
votes; Mr.. LaFollette carried two
states with eighteen electoral votes;
Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Cummins divided one
state with thirteen votes.
There remain states which, al
though Democratic at the last election.
contain genuine Republican party,
states like North Carolina and Okla
homa, where there were primaries ard
where l carried every delegate exec pit
three. 1t thus appears that in the Re-
publican states Mr.. Taft was beaten
two to one, and that in the Republican
states which held primaries where the
people could express their desires, he
was beaten by over seven to one. I
call your attention to one significant
feature in the attitude of the Taft
victories and defeats. Whenever their
headlines announced a defeat for Mr..
Taft it meant that there had been a
vote by the people themselves in a
primary state. Whenever during the
last ten days they have announced
victory for Mr.. Taft it has meant that
Mr.. Tafts representatives in the ma
tional committee have thrown out del
egates. elected by the people at large
to represent them. My victories have
been won before the people and by
the people. Mr.. Taft's have been won
by the bosses and by the representa-
tives of special privilege, by the ma
trolled conventions and machine poll
ticians. I carry Washington at the
polls; he carries it before the national
committee. He never has had, and
has not now, a chance with the peo-
pie; and 1 have just as little chance
wherever the crooked type of politi-
clan has power.
Taft's Nomination Means Ruin.
IF 1 am nominated it will be be-
cause whenever they have had a
chance the verdict of the people, ex-
pressed in millions of votes has been
over two to one in my favor If Mr..
Taft were nominated it would mean
the ruin of the Republican party; for
the roll call of his delegates as pre-
pared by the national committee
consists. first. of delegates from statesl
that never cast a Republican electoral
vote; second, of boss controlled dele
gates from states where the Republic
can voters were not allowed to express
their preference; third, of delegates
stolen from me, and fourth, and least
in importance, of the delegates given
him by the people-the last who are
the only delegates to wHom he has
any claim in right or morals, repre-
but one-eighth of his strength,
the other seven-eigthths representing
the INSCRIPTIONS use of patronage IN
the south, the INSCRIPTIONS tactics of
@1f xfoi in
the north. and the naked thefts OF the
national committee.
Tells His Side OF Ohio Case.
LET me give you two striking illus |
trations of how Mr.. Taft's theory CT
government of the people by repre- |
part of the people actually |
.urnS out to be in practice. In OHIO, Il |
was held for the district dele |
yates: but the Taft mana gers who had |
,ontroE of the state central committee |
efused our request that there should |
llso be a primary vote for the dele |
rates at large. At the primary I beat |
M. Taft by 1900 in a vote which was |
ltout 80 per cent of that polled at the |
asst election for governor. 1t was an |
reputation of Mr.. Taft |
~ the plain people, by the rank and |
lie of the Republican party of Ohio. |
But this did not affect the state con-
,ention. Mr.. Taft was not above |
sending an appeal to his leaders in the |
state convention begging them to
ipite of the way in which he had been |
'epudiated at the polls. In that con-
'ention the county in which the city |
# Cleveland stands had some fifty |
delegates That county had gone |
against Mr.. Taft about three to one; he |
lad even run behind Mr.. LaFollette. |
His reputation by the people of the |
county had been so complete that it IS
\ me literally incomprehen5ible how |
my man with any pretensions to hon.
'rable feeling could fail to accept the |
'erdict. But Mr.. Taft's lieutenants,
o steal from the people their right to |
lcliver what verdict they chose. Their |
ask was no more reputable than any
orm of burglary and was far more |
damaging to the community than
They were successful They
ucceeded in getting from the city of
Cleveland. which had repudiated Mr..
taft three to one at the polls, a delega-
ion of politicians which was ten to
ne in his favor. This delegation turn
d the scale at the state convention
nd earned Mr.. Taft'S ELUSIVE graft
tide by stealing for him from the peo-
lie of Ohio the six delegates at large.
IL was not entitled to these delegates.
he people of Ohio, who were defrauded
n his interest, were entitled to them
ne people were cheated out of their |
lights because they were rnisrepresented
y the convention-Mr. Taft asked the
Dhio state convention to misrepresent
he people and it did misrepresent the
eople. Mr.. Taft need never again ex-
lain what he means by government of
he people by a representative part of
he people. He has shown in actual
ractice that he means government Of
he people by politicians who shall mis-
epresent them in the selfish interest
/ someone else. J.
Taft Men Most Brazen.
My second example is the national
cmmittee itself. The recent action of
he national committee illustrates we'll
hat has happened in our country in