The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-05
ROOSEVELT CONVENTION TO-DAY.

wants the nomination for President
and this is the only way that he sees
10 get it.
Some of the States will be repre-
seuted in full in this convention, some
| in part, and probably some not at all,
except by fake delegates.
| The great grievance which Col, Roose-
velt bad against the National Repub-
| lican Convention in Chicago was, first,
that il refused 10 nominate him for
President: second, that il had n
'stcam roller al work in the National
Committee, which deprived him of dele
gates that claimed their seats. but
which claim the committee found to be
for the most part either fraudulent or
without merit. The chairman of the
new Republican National Committee,
Mr.. Hilles, has completely answered all
Of those allegations and has shown in
every case that the committee pursued
it's work in conformity to party law
and precedent. Still the cry of fraud
does not cease. and the boiling con
veption is 10 be hold just the same as
though there were merit In the Roose-
welt denunciation
The Roosevelt committee in charge
Of the prelimiparies for the convention
seems to have pretty active steam
roller Of its own, and is using il In
quite the usual way, in spite of the
Roosevelt deuuuciation Of steam rollers
and steam roller processes. In the Ala.
bama case the threat was carried out
that the Roosevelt party. so far as the
Southern States are concerned would
be "white-man S psrty;'' for the
committee, without break, decided ev.
cry one OF these Alabama cases in fa-
vor Of the white men and against the
black men. The committee started In
to vindicste the claim that the Roose-
welt party in the South would be a
white s party, and in order to
make that claim good, it had to oust
the black delegates wherever white
man appeared against him. In Missis
sippi, also. the Roosevelt party, from
the ground upward, is openly pro.
'iolllit' do duu
the negroes are warned TO keep out and
not undertake to figure in il at all.
Doubtless this action of the Roose.
velt party will result in getting Demo
cratic votes for the Colonel, both in
the South and in the North. But on the
whole. it must certainly be source of
wea akuess.
The convention itself, so far as it's
work is concerned. will be a harmoni-
Gus affair. Roosevelt will dominate; he
will not only say what is to be done in
all respects, including the framing OF
the platform, but he will be the noni.
nee for President and will dictate the
nomination for Vice President. He will
fire off speech of some 10000 words
or more, this being about double the
usual length Of Presidents message.
Altogether. the convention does not
meet in happy vein OF under favorable
It is handicapped by its
own denunciations when it has TO fol
low precisely the same methods as TO
the determination Of seats OF delegates
which the Colonel and those acting
with him so fiercely asssiled in the
National Committee. And
there is no indication that any Nation
al proposition or principle of any mo.
ment will be included in the platform
that the convention is TO adopt So
far, nothing of this kind has been pro.
posed by the Colonel himself or by any
one else for MIN; indeed, it is perilous
to propose anything for Roosevelt, as
be insists upon bossing everything.
There has been a sort Of general de.
ounciation along given lines. but with.
out stating the position of the Colonel
or Of the new party upon the most i'm
portant things that are before the peo-
pie. The Colonel is silent on the tariff
question. On the trust question be IA
vors the trusts and combines, while
wishing 70 make the people believe
that he is opposing those trusts spd
combines. lie has on his lips a fervid
eulogy of the people all the time and
declaration of their right 10 rule. but
always and only through Col. Roose.
welt. He will act for the people, he
will say what the people want, and
win proceed as the trusted agent of the
people, without waiting for, and with
out any regard 10. any expression of
the popular will He always assumes
that ne is the people 5 friend and IA.
vori;e, and lets everything else 60. His
will be quite similar TO the
Democratic National Convention OF
1855. where Cleveland went 70 st.
Louis with the platform in his pocket
and with the full power to dictate 20
the convention its nominations, ~
principles. and its procedure. Cleye
land Was badly beaten in the Prcsiden-
tial election of that year, and il 10 u
precedent that Col. Roosevelt ought TO
bear iu mind. and il is precedent that
any dic,atorial person NAV well fear