Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-10-30
Why He Can't Vote for Roosevelt. Z
Ex-Sop John D. Lonq,


l cannot vote for Roosevelt because his
election would violate the unwritten but
now practically constitutional principle
that no President shall have more than
two terms OF office. Washington and
jefferson saw the danger OF perpetual
ton of executive power, and set the ex-
ample OF refusal to accept third term.
True to this principle. the country refused
third term to its idol, General Grant
Roosevelt committed himself TO this
principle, and only four years ago SOL
eimniy declared that it would be ealami-
ty for him TO serve third term.
/ cannot vote for him because n this re-
spect he has not kept his word, but has
broken faith with the people.
/ cannot vote for him because / regard
his treatment of President Taft as unfair,
selfish and violative OF the obligations of
their mutual relations.
| cannot vote for Roosevelt because be-
lieve that, though be may in his exuber-
anee be unconscious of it, be is actuated
by spirit OF self-aggrandizement, and Is
using his great power OF attracting public
applause only to secure his own return to
political power. His cry against bosses is
wonderfully funny in view of the fact that
there is no snch colossal boss as himself.
Everything is made subservient to his
personal dictation. He breaches effusiyely
the commonplace OF good morals and viz
tuous conduct, but there Is not an item
among them in which Taft is not as good,
ii not a better example. Every body who
thinks a moment knows that il Roosevelt
were elected nothing would come to any
man in the way of cheaper cost of living,
better wages, or more comforts of life.
Indeed, the impairment OF the delicate
condolences of business which his vagaries
tend to unsettle would be more
than likely to have the opposite effect.
~ N.tg fTsra
good morals, for purer politics, would be
bit better advanced. II would be merely
new set OF bosses, a new machine.
When it comes to specific things, his
suggestion as to the tariff, for instance,
shows how poor is his title to any claim
for lettering anything. What does he
propose in this respect Why. that the
tariff shall be revised not as general bill
where local interests make selfish deals.
but by separate schedules, each item
treated on its own merits, and that
commission OF experts shall first study
each such item and report to Congress the
information that will secure its intelii-
gent consideration. But all this is ex-
actiy the policy which MIR. Taft has all
ready inaugurated and is laboring hard
to carry into effect.
/ cannot vote for Roosevelt because he
seems to be deliberately doing all he can
to smash the republican party, which has
which, in the respects in which 1t no doub
needs reform, can best be served by de-
veloping such reform within itself. Many
OF his initial followers recognize this and
refuse to follow him out of the repu blican
party, the leaven in which was already at
work and had already created that spirit
of what is called progressiveness which
Roosevelt now claims as if it were his
creation.
Men like La Toilette and Cummins, fully
abreast with Roosevelt, and indeed earlier
in this line of progress, see that its ad-
vance is best secured within the party and
not without. Evidently Roosevelt him
self was OF that opinion until the 18th OF
May last, and found new party desira BILE
only when he was unable to make himself
the head OF the old one-like the small
boy who won't play il he can't be first.
1t is, OF course, not impossible that with
the split which he has made in the party
he has brought it to the eve OF defeat, and
that democrat will be elected, the party
OF reaction brought into power, and the
progressive element in the repub lican
party set back. This is the possible sole
result of this self-aggrandizing crusade
of MIR. Roosevelt.
For the foregoing and other reasons
vote for Mr.. Taft.