The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1912-07-19

the republican national convention al
Chicago are discussed by Theodore
Roosevelt In editorial articles In the
ct,rron: issue Of The outlook. THE
Steam Roller" and Men Who Live
Softly" are the headings Of the
coloners articles. In the first, the
writer, answers charges that steam
roller methods were used to nomi-
nate him In 1904 and again to secure
nomination for Mr. Taft In 1908.
"There WAS no contest over my
nomination In 1904 when this conven-
tion assembled" he says. Every dele
gate was for me; and this was the
truth OF both sides In every contest.
In 1908 when MIR. Taft was fairly
nominated. there was no steam roller
methods as far as know. and IL any
thing dishonest or improper was done
In an effort to nominate him II was
without my knowledge. and IL had
been brought to my attention Nnd
had any power In the matter | would
have interfered with it,
In the second article the colonel al
1udes to the respectable men who,
with discomfort. stood behind their
leaders in securing the triumph OF
fraud and political theft at Chicago
and scores the .'other respectable men
who felt no discomfort In thus sup
trary, glorified In their actions"
Ne otsam Roller Before.
Some OF the men responsible for
the steam roller work In this conven-
tion," said Colonel Roosevelt In his
first editorial. "had sought to excuse
themselves by saying that they were
only doing what always had been done.
and specifically what was done for me
at tho time OF my nomination and
what was done for Mr. Taft himself
four years ago. AS regards myself.
the statement has not even the slight
est foundation In fact. In 1900 wan
nominated for the vice presidency
against the wish OF the most powerful
politicians who then had control OF the
republican party and purely because
OF popular demand too insistent to
be denied. In 1904 a majority of the
national committee were hostile to me.
and. as In 1900, the leading politicians
Of the party would have liked to up
set me. never used the patronage.
not to the extent OF a single appointment
to secure my nominations: I never ap-
pcaled to a single politician: / made
my appeal direct to the people over the
heads Of the politicians, and stood
squarely on my record, and l received
the nomination solely because the peo-
pie believed In me and approved of
my record and were so overwhelming
" for me that the machine politicians
abandoned all thought of a contest
against me before the convention met"
Taft's Stolen Majority.
Colonel Roosevelt goes into detail AZ
to how. he says. steam roller methods
were used to create majority for Mr.
Taft at the recent convention. He re-
views the history OF the primary cam
paign In the various states and con-
trasts his action In waiving technicali-
ties In the Massachusetts primary az
against the action taken by the Taft
managers on the delegates at large In
the Ohio primaries.
But Senator Burton and his fell
low politicians by adroit manipulation
equally discreditable to them and to
Mr.. Taft himself, persuaded nine
tenths Of the delegates from Cleveland
to violate. the. expressed and over
whclming will OF tho people and to vote
for Mr. Taft. II aeems incredible aftel
this action that Mr.. Taft should have
made no sign 40 to the Massachusetts
delegates at large. But such Ia ths
fact. He was not ashamed to accepl
without protest the delegates at large
elected for me by 5000 majority. bu,
giycn to him because he had received
about 1000, preference majority and
yet at the same time to Insist that hi,
representatives. by trickery and sharI
practice secure for him the six dele,
gates at large from Ohio which In thu
primaries had gone against him."
Contrasting the two conventions
Colonel Roosevelt writes:
The Dig Diffsrsncs.
There was one essential and In
structive difference between the atti
tude OF the big republican politica
bosses at Chicago and the big demo
cratic political bosses at Baltimore
The former greatly preferred certain
party defeat to my nomination; tn
latter were willing to accept any nomi
nation rather than face certain part,
defeat. In my case the appeal wa
made straight to the people against tn
bosses and the fight was Won on tha
issue. The case at Baltimore WA
wholly different. In the primaries MI
Clark carried more states than Dl
Wilson. In but one or two states ha
Mr.. Wilson's cAusa been triumpkan
In square fight with the bosses--in
deed, there scarcely had been any figh
made along these lines, The fight a
Baltimore was not. an at Chicago, I
eliminate the bosses. and, incidental,