The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-06
SECRETARY sT1MsoN's VIEW.

In this day of chaotic politics and
shifting bases Of principles, of dis
ruptions OF friendships, and Of un-
bridcd license of speech, it would
perhaps be too much to say that the
address of Secretary Stimson at San
Francisco is a sensation; but it is GER
tainly one of the most interesting de-
vclopments OF the time.
Secretary Stimson has been a very
close personal and political friend of
Colonel Roosevelt s. In 1910 he was
the defeated Roosevelt candidate for
Governor of New York. Colonel
Roosevelt had overthrown tho old
bosses, had oustcd Barnes from the
head of the committee, and defeated
Vice President Sherman for the con
troll of the 1910 Republican convention
Of the State. The appointment cf Mr..
Stimson as Secretary of War was sup
nosed TO be for the purpose OF placat-
ing the Roosevelt antagonlsm TO Presi-
dent Taft, and it has been sup
posed all the time that Secretary Stim.
son was in President Taft's Cabinet
as the representative of the Roosevelt
faction of the Republican party.
But now Mr.. Stimson comes out
fatty. positively, and forcibly against
Roosevelt. not only in his political
ambitions. but against him personally.
He states that he and Roosevelt have
been very close political friends, but
that now he is opposed TO Roosevelt IS
conduct, ''Tbere is no Justification or
reason or need for Theodore Roosevelt
in this day and generation said the
Secretary of War in his San Fran
cisco speech Not only this, he claims
that Roosevelt's s record bars him from
all claim Of being purist in politics,
ponent Of progressive principles. He
claims tbat Roosevelt S political meth
ods are the direct heritage of the
Platt methods, and that Roosevelt de-
rived them primarily from Plat him
self. and afterwards from the special
representatives of Platt in the New
York machine. He claims that the
rules of politics which Roosevelt
adopts arc the rules of Ben Odcll, of
"the old guard and the Black Horse
cavalry" He claims further that
Roosevelt has been captured by the
Parsons. Griscom, and Barnard gang
IN New York, but that all at once
Roosevelt reversed himself and con
Guided that he would, if possible,
nbreak the American tradition against
the third term in the Office Of Presi-
dent Of the United States
Mr.. Stimson argues that Roosevelt 8
reform is only pretended reform. that
Roosevelt s supporters in New York
are the old gang legatees of Plstt and
Odcll, and that Roosevelt stands for
reaction and not for progression. He
holds that the wave OF unreasonable
and unreasonlng discontent' is subsid-
ing, and that the strength of Roose"
Welt will necessarily subside with 1T,
since it is only from that discomfort
that he gains strength at all.
Finally, Secretary Stimson holds that
President Taft and the Republican
party are the real Progressives in the
United States today. Under the pro-
pressive leadership Of President Taft
and the men who have remained loyal
to him after generation Of hgntlng
for better and higher things of the
party and of the Government, the peo-
pie at large are promised the very best
results obtainable under our form Of
Government by the reelection of Presl-
dent Taft. This is absolutely and
clearly the fact. No one observant OF
present conditions, tendencies. and po'
ltical facts can fail to see that IN put
ting forward this proposition Secre-
tary Stimson has gone deeper into
the analysis Of the present pohticai
situation than almost any one else who
-, chic camnalOn.