The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-07
THE PERSONAL CONVENTION.

The personally conducted convention
I assembled in Chicago for the purpose
OF nominating Colonel Roosevelt for
the Presidency for third term. is
gathering which is brought together
under false prctcnses. The Roosevelt
crv of the time has been that the peo-
pie must act, that no one is authorized
70 act for them cave by their express
! authorization. - Let the people
rule is the great, Overwhelming
tocsin of the Roosevelt movement. And
vet the people have had no SHARE
whatever in this convention. Ihere
have been no primaries, there has been
20 expression OF the people in any re-
spect favoring this convention. In the
different States, as in Utah, there
have been few self'constituted
| leaders coming TO the front announcing
convention Of quite the old style,
precisely the sort that Roosevelt has
been busy all this year denouncing,
and these conventions have, with
more or less regularity, chosen dele
gates to his personallyconducted con-
vention at Chicago. The people have
in no wise been consulted, they have
not been permitted to take part In the
election of delegates to that conven'
ton, or to act in any of the prepara-
tions for holding that convention. The
delegates TO the National Republican
Convention in Chicago that switched
off 10 the Roosevelt movement took &C
ton entirely unauthorized and revo'
lutionary. They were not sent 10 Chi
cago to form a third party, or to
aid any schism in the Republican
party They were sent as National
delegates 10 the National Republican
Convention, and in so far as they de-
parted from their work as such they
betrayed the trust imposed in them by
the people. In so far as the delegates
taking part in this present personally.
conducted convention in Chicago in the
interest and for the personal advan-
tage of Colonel Roosevelt may claim
to represent the people, the claim is
fraud, because they have no credentials
whatever from the people, nor have the
people in any way been consulted In
their movement.
1t was precisely the same way when
the convention was called to order by
Senator Dixon of Montana, who is the
personal political representative Of
Colonel Roosevelt. Mr.. Dixon called
the convention 10 order and announced
that Mr. Beveridge of Indiana had
been selected as temporary chairman
of the convention. No vote was called
for upon tho proposition, although it
was right there that the delegates in
the Republican National Convention
first locked horns. But there was no
opportunity given for opposition TO
Beveridge. He had been chosen by the
big boss, and that settled it. There
was no thought of opposition to the per
sonal will Of Colonel Roosevelt. Mr..
Beverdge took the chair as presiding
officer. because he had been selected,
and without any regard 10 the wishes
of the delegates there and then as
sembled II was cut-and-dried af-
fair from the beginning, and un-
doubtedly any delegate who might have
demanded that the question be put TO
vote would at once have been frowned
down, and perhaps thrown out of the
hall, And all this imperiousness un-
der the cry, "Let the people rulel"
1t is stated that Colonel Roosevelt
was in the sulks all day on Monday,
the first dsy of his convention. This
was doubtless because the convention
did not measure up In any way by
comparison with the hearty, spon
taneous enthusiasm of the regular Ma
tional Republican Convention. 1t was
a tame affair; not at all the wild,
riotous assemblage that the promoters
expected. There had been talk OF
selling seats in the convention AT $50
TO $25 each, but at the last spectators
grumbled at the high price Of SIS that
was demanded for admission TO see the
proceedings, and those who paid their
IS grumbled at the tameness of the
show. But what else was TO be eX-
pected than that the affair should be
tame7 With no opposition daring TO
show its head, everything is necessarily
at dull level OF apathy and matter
of-course procedure. 1t is idle to think
of getting up any excitement when
every one knows that the terms Of fel
lowship are complete submission TO
the will Of one individual, and that
any one revolving against that dictum
would he summarily pitched out. How,
under such conditions, could any op
position be either expected or toll
eratedf
The complete submission Of the con
veutiou 10 Roosevelt was manifest in
the unanimous consent TO former Sec
rotary Garheld's motion that Colonel
Roosevelt he invited to appear before
the convention on it's assemblage the
second DAY. This was for the purpose
OF allowing Colonel Roosevelt TO de-
liver his extraordinarily long and vim
dictive speech srraiguing every one
who does not agree TO support him, as
an undesirable citizen, one who is
willing 10 take his place among liars,