The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-07-16
Statement from Former Governor
Stokes.


are willing to support any candidate, pro-
vided he is honest and capable. represents
their principles, and can unite the party
to this end.
The business man, the working man,
the professional man, the patriot, have an
interest In parties quite distinct from the
mere politician. They had right to ex-
pect that the National Committee and the
leaders in control of the convention would
work out a solution of the party prob
lens. The latter are the trustees of the
party and they largely are responsible for
its success or Its failure, just as the officers
of bank are responsible for its success or
Its failure.
THE members of the National Com
mittee and the party leaders In control
had only one duty. that of trying to unite
the different factions and induce them to
agree upon q candidate and platform.
Any other course on their part made them
recresnt to their trust.
1.-The country knows whether these So
called leaders did or did not fulfill this
obligation of their trusteeship. The fact
that with the aid of Democratic states,
and non-yoting territories and possessions,
they used their power to override the
protest of great Republican states neces-
sary to the candidates success, disturbs
and disappoints many Republicans.
ut does not, however, afford q reason
for those Republicans to leave their party.
On the other hand, the party needs their
support all the more to save it from blind
leadership.
eff an intruder inyades your home and
disarranges your household, you do not
leave 1t In his possession, but you remain
n fn ord
'Unselflsh Republicans cannot allow
themselves to be driven out of the party
by forty or fifty so-called leaders who
have been disappointing and unrepresents-
tive In the exercise of their power. Forty
or fifty National leaders do not constitute
the Republican party. The masses con-
stitute the party.
'"The Republicans of Maine, Massa-
chusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois,
Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Washing
ton. Oregon, California, Missouri and
Minnesota, are the regular Republicans,
and they exercised their regularity In the
selection of their delegates to the National
Convention.
1.-THE Republicans of these states will
give two hundred and ffty-one of the
two hundred and sixtY.seven electoral
votes necessary to a choice. With Massa-
chuetts excepted, these states have two
hundred and thirty-three electoral votes,
within thirty-four of the majority of the
electoral college. They constitute clear
majority Of the actual Republicans of the
country. Why should the majority secede
from the minority? Do they not owe it to
themselves and to the party to stand their
ground and fight on just as they did in
the recent primaries, rather than to desert
and leave the party to the control of those
who, they claim, are jeopardizing the
party's usefulness?
"The Progressive Republicans In the
West aoiu not leaUe the party. All of the
Progressive Republicans in the East aoill
not ieGve the party. If some do, they will
divide their forces and weaken their
cause. If, on the contrary, they fight
within the party lines, they keep their
forces united for the promotion of their
principles.
I'm the days of Lincoln, patriots did not
desert the Union and leave its fate to its
foes, but stood their ground and fought
for Its preservation and its perpetuity. and
It Is better Union to-day because they
insisted that 1t should not be divided.
''What the Republicans of this country
need In this hour is not new party, but
new leadership leadership unselfisb
enought to regard the party more import
ant than the individual, brainy enough to
heed the popular will, brave enough to
fight when fight is necessary, intelligent
enough to keep In touch with the progress
OF the day, and voice its best and highest
ideals.
ITO that end. l, as Republican, be-
lieving that the party can serve the needs
of the nation as we'll In the future as 1t
has In the past, shall continue to fight, but
believe, with Senator Cummins of Iowa.
that that fight can be made more success
fully and with better results aoitki7a than
sOith0ut the party ranks.
Wrongs cannot be defended or con-
doned, but disappointments can be for
gotten, and Republicans can turn their
backs upon unwise and unfaithful leader
ship. close up ranks. and fight the party
battles for the peoples rights and the
nations welfare.
THE methods to be adopted to this end
are mere matters of detail, easily adjust
able. What is necessary is that these
methods are lawful, honorable, In good
faith, and consistent with the government
tai policies ADVOCATED by the parties there
to-
cat least two methods would comply
with these conditions: at the primaries in
September legislative and congressional
candidates will be nominated, who, In the
State convention, under the Geran act, can
select electors pledged to their Presidential
choice; or two sets of electors composed
of the same men can be nominated one
by the candidates convention, and one by
petition, with perhaps one exception in
each set for purposes of identification one
set for Taft and one for Roosevelt, every
Taft vote and every Roosevelt vote
thus counting for the same electors, with
the understanding that whoever of these
two candidates polled the larger vote at
the election, should receive the electoral
vote. If Roosevelt received the larger
vote the electors would vote for him; If
Taft's vote was the larger the electors
would vote for him, provided the Repub-
licans carried the state.
1.-THE Republicans of Kansas and some
other states have adopted the first plan
prefer the second method, which seems to
be fairer, because under 1t the issue would
be decided by the larger jury of the
electorate, instead of the smaller Jury of
the primary
both of these plans are in accord with
the principle of the rule of the people and
Colonel Roosevelt's action In the case of
the Massachusetts, delegates. In this way
the people would decide and neither can
didste should want the electors unless the
people so voted.
principles, not men, are at stake In
this contest. Colonel Roosevelt has
pointed out the dangers of the free trade
Democratic platform. The tariff and the
settlement of the trust problem are the
two vital issues of this campaign. These
issues can be better settled by those who
call themselves Republicans, or Progress
sive Republicans. than by the Democrats;
II the former have the interests of the
country at heart. they will be willing to
accept any honorable, lawful, working |
proposition that will surely elect members
OF the Legislature and Congress and give |
them the opportunity to legislate for the
best interests of the nation.
at is moral and a patriotic duty for
those who believe In certain principles to
adopt plan by which those principles
can be carried to success, and be enacted
Ia