Omaha daily bee., 1912-08-17
ROOSEVELT OPENS CAMPAIGN
Colonel Fires Opening Gun at
Providence, R. I.
DENoUNCEs OLDER PARTIES
Ing to Hope for from Either,
as Both Arc Controlled
by bosses.

PRovIDENCEteR l., Aug. 16.-An ap-
peal for leadership from New England IN
the movement of the progressive party
was made here tonight by Colonel Roose-
welt in his first speech since his nomina-
ton in Chicago. De- g. .
He declared that the ordinary voter had
nothing to hope for through the success
Of either the democratic or republican
parties, which he asserted are equally
boss ridden. The tariff, especially as It
concerned the New England states, was
one of the main topics of the speaker,
who said In part; ~
II take particular pleasure IN making
my first speech as nominee of the pro-
gresslye party here In Rhode Island. You
have suffered, as In my own state of
New York we have suffered, from boss
politics In the most extreme form Of de-
yelopment. The progressive movement ts
aimed at the rotten machines, the rotten
boss systems % both parties. Only by
supporting the progressive party can you
strike any effective blow against boss
rule and machine and ring politics in the
United States. -
Parties of Bosses.
The success of the democratic national
ticket means enthroning in power one set
Of bosses the success of the republican
national ticket m ans enthrc ming in power
the other set of bosses The effort at
this time to rebuke one set of bosses by
voting for the candidate of the other set
of bosses is from its very nature bound
to result in mere futility.
THE differences between the men who
really dominate the two parties arc
merely the differences between great cor
poration attorneys who for the moment
represent different corporations, but who
come together instantly against any
movement which is meant to establish
the people as masters over both. To try
and industrial privilege by occasionally
voting for the nominee of the other set
is to play into the hands of both. We
stand against both. We pro-
pose to drive them both from power for
all time, and to substitute for their power
the real and genuine rule of the people.
There is peculiar need of leadership
for this fight in New England, II has
been matter of concern to me to see
so many of those here in New England
who should be leaders in the new move
ment turn cold-heartedly from IT, / be-
lieve that half of the opposition to our
course in New England is due to sheer
plain ignorance half of the remainder to
hard-sheled prejudice and the other half
of the remainder to craven fear Of what
is new.
Praises His Platform.
The progressive platform has really
faced the real issues OF today. 1t has
done this a regards the trusts, as re-
CARDS the rights of labor, as regards the
tariff, do not see how the people -
New England can for one moment sup
port either the republican or the demo-
cratic tariff platform Remember that
when use the word republican now l do
not refer to the rank and file Of the re-
publican party, but to the bosses who
have usurped the control of the machln-
cry of the party. The republican proposal
is a tariff for privilege in industry. The
democratic proposal is a tariff for the de-
struction of industry. The progressive
proposal is tariff in the interest Of labor
In industry"