Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-04-04
CLASSES TAFT
WITH BOSSES
Roosevelt Says President is
as Progressive as They.

Louisville, KY, April 4. Theodore
Roosevelt opened up a new strain Of
vehemence and food Of denunciation
against President Taft here before an
audience Of 5000 hat jammed the au-
hitorfum Of the Phoenix Hill park. The
crowd was big and enthusiastic. Num-
bers overfowed into the streets. The
colonel took the presidents statement
In Philadelphia that he is a progressive
as the butt Of his attack. He said
with apparent heat that If President
Taft Is a progressive, he Is precisely
the kind that bosses like Penrose, Gug-
genheim, Patrick Calhoun, Cannon.
Gallinger, Lorfmer and others are.
He said:
In his recent speech at Philadelphia
President Taft stated that he was a pro-
gressive, and this raised the question as
to what a progressive Is. More Is involV-
ed than any mans say-so as to himself.
A well meaning mar may vaguely think
of himself as a progressive without hay
ing the faintest conception OF what a pro-
gressive is. Vision and intensity Of CON
viction must both go to the makeup of
any man who is to lead the forWard
movement, and mildly good intentions are
wholly useless as substitutes.
Merely to announce ones belief in the
rule of the people while openly or covert
ly trying to prevent such rule from being
effective would be demagogy of peculiarly
mean type. Our professions must be
judged by the way they square with our
actions. The doctrine of the rule of the
people" amounts to sheer nothingness If
we are forbidden to apply it when the
2 at1Irra IN IN Gu TpaanC thA fofIITrl tn cot
and to do justice.
Every man who fights fearlessly and eff
fectively against special privilege in any
form is to that extent a progressive. EY-
cry man who, directly or indirectly, up
holds privilege and favors the special in
t~erests, whether he acts from evil motives
or mere social sympathy or whether he
simply lacks interest in the subject, is a
r~eacttonary.
When the president supports those
courts which declare that the people have
no power to do social justice by making
certain laws and when he opposes the eff
fort to give the sober judgment of the
people due effect. against the deCisions of
a reactionary court, then he shows him |
self a reactionary.
Four years ago the progressives sup
ported Mr.. Taft for president, and he
was opposed by such representatives of
special privilege AZ Mr.. Penrose of Penn
~sylvania, Mr.. Aldrich OF Rhode Island,
Mr.. Gallinser, Mr.. Cannon Of Illinois,
and he was opposed by practically the
men of tho stamp of Messrs. Guggen-
helm and Evans in Colorado and Mr.. Pat
rick Calhoun of San Francisco. These
men were not progressives then, and they
do not pretend to be progressives now.
But, unlike the president, they know who
is a progressive and who Is not. The pres
ident says he Is q progressive. These men
him well and have studied his &C
lions for three years. and they regard him
as being precisely the kline OF progress
sive whom they approve.
Now, the progressiveness that meets and
merits the cordial approval OF these gen
Is not the kind Of progressiveness
which We on our side champion. However
good the presidents intentions, l believe
that hts actions have shown that he Is en-
titled to the support of precisely these
men.