Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-06-27
THURSDAY, JUNE II. 1912.
ROOSEVELT OVER A Y

IatCa W " hAOAS fdN -
needed. James Schoolcraft Sherman
has also been renominated for vice
president by 597 votes.
The country has been in a great
state of excitement ever since Theo-
dore Roosevelt cast his hat into the
ring and asked for a third term as
president of these United States
something that all the great presi-
dents of the country with ore excep-
ton had declined, and which was
denied in the case of the other
exceptional. S. Grant-as it has
been to Roosevelt. The plain people
of America, not those who do the
shouting and rush after brass bands,
but those who really have the very
best interests of the greatest nation on
earth at heart and who never let
excitement or noise swerve them in
their judgment not even for Roosevelt
nor for any other man for a third
term. They believed with Washington
Lincoln and Mckinley that two terms
were sufficient and that to have given
a third term would have been to violate
the unwritten law of the republic.
Had Roosevelt retired to his country
place when he returned from Africa
and been content to issue advice to
the people who had honored him to the
fullest extent of their powers, he
probably would have gone down into
history as among the greatest of
American presidents.
But his thirst for power precluded
this. He could not see another manage
the great country. He got anxious for
a call to public service and at the first
whisper he began plans to enter the
race for the nomination in defiance of
all ~precedents. Nor was he particular
where the call came from. He claimed
the call came from the people. But
who were the people? The McCor-
micks, the Perkinses, the Flynns. the
heads of the great trusts which had
been undergoing prosecution at the
hands of the present administration.
That these interests wanted him there
can be no gainsaying because they
raised a campaign fund and spent it
for the colonel IN the primaries such as
was w before heard of in the his
tory of the nation.
Colonel Roosevelt entered the politi-
cal arena himself and put up from the
the greatest campaign of bill
ingsgate, mudslinging and undertaking
the country had ever listened to.
Those who did not agree with him in
ambition, from President Taft--his
former friend and the man whom he
had named as his all along
the line were characterized as liars,
traitors, thieves, etc. Wherever his
campaign was victorious the people
had voted for him from the purest
motives, but in the states carried by
Taft, LaFollete and Cummins the cleo
tons of delegates opposed to Rooss-
welt had all been secured by fraud, pur-
chase or democratic votes.
In the face of bis campaign fund and
personal appeals and abuse he realized
when the delegates had all been chosen
to the national convention that he had
been fairly beaten. The greatest
buffer known to history was not to
give up his ambition for such a minor
matter as that Contests-unwholly
and unwarranted-were started in all
sections of the country. The batteries
were then opened upon the national
committe to force q majority of the
members to seat Roosevelt delegates
in the place Of those regularly selected.
In spite Of all Of his abuse and that Of
his associates the committee remained
firm and recognized the will OF the
people and seated the delegates chosen
by them.
The next bluff Of the colonel was
threats Of boiling the convention
unless he had his own way. The bluff
was called and the convention went on
and did the business Or the convention
as the delegates had been selected to
do BY the republican voters Of the
country with the result as stated in
the outset William Howard Taft for
president and James Schoolcraft Sher-
man for vice president.
After the nominations were made q
1911 A-Au M 4