Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-11

Roosevelt discussed proceedings at
Chicago in an article entitled IA
naked issue of right and wrong" made
public. tonight. and to appear in the
current issue of the outlook. Mr..
Roosevelt said In part
THE contest for the Republican
nomination has now narrowed down
to naked issue of right and wrong
for the issue is simply whether or not
we shall permit system of naked
fraud. of naked theft from the people
to triumph.
4 have made this contest on two
great principles-First, the right of
the people to rule, and therefore III
the exercise of their deliberate judg
ment to control their government and
their governmental agents and, sec
ond their duty SO to rule as to bring
about not only political but social and
industrial justice. | have endeavored
everywhere to appeal not to the poll
ticians but to the people themselves
and to get their Judgment stating
scores of times that | would do my
best to convert them to my way OF
thinking, that | should acquiesee as 4
matter of course in their judgment II
it was adverse but that II their
judgment was favorable / did not in
tend tamely to submit to an effort by
the politicians-that is. by the bosses
acting as the representatives OF slle-
cial privilege--to throw aside the YER
diet of the people and substitute -
fake victory of their own. rms Is
precisely what Mr.. Barnes, Mr.. Nc
Kinley and their associates and rep
resentatives on the national commit
tee at Chicago are attempting, but l.
am NOT prepared to believe they have
the support of majority OF the com
mittee.
II freely admit that honorable anu
upright men can differ from me, al
though I strongly contend that the
principles l uphold are essential II our
country is to be kept as true De
mocraey But during the last SIX
weeks Mr. Tafts campaign has been
carried ON, on his behalf by those be-
hind him-I do not say merely those
under him. for | think some of the IN
terests to which l allude are really
over him and not under HMM sucl
fashion as to make the contest 1ar
simpler one. The talk of the Taft man
ayers and even OF Mr.. Taft himself. the
utterances Of the great dalies, especial
ly by Wall Street and the action
threatened by many members of the
National committee all combine To
show that the hackers of Mr.. Taft real
ize that they have lost in the appeal
to the people and are row conspirlng
to steal the victory from the people. In
government by popular vote. where
under certain definite limitations the
majority is supposed to rule, such theft
is quite as great as crime against
the body polite as any species of COM
mercial robbery-indeed in some ways
it is worse.
Properly speaking, the national
committees only function is honesty
to judge what delegates have prima
faeie the right to a seat and to sug-
gest the name of a temporary chair
man who shall call the convention to
order Practically the attempt is be-
ing made by the Taft managers to use
the present national committee for the
purpose of unseating honestly elected
delegates and of seating enough
| fraudulently elected delegates espe-
ciaIly in the states where there is no
real Republican party to secure the
nomination for Mr.. Taft. Such
nomination would morally stand on
precisely the same plan as any elec-
ton secured in New York state in the
old Tweed days by fraudulent voting
| at the polls"
| Mr. Roosevelt renews his statement
that National committeeman were
chosen for Chicago, certain of them
representing bosses and special priv
lilege in their most odious forms"
| OF the 80 members of the national
committee who followed the lead of
the Taft managers in the vote on pub
llicity at the first meeting at Chicago.
Is have been defeated and repudiated
| in their states; four represent insular
H possessions having no vote; and 10
are from Southern states that have
/ given no electoral vote for the Repub-
1 lican party. These %. constituting
/ two more than a majority of the COM
mttee will be without political stand
Il ing after this week and have no popu-
lar vote behind them.
'Yet in a recent speech in New Jersey
1 Mr. Taft stated he believed he would be
H nominated because he believed the ma
II tional committee would support him. APP
parently Mr.. Taft was not aware of tbs
II full meaning of his words. / have made
II my appeal to the people or the states
! where there is a real Republican party
Mr. Taft unwarily stating the real truti
of his canvass, announces that he puts
his trust not in the people. but in body
of 50 men chosen four years ago ovel
whom the rank and file of the Repubii
can party of today have no power what
ever"