Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-07-26
WHO ARE REPUBLICANS.

The attempts Of the Rooseveltians
in Oregon and elsewhere to continue
in the Republican party while, at
the same time, announcing their IN
tention of supporting the Bull Moose.
would be ludicrous were it not for
the principle involved, which either
demonstrates that they are not in
sympathy with the movement, or are
deliberately attempting to steal the
Republican organization and deceive
the people They declare their allie
glance to Roosevelt and, at the same
time announce that they are Repub-
leans and this in the face of the
fact that their idol has publicly stat
ed that he has left the Republican
party and will hencefOrth have no
affiliation with 1t in any way. That
they are doing this with the tacit
consent Of the Bull Moose there Is
abundant ground for belief judging
by the course pursued by him In
other states, although he himself is
now completely out Of the party.
There can be no halfway meas
ures about this. There is no posi-
BILE position "on the fence" for men
who align themselves under the Bull
Moose standard, They cannot be
Republicans and, at the same time
exert whatever influence they may
have in attempting to defeat that
party's candidates and principles
Whether or not they believe that the
Chicago convention was corrupt
affair, and President Tafts nomlna-
tion secured by fraud, as has so Of
ten been charged, makes no real DIFF
ference with their position. The
privilege of leaving the party Is theirs
beyond question, and they certainly
should not remain in It, If they can
not support its platform, but to de-
clare that they are stil members Of
the party while doing their best to
defeat its candidates, Is an exhibition
of bad faith and hypocrisy which
has but few parallels In the annals
of politics,
There is no such thing as a
Roosevelt Republican There are
no degrees or half way stations in
the party. man must either be a
man or a mouse, and when any man
tells you that he Is a republican
but will support the Bun Moose,
put him down as a hypocritc and a
cheap political demagOguo, Those
who get out into the open and an
nounce their enforcement from the
party must be respected.
Prominent among these political
rcnegudes is one Dan Kellahcr, who,
while still acting as Republican
candidate for presidential elector
and, as such, is i'm honor bound TO
vote for the choice of Oregon Rcpuh-
llcans In the electoral college. signs
call for the formation of the Bun
Moose party I'm oregon and urges his
compatriots to assist him I'm over
throwing the very organization he
has tacitly pledged himself to sup
port. In this attempt To steal the
regularly nominated Republican cleo
tors, the boosters of the lull Moose
In oregon really show the tlimsy ma
ture OF their cause and acknowledge
that they have no hope of success by
honest means ana a fearless fight In
the open. They are entitled to no
consideration. and viii receive none
from true Republicans. There are
thousands of men in the party who
do not fully subscribe to an OF the
sentiments of these Ia control OF their
party. but they viii not desert the
organization. and viii put forth their
best endcavors 10 secure the success
of the principles in which they he
lievc. In other words they do not
believe Ia wrcCking an organization
that they cannot control, as Roosr-
welt and his rabid friends would do
and Ia taking this position they have
shown themselves to bc honest and
really imbucd with the idea OF pluc-
ing principle above the lust Tor Of
nce which alone Is the distiuguish-
ing feature of tho Bullmuuscitvs and
their rrothy leader ot oyster Bay
The line between Republican and
party wrccktr is clearly drawn -
there Is no occasion for anybody to
be mistaken.