Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1912-03-08
ROOSEVELT PROGRESSIVE
LEAPS TO LEADERSHIP
BY PERTINENT DECLARATIONS in THE COLUMBUS SPEECH
Governor johnson Makes Address---Demands that the
People Should Rule and be Given Chance
to Name Candidates Through
Direct Primaries.

they know Roosevelt would get the
delegates. In New York both parties
are pledged to presidential prefer
ence primary law, yet the state has
only a hybrid law designed to defeat
the will of the people. New York
politicians say the state is for Taft.
II that is SO, why won't they give the
people a presidential primary"
The Chicago Taft club fatty re,
fused the proposal of the Roosevelt
men of that city, made through Col
Chauncey Dewey fortnight ago, to
agree upon having presidential
preference contest at the April 9th
primaries. The support of Governor
Deneen of Illinois was claimed for
Taft by National Manager Mckinley,
but the governor said all he would
do for Taft was to try to have pres
idential primary for him, reply
which was not relished by the Taft
men.
Pennsylvania Taft luen announced
gleefully Taft would get most of the
delegates from that state because of
a court decision that independent Re-
publicans who had voted the Key
stone ticket could not take part in the
primaries for national delegates. Such
holdings always have been found i'm
practicable to enforce and all Repub-
licans who declare their party allie
glance doubtless will have their
votes recorded, but their comment on
the decision served to put Taft state
1p.nnrd rannrd oooinct ftI1
expression Of the party preference at
the primaries.
The same day that Taft senator's
were attacking the primary system
in the United States senate, Governor
Osborn, a Roosevelt leader, was fight
ing to get presidential preference
primary law through the Michigan
legislature.
William Allen White of Kansas has
said of Roosevelt: HE is not only
for insuring square deal under the
present rules of the game; he is for
changing the rules if necessary"
The Roosevelt mems position on
primaries for national delegates is
thus stated by the Courier of Lafay-
cite, Ind, Let no convention assume
to tell you what you think-see to it,
fellow-Republicans, that you do the
telling. Unless Republicans go into
the campaign with the atmosphere
cleared, there is going to be vastly
more fog than is good for U.S."
When Roosevelt, as president, was
doing big things there were men who
decried his policies of that day as
revolutionary and destructive. They
said the railroad rate bill would ruin
the railroads and the country. No one
says that now. The railroads by the
rate-makiug power and rebates de-
termined what cities should grow and
!, what cities be stunted, what business
men should get rich and what ones
go into bankruptcy. Now government
control of rates is admitted by the
railroads and everybody else to be
for the welfare of the people.
This retrospect Eliminates the ex.
pressions of horror by honest conser.
vatives and hostile big business to
the charter of democracy promul
, gated to the constitutional conven
tion by Colonel Roosevelt. Washing
:. ton correspondents, after talking to
Chairman Mckinley of the Taft or
ganization, wrote their papers thai
big business had lined up for Taft
:. following the Columbus speech, moi
= that 1t loved Taft more, but Roose
: welt less. The loudest howls were
emitted by New York papers, led by
;, the Sun, which has been styled eth,
= "morganatic bride Of the. interests"
Such New York progressive papers
as the Mail and the Globe are fo
Roosevelt, and most of the opposi
e ton papers in New York are Demo
cratic and actuated in part by whole
l. some fear that Roosevelt If nomi
g mated, will beat the Democratic
7. nominee.
e The first attack in congress o.
Roosevelt's Columbus speech wa
q made by Senator Rayner of Mary
r land, Democrat. AS the Clevelan
l. Leader put it, THE foes of the Roose
y welt party are afraid of a nationa
70 campaign against Roosevelt ticket.
e The Columbus speech, says tn
70 Akron Beacon-Journal,d did not satisf
those who contend there are no i'll
70 to remedy, nor Democrats who wan
10 their party to win. Democrati
Is alarm is frankly confessed by tn
IS West Union Democrat, which says
T. "Let no Democrat delude himsel
'e with the belief that Teddy will be a
N easy man to defeat, should he cal
ID ture the nomination"
IS President Taft Is to take ano.he
p swing around the circle urging hi
Of denomination Three, and perhar
lie more, of his speeches, will be mad
s. to Ohio audiences. The Rooseve
er men plan a stumping campaign in tn
,e state in April and expect to hay
here Governor Johnson of Californi
g. Governor Stubs of Kansas and OF
te er leading Roosevelt supporters
ry the country