Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-05-09

and that is what he says today" as
serted Mr.. Taft. "That is the issue.
! If he is elected there won't be a boss
| in the country, and if he is not they
will just own me at Washington and
run the government. Well, | am not in
favor of machine politics. They are
| abuses of our government. l have to
have organizations. We cannot very
we'll get along without those, but am
just as much opposed to bosses, in the
sense that Mr.. Roosevelt wishes you
to understand that term. as he is.
Nov, there must be good deal of
vagueness and misunderstanding about
this business of Bosses The presi-
dent has very little to do with the es-
Enlistment of a boss or his Olsen.
thronement. He takes at Washington
the congressman and senator's that are
sent there by the people and it is the
people who are to disenthrone the boss,
the president has no power to refuse
to recognize them when they come
with the mandate of the people. Now
it is to inject something into a nation
al campaign that does not exist and
to give the impression that the presi-
dent can with wave of his hand abol-
ish all bosses. 1t is not for him to put
his nose into state politics and take
up all his energy which ought to be
devoted to national politics in reform
ing each local community. The people
must do that themselves. am not
criticising, but I would like to know
how many bodies of dead bosses are
strewn along the path of Theodore
Roosevelt, when he was seven years
president of the United States. I
don't criticize him for that, it was not
within his function to 60 about with
a sword cutting off the heads of drag
ons like that What he did and what
he has defended himself time and time
again for doing was to use these men
to get good legislation and good gov
eminent if he could. I have not done
any differently in that respect, and l
don't promise you if l am elected that
all the bosses will die. I have recon-
mended something that will assist in
ending the abuse of that system, but l
have not heard any approval from any,
body but was so loud that could hear !
it. That is, have recommended that
all of those Offices which are now
treated as political Offices, be put in the
classified civil service and that the con-
gressmen and the president be relieved
from their appointment. l have done
that with three congresses, but I have
not heard any Macedonian call either |
from Mr. Roosevelt or anybody else
about the passage of that bill"
What the Recall Would Do.
In discussing the recall Mr.. Taft ap-
pealed to the negro voters to think |
over what might become of them if the |
recall of decisions became permissible !
Every constitutional guaranty that
protects you and me and my colored
friends, every constitutional guaranty
that you rely on in the thirteenth, four
teenth and fifteenth amendments" he
said, would be subject to an election
to decide whether the court was right
in a particular law and in particular |
case. What does that amount to, gen.
tlemen? 1t amounts to writing the re-
strictions of your constitution in wa
ter"
Legislation Enacted.
Mr.. Taft gave long list of legisla-
ton enacted during his administration,
which he said showed him to be a pro-
gressive. He said he accepted the sup
port of Uncle Joe" Cannon when |
speaker of the house of representatives |
on the advice of Mr.. Roosevelt, al
though the colonel now attacked him
for it. The president went so far as
to say that for a time he contemplated |
an attempt to defeat Mr.. Cannon for
reelection to the speakership; but af-
ter receiving letter from Mr.. Roose-
welt advising him against that course,
changed his mind, having secured Mr..
Cannon's assurances not to oppose leg
islation he thought necessary, he aban-
doned that n1an