The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-05-09
Big Event
Continued from page one.)


1t Is a singing rebuke to the meth
DDS Of the Taft managers who have
grabbed Off votes wherever possible
and by any methods at hand, even to
the contesting and unseating of reg
ularly elected state Roosevelt dele
gates. 1t is Theodore, Roosevelt's
most powerful exemplification Of his
sincere and disinterested belief in his
70 doctrine that the. people should rule. ="
The New York Evening Post, one Of
the strongest Taft organs in the coun-
try and one Of the bitterest opponents
of Colonel Roosevelt, comes to the
front with q handsome acknowledge
ment OF his honesty Of purpose in re-
hnquishing his Massachusetts dele
gates-at-large. The Evening Post
says:
1T would be unfair TO question Mr..
l.oosevelt's motives in announcing, as
he did so promptly yesterday, that he
did not want the eight delegates-at-
large Of Massachusetts. Elected by a
the clearly expressed preference of
the majority, he declares that they
ought to vote in the convention for
Mr.. Taft and that he will strongly
urge them to DO so. This Is one Of
those square and manly actions in po-
llt1cal life which everybody must adj
mire, and which should not be meanly
criticised. 1t is In line with the ear
ly tradition about the character of the
ideal Roosevelt, which he has unfor-
tupately done SO much since to shat
ter. For our part, We give his course
In this business ungrudging praise,
and shall not join with those who are
intimating that it was all a trick, de-
signed in the first place to effect pub
NC opinion and then to make sure Of
20 or 80 delegates in Oregon and ILL
nois in return for the eight handed
to Taft In Massachusetts. We prefer
to regard 1t as simply one Of those N
slant and instructive decisions by
Roosevelt, at once expressing his
sense Of the right thing to do and hit
ting the sentiment of the people be-
tween wind and water, for which he
has always been noted. That It was
adroit politics does not alter the fact
that it was handsome and honorable"
Under the caption, people Against
Bosses" the Chicago Tribune speaks
of Col. Roosevelts action thusly:
Col Roosevelts prompt renuncta-
ton of the eight elegates-at-large
from Massachusetts is a consistent
application of the principle which he
and his supporters are fighting for
throughout the country.
That principle is, Let the people
rule
I'm a total vote of about 148,OOO
Mr.. Taft received less than 1000
more than Col. Roosevelt But small
as 1t was, it registered the direct vote
Of the people, and Col. Roosevelt asks
that it be followed in spite of any
technical claims.
"The position thus taken is a re-
freshing and a significant contrast to
the sordid violence Of machine poll
tics which gave Mr.. Taft delegates in
Indiana, where no one doubts a di-
rect preference primary would have
swept the State as it did in Illinois
for his rival, and which gave New
York and Kentucky to Taft"
The Pittsburg Leader contributes
the following comment on Col. Roose-
velts action under the caption, "The
Square Deal"
"The attitude of Theodore Roose-
welt in the case of the eight Roose-
welt delegates-at-large elected at the
Massachusetts primary, Tuesday, is
only what might have been expected
Of him.
1T is unusual for a man engaged in
great political battle to surrender
anything to the enemy, even under
the demand Of plain principle, but
that is what Roosevelt has done.
I'm urging the eight delegates to
vote for Taft because the states pref
erential vote showed a plurality for
the President, is exactly what every
one who knows the real Roosevelt ex-
pected he would do
He believes in and acts the square
deal for an enemy, just the same as
for friend. The square deal is the
square deal Roosevelt is square"