Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-19
Colonel Goes Into Details.

Col. Roosevelt goes into details as to
how, he says. steam roller methods were
used to create q majority for Mr.. Taft at
the recent convention. He reviews the
history Of the primary campaign in the
various states and contrasts his action in
waving technicalties in the Massachu-
sets primary as against the action taken
by the Taft managers on the delegates
at large in the Ohio primaries. But
Senator Burton and his fellow-p politicians,
by adroit manipulation equally discredita-
BILE to them and to Mr.. Taft himself
the article goes on. persuaded nine
tenths of the delegates from Cleveland
ing will Of the people and to vote for Mr..
Taft. 1t seems incredible that after this
action Mr. Taft should still have made
no sign as to the Massachusetts dele
gates at large. But such is the fact. He
was not ashamed to accept without pro-
test the delegates at large elected for me
by 5000 majority, but given to him be-
cause he had received about 1900 pref
to insist that his representatives. by
trickery and sharp practice, secure for
him the six delegates at large from Ohio
which in the primaries had gone 1900
against him. OF course. If / was right in
the attitude I took about the eight dele
gates at large which Mr.. Tafts heuten-
ants so greedily accepted-that is, IL the
preference of the voters was to be held
morally binding-then it was also morally
binding on Mr.. Taft not to take the four
district delegates from Massachusetts
where the preference had been expressed
for me, and not to urge his subordinates
to steal from the people Of Ohio the six
delegates at large which by 1900 major
lily they had declared should be mine.'
Contrasts the Two Conventions.
In contrasting the two conventions Col.
Roosevelt writes:
There was one essential and instruc-
the big republican political bosses at
Chicago and the big democratic political
bosses at Baltimore The former great
ly preferred certain party. defeat to my
nomination; the latter were willing to ac-
cept any nomination rather than face
certain party defeat. This difference in
the attitude of the bosses was due to the
far-reaching difference between the anti
boss movements in the two cases. In
my case, the appeal was made straight
to the people against the bosses, and the
fight was won on that issue.
The case at Baltimore was wholly
different. In the primaries Mr.. Clark had
carried more states than DR.. Wilson. He
had a large majority in the popular vote.
In but one or two states had DR.. Will
sons cause been triumphant in a square
fight with the bosses-indeed, there had
hardly been any fight made along these
lines. The fight at Baltimore was not,
as at Chicago. to eliminate the bosses,
and. incidentally. to nominate certain
candidate; 1t was to persuade the bosses
into themselves nominating DR.. Wilson.
thus securing the perpetuation of their
own control in their several states, Mr..
Sullivan of Illinois, M. Taggart of In
diana, and others like them, brought
about DR.. Wilson's nomination; Mr.. MUIR
ply acquiesced at the end. DR.. Wilson's
victory would not mean the dethrone-
ment of these men: it would mean their
perpetuation in power. My election
would mean that Mr.. Penrose, Mr.. Barnes
and Mr. Guggenheim would be definite
ly eliminated from political control of
their states"