The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-04
HE HAMMERS TAFT
Roosevelt Continues His AT.
tacks Upon the President.
Makes Fifteen Rear Platform
Speeches i'm One Day.
WINDS UP At LOUISVILLE
Declares His One Time Friend
Is a Reactionary.
And Has Won the Support of
Former Opponents.

Louisville, KY, April president
Tafts statement that he is a progress
siye was disputed by Col. Roosevelt in
a speech here. The former president
said Mr.. Taft in some of his acts
had shown himself to be reaction
airy, in spite of this contention, Colonel
Roosevelt went over the record sof the
present administration in certain par
ticulars and criticised it sharply.
The colonePs speech came at the end
of the first day of his week of cam
paigning through West Virginia, Ken
lucky, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
He broke his record for speeches fol
the present campaign, delivering 10
during the day. All but two were given
at railway stations from his car. Ev-
erywhere he found large crowds and
a cordial reception. The speech here
was delivered in the auditorium.
In his recent speech at Philadelphia
Colonel Roosevelt said, President Taft
stated he was a progressive and this
raises the question as to what a pro
gressive is
The colonel gave his definition of
progressive on the basis of which he
undertook an analysis of the attitude
of the administration toward a number
of questions He took up the railroad
rate bill, enforcement of the pure food
law, the conservation question and 9TH
er subjects which have engaged the
attention of the administration.
-Four years ago, Colonel Roosevelt
said, Mr.. Taft was supported by the
progressives and opposed by repre-
sentatives of special privileges
Speaking of the courts the colonel
asserted that when the president sup
ported ''those courts which declare the
people have no power to do social JUS
tice," that he shows himself a reac
tionarx."
Speeches ON the Way.
In West Virginia Colonel Roosevelt
spoke at Lonceverte, Hinton, Thur
mond, Montgomery, st. Adams, Charles
ton and Huntington. Crossing the line
into Kentucky. his first stop was at
Ashland
On the way to Louisville he made
short speeches at several stops. His
speeches were in the main upon good
citizenship and the right of the people
to rEle-
I'm his recent speech at Philadel-
phia," began Colonel Roosevelt, ''Presi-
dent Taft stated that he was pro-
gressiye and this raised the question as
to what a progressive is. More. is in
involved than any mans say SO as tic
himself. A well meaning man may
vaguely think of himself as progress
sive without having the faintest con-
ception of what progressive is. Wis
ION and intensity of conviction must
both go to the makeup of any man
who is to lead the forward movement
and mildly good intentions are wholly
useless as substitutes.
The essential difference, as old as
civilized history, is between the men
WHO, with the fervor and broad sympa-
thy and imagination stand for the for
ward movement, the men who stan.
for the uplift and betterment of man
kind, and who have faith in the peo-
pie, on the one hand, and on the 9TH
er, the men of narrow vision and small
sympathy, who are not stirred by the
wrongs of others, and with these men
stand those other men who distrust
the people, and some of whom at least
not merely distrust the people but wish
to keep them helpless SO as to ex-
plot them for their own benefit"
Colonel Roosevelt quoted Froude
the English writer, at length as to
1.-The two kinds of men, who appear
as leaders in times of change, and
went on with a declaration largely IN
elaboration of former utterances- as to
the lines of action advocated by "we
of today, we stand for the progressive
movement here in the United States
Merely to announce ones belief in
the rule of the people, while openly
or covertly trying to prevent such rule
from being effective he went on,
would be demagogy of peculiarly
mean type. Our professions must be
our actions. The doctrine of the rule
of the people amounts to sheer moth
ingneSS if we are forbidden to apply it, |
when the failure to do SO means the
failure to get and to do Justice
Defends His Theory.
Referring to the method he has ad-