The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-07-12
SAYS ROOSEVELT
TRAITOR TO CAUSE
La Toilette Denounces the Third
Termer for Dividing the
PrOqreSsives.

WASHINGTON, June Ex-senator
La Toilette has written the following
editorial in the current number of La
Toilette 5 Weekly;
''Until Roosevelt came into the open
as candidste for the Presidency FIVE
months ago, there was strong and
rapidly growing progressive movement
within the Republican party. II was
based upon clearly defined principles
IT stood forth as the representative of
modern political thought on fundament
al democracy. 1t has assumed national
proportions. 1t was united.
- Into this movement, when it gave
promise Of national success. Roosevelt
projected his ambition to be President
third time. He spent weeks careful.
| ~ planning spontaneous call for
himself. lie responded by announcing
that he would be respective candi.
date. His candidacy began to drag.
He and his friends were in despair.
! Then came his defeat in North Dakota.
He became desperate.
/ An enormous campaign fund was
raised. Headquarters were opened in
! New York, Washington, Chicago aud
states east and west, newspaper writ.
ers Were engaged at large prices to
boom his candidacy. Special trains
Were hired and the receptive eandi-
date started in frantic pursuit of the
nomination. In the history of Amer
lean politics there never has been in
primary campaign for Presidential
nomination an approach to the eXtrava-
giant expenditures made in his cam.
paign, Men VIGOROUSLY identified with
the steel trust and the harvester trust
became his most active supporters.
| Leading reactionaries, standpatters and
political bosses of the Hanna and Quay
sort became his closest political friends
and representatives in many states.
Wins Noisy Supporters
A number of the new recruits to
: the Republican progressive cause, men
who before 1910, with three or four
! exceptions, had been either Indifferent
or opposed to the progressive move
ment, became the noisiest supporters of
Roosevelt, the winner. 1t mattered not
to them that Roosevelt had cooperated
with Aldrich on legislation during the
entire seven years he was President
They forgot that it was only when
Roosevelt was out of office and in Afri-
ca, through the united efforts of men
who for years had been fighting special
interests that the progressive cause be-
came n national movement. That
Roosevelt was for Taft in 1910, when
Taft was denouncing all progressives as
"pirates and traitors,' that he waited
until little more than n year ago,
balancing the chances before deciding
whether to cast his lot with the progress
sives in this Presidential year, counted
for nothing with the class of progres.
sives who wanted to "win = not a
real progressive victory-iust victory
And they did win precisely that
kind of a victory. They carried over,
whelminglv the great standpat states
of Illinois and Pennsylvania. That
stamped the Roosevelt candidacy with
its true character. No real progressive
could have secured anything like such
vote in either of these two states. II
had, however, the outward seeming OF
success, the sort of success that intOXi.
cates-that catches the crowd. 1t en-
ables Roosevelt to win in two or three
really progressive states. Fortunately
! il did not enable him to secure the
nomination, which would have com
promised the progressive movement and
defeated real achievement for years.
T. R. Divided Progressive.
"Upon Theodore Roosevelt and hii
followers rest the responsibility of hav
!. ing divided the progressives in theil
r first national contest, Stimulated by AZ
overmastering desire to win, they de
nounced loyalty to conviction and prin
ciple as stubborn selfishness. In tn,
Z convention they put forward no plat
a form-no issues. They made no fgh
a against the reactionary platform adopt
|, ed. They substituted vulgar PERSONAL
! ties and the coarse epithets Of the prize
- ring for the consideration of the grea
I economic problems, and for the time be
= ing brought ridicule and contempt upol
|. a great cause.
!. ''But the progressive movement doe
!. not consist of few self constitute
leaders. 1t consists of millions o
thoughtful citizens drawn together b
a common belief in certain principles
They will permit no combination o
special interests and political expo
dieney 10 secure control Of the progrei
n sive cause, which is ultimately to r.
deem democracy and restore govern
y ment to the people.