The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-06-19

ceived 435 delegates dncluding those
which the national committee has
stolen) as against 243 for Mr.. Taft
the 36 for Mr. I4aFollette and the IL
for Mr.. Cummins.
To put it in another way, l square.
| ly carried twenty-one of the old re-
publican states, and these states cast
263 votes in the electoral college
within three of a majority of the to-
tai electoral vote. Mr. Taft carried
enough states Iwhere there were nc
primaries) to give him 50 electoral
votes: Mr. LaFollette carried two
states, with eighteen electoral votes;
Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Cummins divided
one state with thirteen votes.
Taft Beaten Two to One
There remain states which although
democratic at the last election con-
tain a genuine republican party, states
| like North Carolina and Oklahoma,
where there were primaries and
where / carried every delegate except
three. 1t thus appears that in the re-
publican states Mr.. Taft was beaten
two to one, and that in the republic
can states which held primaries where
the people could express their desires
he was beaten by over seven to one.
/ call your attention to one significant
feature in the attitude of the Taft
papers in chronicling Mr. Taft's vic
tories and defeats. Whenever their
headlines announced a defeat for Mr..
Taft it meant that there had been a
vote by the people themselves in a
primary state. when ever during the
last ten days they have announced a
victory for Mr.. Taft It has meant that
Mr.. Taft's representatives in the ma
tionaI committee have thrown out
delegates elected by the people at
large to represent them. My victories
have been won before the people and
BY the people. Mr.. Tafts have been
won by the bosses and by the repre-
sentatives Of special privilege, by the
national committee and by boss-con-
trolled conventions of machine poll
ticians. l carried Washington at the
polls; he carries 1t before the national
committee. He never has had, ana
has not now, a chance with the peo-
pie: and / have just as little chance
wherever the crooked type OF politi-
clan has power If / am nominated
IL will be because whenever they nave
had a chance. the verdict of the peo-
pie, expressed in millions of votes has
been over two to one in my favor.
n Mr.. Taft were nominated 1t would
mean the ruin of the republican par
ty: for the roll call of his delegates
as prepared by the national committees
consists, first of delegates from states
that never cast republican electoral
vote. second, of boss controlled DEL
egates from states where the repup-
lican voters were not allowed 10 ex-
press their preference, third. OF dele.
"a ties stolen from me. and fourth, and
ieast IN inheritance, of the delegates
given him by the people-the last who
are the only delegates to whom ne
has any claim in right or morals. rep
resenting the interruptions use OF
patronage in the South, thet unscrup-
ulous tactics of unprincipled machine
politicians, int the North, and the max
ed thefts III the national conllnittee.
Taft's Theory pfl Government
Let me give you two striking Illus
esiJtJernT1e rtt sof the people BY ia rep
resentative patY of the people actu-
ally turns out to be in practice. In
Ohio. a primary was held for the dis
trict delega ties; but the Taft manag-
ers who had control of the state CEN
trail committee refused our request
that there should also be a primary
vote for the delegates at large. Al
this primary I beat Mr., Tart py a.
900 in a vote which was apout elght.
per cent of that polled at the last
election for governor. 1t was an
overwhelming Reputation OF MI. TAI,
| bv the plain people; by the rank and
| file of the republican party of Ohio
Rut this did not affect the state con-
vention. Mr.. Taft was not above
sending an appeal to his leaders ir
the state convention begging them &c
give him the vote anyhow IN spite OF
the way in which he had been repu-
dated at the polls. In that conVen,
ton the county in which the city OF
cleveland stands had some so dele,
gates. That county had gone agalns,
Mr. Taft about three to one; ne nao
even run behind Mr.. LaFollette. HIS
repudiation by the people of the coun'
| tv had been so complete that 1t IS &C
me literally ncomprehensible no"
any man with any pretensions 10 non
orable feeling could fall to accept the
verdict. But Mr.. Tafts Heutenants
haaded nv senator Burton. undertook
to steal from the people their r1gh
to deliver what verdict they chose.
Burglary as Reputable
| Their task was no more reputable
than any form of burglary, aud was
far more damaging to the community
than burglary. They were successful
They succeeded In getting from tne
citv of Cleveland which had repudlat'
ed Mr.. Taft three to one at the polls
delegation of politicians whicn wd'
fen to One in his favor. This dele
cation turned the scale at the state
conyention and earned Mr.. Tafts eff
fusive gratitude by stealing for him
from the people OF Ohio the six del
egates at large. He was not entitled
to these delegates. The people OF
Ohio who We're defrauded in his In
terest were entitled to them. The
people We're cheated out of theil
rights because they were mIsrepre
scented by the convention. Mr.. Tai
asked the Ohio state convention tC
misrepresent the people and 1t die
misrepresent the people. Mr.. TAT
need never again explain what hi
means by government of the people
by a Representative part of the peo
pie. He has shown in actual prac
tice that he means government of the
people by politicians. who shall mis-
represent them in the selfish interes
of someone else.
My second example is the nationa
COMMITTEE itself. The recent actor
of the national committee illustrates
well what has happened in our coun
try in the twisting of nominal repre-
sentative government away from it
original purpose until it becomes
thoroughly unrepresentative and mis-