The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-10-23
WILSON REPUD|ATES
POLITICAL BOSSES
BY Professor William E. Dodd, Uni
versity of Chicago.
(Author of Statesmen of the
OF south.")

Chicago, Oct 23.--Some people have
allowed the glittering but irrelevant
promises of the progressive convention
to influence their thinking on the poll
tical situation. This reasoning offers
the strangest contradictions.
In July, Wilson was the enemy Of
all bosses. now his election would be
the enthronement of the bosses. In
July, Wilson was the champion OF the
progressive movement and New Jer-
sey was a model commonwealth; now
Wilson is duped by the trusts and New
Jersey is the mother of trusts by Will
sons consent and approval. What has
happened in the short space OF three
months to bring this revolution in their
thinking? 1t cannot be any change in
Wilson, for the Baltimore convention
had done its worst and only a month
ago Wilson trounced James Smith, Jr.,
whose undoing a little while before
was cited by thousands of progressives
as proof of Wilson's true value to the
nation. It cannot be that Wilson has
fed to the bosoms of the bosses whose
opposition was cited in July as proof
of Wilson'S independence.
1t is Roosevelt who offers SO much
to command our approval? cannot
think so. am no enemy of Roosevelt,
but cannot see how any real demo
crat. anyone who has followed Mr..
Bryan through the wilderness" can turn
now to Roosevelt as a simon pure re-
former. Progressives say that Wilson
is surrounded by bosses and yet admit
that Roosevelt has as his choice
friends Dan Hanna, William Finn, Tim
Woodruff and George Perkins. The
difference between the positions OF the
two candidates is that Roosevelt de-
tends Perkins and his bosses 4see his
last Boston speech, while Wilson re-
pudiates and goes into primaries to de-
feat his. This our ardent third party
man refuse to see or seeing refuse to
understand. How can Roosevelt offer
liberation from men whom he defends
And why is Wilson to be condemned
as a tool of the bosses he denounces
They say to us every day that the
Wilson fight against the tariff is a
sham and cite the attitude Of certain
plunderbund senators as evidence be-
ccuse forsooth they are protectionist
bosses.
Again we are told that Joe Bailey is
to be the man who will rule the demo-
cratic party if Wilson comes to power.
Doesaot every one know that the
Bryan Wilson forces on Texas have al
ready sent Biley to the political rub
bish heap? Baileys day is done; he
has only three months morein the SEN
ate. Culberson and Burleson are the
masters in Texas and they are as gen.
uine progressives as LaFollette him
self. They are Wilson's intimate ad-
visers in this campaign. Why resur-
rect the dead of Texas to frighten
young voters in the north where the
fact of Bailey's political death may not
be known?
In Virginia there has been a long
and bitter war between the progressive
and the reactionary wings of the de
mocracy. The reactionary wing has
won its victories by an alliance with
the republican office holders brigade.
Everybody in that state knows these
facts. In 1907 Virginia progressives
went TO President Roosevelt, who was
about to go to Norfolk to make poll
tical speech, and asked him in the
name of the progressive cause and hon.
est government to denounce the bf
partisan alliance acknowledged to be
the same thing that Lorimer stood for
IN Illinois. Roosevelt replied 4 am
republican and would lose republi,
can followers were to do what you
request though | know the conditions