The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-08-21


The vice president should al
ways be selected with the possibilit,
in mind of being called upon to as
sumo the larger duties of the presi
dency. and | but give expression t.
the opinions of all those who know
you best when l say that if tha
contingency should arise in you
case the duties of that great offic'
would fall into hands fully capable
of bearing the new and increased
responsibilities.
We shall have arrayed agains
us in the coming campaign oul
ancient and hereditary enemy, lhe
democratic party. In addition, VIZ
shall be called upon to contend wit.
some former associates who have
concluded to abandon their anliable
custom Of firing upon the flag they
have been following, in order thai
they may engage in the more hon
orable, but no more effectual, occu-
patton of assaulting it from the
front and for next few months our
ears will be filled with the voice
of the malcontent, strident and
many-keyed, calling upon the peo-
pie to forsake the tried and beaten
paths of constitutional government,
along which they have walked with
sure feet for more than a century,
and enter upon a personally-con-
Quoted pilgrimage through the po-
litical land as shadowy and unsub-
stantial as desert mirage.
The advance agents of this de-
lirious excursion tarried a few days
ago to Chicago, long enough to
pool their individual grievances,
visions and vagaries in a bewil.ler-
ing farrago of impractical politi. al
nostrums, such as never before has
been collected at one titnc outside
the violent wards of inadhouse.
And thus the so-called prog c-.iye
party was born, its sole excuse for
existence being the unfolinded
claim that itS nominee for the pres
idency was defeated for like NOM
ination by stolen votes at the re-
publican convention.
| cannot of course, take the time
10 discuss this claim iii detail and
DOint ont its utter and reckless fall
sity. The overwhelming majority
of the national committee, The Gre
dentials committee and the tribunal
CT ultimate appeal the convention
itself, after the most thorough and
patient consideration, decided, and
fairly decided against this ccnten-
ton. Of the deleg-tes elected for
Mr.. Taft 238 were contested. OF
these contests 164 we're rejected as
wholly without merit. Mr.. koose-
veit's own friends OH the national
committee joining in the decision.
Mr.. Roosevelt himself, although ac-
rrescing in the fling of contests
against "a Alabama delegates, open
ly stated, after the national commit
tee had unanimously seated Il of
them, that he had only counted on
two delegates for himself, and ex-
hibited list in which p were con-
ceded to President Taft. Why
were those 22 and the remainder of
the l64 confessedly frivolous con
tests instituted?
The Washington Times, Mum
sey newspaper, and an ardent sup
porter of Mr.. Roosevelt, ingenious
ly furnished the explanation, name
ly-and I quote the exact state
nent:
For psychological effect, as a
move in practical politics, it was
necessary for the Roosevelt people
to start contests in these early Taft
selections in order that a tabula
tion of delegate strength could be
put out that would show Roosevelt
holding a good hand
Larceny for psychological ef-
feet" is something quite new in the
history of penology.
In other words, more than two
thirds of all the contests which were
instituted were known to be fraud
1lent from the beginning. Though
instituted for psychological effect
hey were apparently continued be
lore the national committee for
more practical reasons. It is diff
ficult to imagine a more indecent
attempt to dishonesty deprive duly