Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-07-04
GOES FoR THE COLONEL.
La Toilette Writes History Of the
Roosevelt Campaign.

Washington, June 29.-Senator
ILaFollette has written the following
editorial in the current number of
La Follette's Weekly:
Until Roosevelt came into the
open as a candidate for the presi-
dency five months ago. there was a
strong and rapidly growing progress
sive movement within the Republican
party. 1t was based upon clearly de-
fined principles. 1t stood forth as
the representative Of modern politi-
cal thought on fundamental demo-
cracy. 1t had assumed national pro-
portions. 1t was united.
Unto this movement, when 1t gave
promise of national success, Roose-
welt projected his ambition to be
president a third time. He spent
weeks carefully planning a 'spon-
taneous CALI for himself. He re-
sponded by announcing that he would
be receptive candidate. His can
didacy began to drag. He and his
friends were In despair. Then came
his defeat in North Dakota. He
became desperate.
Enormous Campaign Fund.
IAN enormous campaign fund was
raised. Headquarters we're opened in
New York, Washington, Chicago and
states east and west. Newspaper
writer's were engaged at large prices
to boom his candidacy. Special trains
were hired and the receptive can
didate' started in frantic pursuit of
the nomination. In the history of
American politics there never has
been in a primary campaign for presi-
Dental nomination an approach to
the extravagant expenditures made in
his campaign. Men VIGOROUSLY iden-
titled with the steel trust and har-
vester trust became his most active
supporters Leading reactionaries,
standpatters and political bosses OF
the Hanna and Quay sort became his
closest political friends and repres-
entatives in many states.
! "a number of the newer recruits
to the Republican progressive cause,
men, who before 1909, with three or
Il four exceptions, had either been in
different or opposed to the progress
sive movement, became the nolsest
supporters of Roosevelt, the WIZ
ner.' 1t mattered not to them that
Roosevelt had cooperated with AID
rich on legislation during the entire
seven years he was president. They
forgot that it was only when Roose-
welt was out of office and in Africa
through the united efforts of men
who for years had been fighting spec
lial interests that the progressive
cause became a national movement.
That Roosevelt was for Taft in 1910
when Taft was denouncing all pro-
gressives as pirates and traitors that
he waited until little more than
year ago, balancing the chances be-
fore deciding whether to cast in his
lot with the progressives In this
presidential year, counted for moth
ing with the class of progressives who
wanted to 'wan'-not a real pro-
gressive victory-just victory.
And They Won.
"And they did win precisely that
kind of a victory. They carried
overwhelmingly the great standpat
states of Illinois and Pennsylvania.
That stamped the Roosevelt candi-
dacy with it's true character. No
real progressive could have secured
anything like such a vote in either
of those two states. It had, how
ever, the outward seeming OF sue
cess, the sort Of success that intoxi-
cates-that catches the crowd. 1t
enabled Roosevelt to win in two or
three really progressive states. For
tunately, it did not enable him to
secure the nomination which would
have compromised the progressive
movement and defeated real achieve
ment for years.
Upon Theodore Roosevelt and his
followers rests the responsibility OF
having divided the progressives In
their first national contest.
stimulated by an overmastering