The Sauk Centre herald., 1912-05-09
TAFT MEN OUT
FOR ROOSEVELT
Leaders in Two States Explain
Changed Attitude.

Tidal Wave That Is Sweeping the
Candidacy Of the Colonel to Sue
cess Is Daily Growing In Volume
Strong Declarations for 1T. r"
Washington. April 27.-Many sup
porters of Mr.. Taft have within the
last few days changed their allegiance
and henceforth will support Colonel
Roosevelt. Leaders in two states.
Kansas and New York. have declared
themselves for Colonel Roosevelt. and
from several of the southern states
letters have been received telling OF
defections from the Taft forces.
The tidal wave that Is sweeping
the candidacy of Colonel Roosevelt to
success Is daily growing in volume.
and no better exemplification Of the
sentiment felt by political leaders
throughout the country Is to be had
than the statements in two letters re-
ceived by Roosevelt leaders. One II
from former Congressman Charles b.
Law Of Brooklyn. N. T.. now sheriff OF
Kings county, and the other from J.
M. Simpson. former United States In
ternal revenue collector. chairman OF
the Kansas Republican state central
committee, and for years Q wheel
horse of the Republican organization
in that state. Both of these men. up
to a short time ago. were supporting
Mr.. Taft.
Former Congressman Law writes az
follows:
President Taft's pleasing personal
ity and his undoubted honesty Of mind
and purity of character very naturally
predisposed In his favor those Of US
who knew him personally and who be-
lieved generally in the policy Of re-
nominating president who had &C
,ceptably served one term. But as the
contest between the president and
Colonel Roosevelt has progressed, 1t
has become painfully apparent that
there is good ground for the charge
made by Colonel Roosevelt that the
president does not trust the people
and is unwilling to leave his candidacy
in their hands. Instead Of directing
his appeal to the people and trusting
them to find a way to accomplish
their will, he has obviously been
sceptical either of the good will Of
the people or Of their ability to have
their way, and has deliberately chosen
to rely upon the political machines
headed and controlled by men of the
type of Penrose and Lorimer. to grind
out delegates to the national conven-
tion.
1.-THE logic of the situation is as
clear as it is disagreeable to those
who personally admire the president.
If nominated, he will owe the debt OF
his obligation to those upon whom he
relied for his delegates. and the in
terests they represent. Personally
obnoxious as this obligation may be
to the president. it will be real and
he cannot escape it's influence.
Colonel Roosevelt. with character
istic courage, has gone over the heads
of the big machine bosses and has
made his appeal direct to the people
themselves, to whom alone he will be
under obligation If nominated and
elected. With what effect this appeal
has been made can be seen in Illinois
and Pennsylvania. where it became an
issue whether the machine was to
have it's way or whether the people
were to have their way. There never
can be but one result to such con-
test where fair and reasonable oppor-
tunity for the expression of the popu-
lar will is afforded This remarkable
situation has developed to such an
extent that even the friends Of Presi-
dent Taft must In fairness admit that
the nomination of Colonel Roosevelt
would be the greatest demonstration
of the reality Of popular rule this
country has yet seen. Unfortunately
there are some good men who either
fear or do not believe. In genuine
popular rule"
Mr.. Simpson in his letter says 1t
would be suicide for the party to NOM
mate man Of the weakness of Mr..
Taft. His letter in full is as follows:
"The success OF the Republican
party at the polls next November il
30 far reaching and means so much
to the American people that no mans
ambition and no mans personal in
terests should for a moment be con-
cidered when the party's success is in
danger.
Wherever by direct popular pri-
mary public sentiment has been un-
covered, north. south, east or west, the
weakness of President Taft has been
undisputed.
President Taft lost the confidence
of the American farmer when he
made common cause with the Demo
Gratis and used all the power Of his
administration to force through con-
gress the so-called Canadian reciproci-
ty agreement, which would have cost
the producers Of this country millions
of dollars annually. had it been rati-
fed by Canada
It Is pitiful. Moreover, 1t is suicide
for the party to go into the November
elections with a man of this weakness
at its head.
81 doubt II there is another Amer
lean living who stands so high in the
esteem of his countrymen as Theo-
dore Roosevelt.
II most earnestly hope that all for
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