The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-06-04
T.R. OPENS FIGHT
AGAINST ROOT

ingly repudiated them
This telegram Of MIR. Barnes shows
that the plan announced in the press
10 true. and that the leader and real head
Of Mr.. Taft's canvass at Chicago is TO be
Mr.. Barnes. whom Mr.. Taft and his man
ayers have chosen to represent aud EN-.
body the principles for which MIR Taft
stands choice which casts an illumi.
mating light on Mr.. Taft's relations both
to the bosses in politics and ito special
interests in the business world. In the
next place. it makes it perfectly clear
that MIR Root il pushed for nomination
only with the purpose to secure the de.
feat Of the principles for which the pro.
gressive Republicans stand. the principles
for which the people have dec lsred them
selves by Overwhelming maiorities in
those States where there have been popu-
lar primaries Mr.. Roots personality
becomes unimportant in view of Mr..
Barnes's telegram. Mr.. Barnes stands
as the representative of the very worst
form of bossism in politics.
NO progressive delegates can afford
to vote for anv man proposed by Mr..
Barnes and his allies. for any such vote
is against popular rule and against the
basic principle not merely Of the Repub-
lican party but Of decent American citizen.
ship,
This is no. a faction fight in the ranks
Of the Republican party. i is a fight!
file Of the Republican party. making up
the immense majority Of that party. on
the one side and on the other the bosses
with back Of them the great sinister spe-
cial interests which are endea avoring to
sustain the cause of privilege by perpetu-
ating the eombina tion between crooked
politics and crooked business.
There have been direct Presidential
preferent ial primaries so far in the States
Of Illinois. Pennsylvania. Massa Chusetts.
Ohio. New Jersey. North Dakota. Mary
land, California. Oregon and Nebraska.
In those States the popular vote against
MIR. Taft has been between two and three
to one. and often over that. and he has
secured only thirty eight delegates out
OF total Of 3H In certain other States.
Minnesota. Missouri. Kansas. Maine. New
Hampshire Oklahoma. North Carolina
West Virginia, Washington and vermont :,
rect Presidential primaries still give a
rough approximation Of the actual conti
nent Of the States. In these States I
secured l54 delegates and Mr.. Taft secured
seventeen with three uninstructed In those
cases where the Republican voters have
had fair chance to express their con-
viction they have repudiated Mr.. Taft
so completely that he has been able to
obtain less than one e-eighth of the dele
gates. his popular vote being hut one in
three or four and in some cases only one
in nine or ten.
The great ma ioritv Of the Republican
party have uneGuivocaliy repudiated
MIR Taft II the wishes of the Republican
voters could be given fair expression Mr.
Taft would have but a corporals guard
in the convention. Under these circum-
stances it is fitting and appropriate that
Mr.. Barnes should be chosen to lead the
Taft forces at Chicago in the effort to
override the expressed wish Of the rank
and file Of the party and tn give the nomi-
nation to the candidate whom the party
has explicitly and beyond all question
repHdated.
quoted states that the doctrines which
form Of government. The doctrines
that ! have advocated are: first. the light
of the people TO rule. and second. their
duty sn to rule as to bring about not merely
political but also social and industrial
justice. These doctrines are subrersive
only Of the form OF government for which
Mr.. Barnes stands-that Is OF govern =
ment by the bosses for the special inter
ests. Mr.. Barnes has always been frank
He thoroughly distrusts tho people and
says so. He disbe lieves in democracy
In his preaching and IN his prac'ic. hs
embodies boss rul" in its most offensive
form. The kind Of representative gov
ernment he believes in is that in which
the representatives shall represent not
the people hut Mr.. Barnes and the ot her
bosses
Mfr Taft's nomination AZ Chicago
can only he brought about hy nullifying
the will of the people and by fraudulent "
"a Si,fyniapf k,or r,,fh hyu a
and boss controlled delegates in the place
OF those who have been legally elected
by the people themselves Among all
the bosses of the United States. among
all the men who represent the comhina- :
tion Of privilege in business and privilege
man more eminently tit than Mr., Barnes
to be entrusted Nth the carrying out Of
such a programme
The programme cannot possibly suo-
coed il the convention il left to itself.
Our opponents have shown that they will
stop at nothing in the effort TO suhvert
the will of the people duly and delil,er-
ately expessed From these Southern
States. where there is no real Republican
party. they have sent delegations secured
by the most unblushing use of the Federal
patronage. In States like New York
where the machine has deliberately
declined to permit the people to partici-
pate in the nomination Of candidates
Taft delegates have also been sent
Wherever it has been possible 10 choose
Taft dslegat o. in defiance of the popular
will this has been done Such an instance
is afforded by Ohio. In Ohio at the re-
cent primaries the ma ajority against Mr.
Taft's nomination was 10000. High.
minded and honorable men would under
such circumstances refuse to accept
delegates who would perforce represent
not the majority but the reputation OF
the majority. Yet at this moment the
Taft mana ers in Ohio are straining every
nerve and using every means to upset the
peoples verdict and give the delegates a,
arge Of Ohio to the man whom the people
Of Ohio by an overwhelming majority
have declared ought not to have them.
But in spite Of all these efforts the con
vention il left to itself viii be heavily
against Mr.. Taft. His whole chance OF
winning depends not upon the vote Of the
national convention. but upon his hopes
and plans for securing improp action
by the natl nal C mmittee. The national
committee consists of men chosen four
years ago. In theory their functions are
merely to decide honestly and fairly cleo.
tion cases affecting the prima facie rights s
Of delegates to seats and to roffer for
l