The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-19

easier. Presumably he has in mind
the short ballot, the initiative, tile
referendum, the recall and the recall
of judicial decisions; as he deVotes
most of his speechmaking to the ne
cessity for such laws in order that the
people may rule. All of these matters
must be decided by each state for IL
self. They are state questions pure
and simple. How could Colonel Roose-
welt, as president of the United States
help to pass these laws in any state!
@@-
ROOSEVELT AND THE BOSSES.
Colonel Roosevelt is making repeated
declarations these days that Presidenr
Taft's only chance for obtaining a re-
nomination lies with the bosses in the
Republican party. BY the bosses the
colonel undoubtedly has reference tc
the officers of the various political COM
mittees in the Republican party who
have been put in their places by such
voters of the party as have cared tc
participate actively in its management
The colonel says that these bosses
stand for what is worst in our political
life. and some of them stand for thai
alliance of corrupt politics and corrupt
business which is responsible for nine
tenths of our political corruption.
Outside of the delegates" continued
Mr.. Roosevelt in a recent speech in
Nebraska, that represent either the
INSCRIPTIONS use of patronage or else
sheer fraud, Mr.. Taft's strength would
be trivial and indeed negligible in the
present contest" And then the colonel
added: ITO profit by wrong doing is
mighty little better than actually to dc
wrong, and the administration is seek
ing to profit by this wrong doing.
With what poor grace does it come
from Theodore Roosevelt to seek the
support of the people any such
statements as these. If there is one
man in public life in this country whose
elevation to places of political promi-
hence has been brought almost wholly
by the activities of bosses that man is
the same Theodore Roosevelt who now
points the finger of scorn and odium
at such bosses. Furthermore the bosses
who were most concerned in the adj
vencemel:t CT Mr.. Roosevelt in the
political world were generally conceded
to be of that type who stood. to use
the colonel's own words, for that alli-
ance of corrupt politics and corrupt
business which is responsible for nine
tenths of our political corruption
Only once, before his present effort,
did Mr.. Roosevelt ever seek election
to an important public office without
-
he was an independent candidate fol
the office of mayor of New York city
And on that occasion he was so sound
ly trounced at the polls that he did
not appear in the political arena agair
for some time. On all other occasions,
the bosses were the ones who obtained
his nominations for office and who
managed his campaigns for elections
His rise to fame in the political arena
began with his election to the COVER
norship of New York state. The late
Tom Platt and his machine dictated
his nomination for this place absolute
ly. There was no great public demand
among the Republicans of New York
at that time for Mr.. Roosevelt to be
their standard bearer. He was probably
saries from Tom Platt sounded him
on his willingness to become the Re-
publican gubernatorial candidate. He
was picked out by Platt not because
there was a demand for him from the
Republican voters, but because the
Republican party in New York state
was in sore straits then, and it was
thought that Mr.. Roosevelt might
turn the tide that had set in agains
the party solely on his record as a
fighting man which he had just made
in the Spanish-American war. He was
then something of a popular idol but
in no sense a political one in Nev
York state. And it was that war rec
ord that undoubtedly elected him
the office and by the smallest majority
shat had ever been received by a guberna-
toriaI candidate in the Empire state.
His entire campaign for that office
was waged on his theatrical perform
ances in the Spanish-American war. On
over the entire state were Rough Rid
ers in uniform who surrounded Col.
Roosevelt on the rear platform every
time he made a speech. A Rough Rider
trumpeter was along and he footed
his bugle as the train pulled into =
station and as it departed. Roose-
Y elt's election to the governorship of
New York was in no sense a political
victory. 1t was one of those rewards
that a people frequently give to a hero
of a war.