The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-03-08

ed for the democratic presidential
nomination do not believe that any
candidate who conducts or eounten-
ances such a war should be nominated.
can be nominated or will be nominat-
ed. 1t is but preparing a harvest of
whirlwinds for our own reaping.
The most comic charge yet full
minated against Governor Wilson in
respect TO the Oklahoma contest is the
following
The Wilson fight there has been
costly desperate and splendid 1t was
good politics for him to make such
a fight for the spectacle of a candi-
date from northern states leading
off by carrying one in the far south
west would impress the country. Re-
alizing this the Wilson managers have
poured money into the state for paid
organizers and newspaper publicity.
The amount is estimated at from $4O,-
000 to 100000.
This reveals an imagination much
more active than accurate. | deliver
ed one advertised speech in the state
The Wilson statewide club raised $3.50
and collection was taken up at the
Wilson caucus during the convention
to pay a deficit of 5000. Several col
umns of plate matter were used during
this contest. The other expenditures
were incurred by myself and consisted
of printing, planographing and pos
tage The total was mere trifle--
merely dust in the balances, as com
pared with the golden guess above
submitted | did not suppose that any
democratic candidate would expend
$4,000 in all the forty-eight states
combined. Wilson'S books are open.
trust that their books are open. The
author of that estimate over-estimates
the difficulties of carrying an enlight-
ened state like Oklahoma for such a
candidate as Governor Wilson. More
over, he over-estimates the witehery
of gold in my state and under-esti-
mates the integrity and patriotism of
the Oklahoma electorate. do not
know how $4,000 could be expended
to advantage in Oklahoma. The
choice of our people for the presi-
dency is not for sale. 1t is not bought
and sold in the market place 1t is
not auctioned off to the highest or the
worst bidder ! must repeal the inti-
nation The candidate whose repre-
sentative would suggest that the hon.
est democracy of Oklahoma had been
controlled by corrupt or corrupting
money is not entitled to the suffrage of
our citizenship.
The sentiment in behalf of Wilson
in Oklahoma was in great measure
spontaneous. 1t was the instinct of
the masses for the leader that can
lead, for the man of the hour for the
men of destiny. It was due in part to
the faculty which Governor Wilson has
of appealing to the popular heart and
imagination, that faculty which will
enable him under existing circum
stances to defeat any republican who
possesses like faculty and overwhelm
any republican who does not possess
it. 1t was the intelligent faith that
Governor Wilson embodies the spirit
of real and rational progress, that he is
neither reactionary upon the one hand
nor revolutionary upon the other, that
he personifies that spirit of progress
which has characterized the race and
which must characterize the race until
ultimate decay begins. The people of
Oklahoma favor the nomination of a
democrat who is both worthy to win
and able to win They believe that
Wilson will win, that Wilson bears the
double charm of ability and available
ity. These were the words, we con-
jured with This and This only is
the witchcraft ! have used" ] may
add that the people of Oklahoma were
not unaffected by the fact that west
ern man is running against Wilson in
the west, southern man running
against him in the south and a north
ern man running against him in the
north. They were unwilling to sup
pose or suspect a triple alliance but
they know that if anything should
happen hereafter which savored of
such an alliance it would tend rather
to hinder than to insure united de-
mocracy and to dim rather than to
brighten the prospects of splendid
democratic triumph in November
next"