The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-09
IT IS DANGEROUS.
Continued from Page one.l

kCDnI1luGd from rage OHe.g
pany as it was they could control the
purchase of crude oil and they keF
crude oil down. I know what l am
talking about because I had to ap-
prove contracts down in the Indian
Territory with respect to oil. The price
went down suppressed by the Standard
Oil, so that we did not know what to
do with those Indian lands. Now pc
cause competition has come about:
crude. oil has gone up and the price OF
oil generally has gone UP.
The Tobacco Business.
Then about the tobacco business
they say that decree is a sham. Wen
what is the effect of it? Don't you
remember out in Kentucky they had
night riders and they tore up tobacc
plants. They killed people and they
drove them off of their farms in order
to reduce the supply of hurley tobacco
because they could not get any price
for it. and that was because the TO-
bacco trust went in there and bought
what they wanted and paid the price
they wanted. Now, what is the result
of the tobacco decree? Why hurley
tobacco has gone up under the compe-
titionS that have come in there
Answering the Roosevelt charge OF
Taft alliance with bosses, the president
criticised his predecessor for attempt
ing to inject into national campaign
state and with which a president has
no direct concern.
Mr.. Roosevelt said 1 was not only
in favor of an ariStOcracy or an
oligarclly but he said that I was IN
favor of an oligarchy of bosses, that
approved that kind of government
and that made the issue the people
against the bosses and all the bosses
were for me and they were all oppos-
ed to him, and that is what he says
today asserted Mr.. Taft.
THAT is the issue. If he is. elected
there won't be boss In the country
and if he is not. they will just own
me at Washington and run the govern
ment. Well, 1 am not in favor of the
machine politics.
These are abuses of our government
We have to have organization. We can
not very well get along without those
but L am just as much opposed 60
BOSSES in the sense that Mr.. Roosevelt
W ishes you to understand that term
as he is.
The Boss Business.
Now there must be a good deal Oh
vagueness and misunderstanding about
this business of bosses. The president
has very little to do with the establish
ment of a boss or his disenthronement
He takes at Washington the congress-
men and senators that are sent there By
the people and it is the people who
are 10 QlSonCnrOn6 IHS DOSS, the pACSoA-
dent has no power to refuse to recog-
nize them when they come with the
mandate of the people.
Il am not criticising but would like
to know how many bodies of dead
bosses We're strewn along the path of
Theodore Roosevelt when he was seven
years president. 1 don't. criticise him
for that. 1t was not within his function
to go about with a sword cutting off the
heads of dragons like that. What ne
did, and what he has defended himself
time and time again for doing was to
use those men to get good legislation
and good governm emit if he could. I
have not done any differently in that
respect, and 1 don't promise you if I
am elected that all the bosses will die
II have recommended something that
will assist in ending tn abuse of that
system, but I have not heard any ap-
prevail from anybody that was so loud
that I could hear it. That is have re-
commended that all these offices which
are now treated as political offices be
put in the classified civil service and
that the congressman and the president
be relieved from these appointments. |
I have done that with three congress-
men but L have not heard any Mace |
DOMAIN call either from M Roosevelt
or anybody else about the passage of
that BILL
In discussing the recall Mr.. Taft ap-
pealed to the negro voters to think over
what might becomL of them if the re-
call of decisions become permissible.
Every constitutional guaranty pro-