The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1912-02-19
THE CHICAGO CONFERENCE

desperately TO convince the people that
the main question is the tariff. But
the people have learned better
They know that the real grapple is
between the people who are trying 20
force Roosevelt into accepting the
nomination to lead them, and "tlle
interests with all their monstrous
power Of money, behind which is IN
trenched the bulky form OF president
TAFT.
The fight is between TAFT and the
interests" and Roosevelt leading the
people.
The great meeting of the represent
atiyes Of twenty -eight states Is the
warning to the Interests" that the
country Is aroused as never before,
and that the people are ready to take
back all power into their own han1s.
Roosevelt is the one man to help
them do it.
The people are organized now to Sc
cure his nomination. Then their main
work is done.
He will elect himself
The Demand for Roosevelt.
Baltimore SUM with eight republi-
can governors dozen senators and
score of representatives in open revolt,
Mr.. Taft realizes that he has a hard
i fight before him. AS long as LaFollette
was his only opponent he might laugh
at the insurgents, but when Rooseveit
| appears the situation is changed. the
Roosevelt sentiment" developed quick
/ ly into Roosevelt movement, when
is now turned into the Roosevelt cam
paign. LaFollette is hastily thrust into
| the background. He was merely
4 fighting for principles" and was not
out to win. Insurgents, like other re-
publicans, demand above all things else
a man who can win. In the pronun-
4 ciamento issued at Chicago the insurg-
ent governors say:
ga principle is of no avail without
a man; cause is lost without a
leader. In Theodore Roosevelt we be-
lieve the principle has the man; the
lcause the leader. 1t is our opinion that
this is the sentiment of the people in
the states we represent"
They brush aside the idea that he
will not run again with the remark
that 'Tt is nothing to us that Theo-
dore Roosevelt is not a candidate for
the republican nomination They pro-
pose to make him run; to give him
nomination he "dare not refuse" No
word has come direct from Roosevelt,
He has not announced his candidacy
But Governor Stubbs, of Kansas, points
out that Colonel Roosevelt has never
said to me or to any living human be-
ing, to my knowledge, that he would
refuse the nomination"
1t is not probable the insurgents
would cast aside ali other candidates
and rush to Roosevelt il they had not
received practical assurance that ne
would be candidate If a general de-
mand for him developed. The work
of the Rooseveltians now is to develop
n that demand.
1t has been accepted as political
axiom that any republican president
can renominate himself" Strong as
sentiment may be against him, he can
line up the delegates from the southern
states; through the army of office
seekers who owe their positions to him
and the support he viii receive from
various interests, he can, as a rule,
easily secure a majority of the dele
gates A two-thirds vote is required
to nominate the democratic candidate
for president, but the republican re-
quires only a bare majority. In 1892
there was intense opposition to the re-,
nomination of Harrison. Republicans
generally favored Blaine and believed
The would sweep the country. Harrison
was renominated, but defeated.
Sagacious republican leaders do not
wish to repeat the blunder of 1892.
lThey remember a lesson they have
once learned. The Roosevelt poll
cies," the Roosevelt principles, are not
such potent arguments as the Roose-
welt popularity. This is the argument
that affects regulars who have no uSe
for Roosevelt personally, as we'll as i'm
surgents who idolize him. The office
holders jobs depend on his party be-
ing retained in power. When he sees
such straws as The Kansas City Stars
poll showing 74.7o2 for Roosevelt and
only $3.50 for Taft, he watches the way
the wind blows. The prospect of defeat
is severe strain upon the loyalty of
government official. 1t is to his inter-
est to find out on which side his bread
will be buttered
The one thing that can defeat Taft
is the conviction among republican
politicians that he cannot be elected.
If Roosevelt is nominated it will be
because they believe he offers the re-
publicans the only chance they have to
win. The insurgents set forth the real
reason for the Roosevelt movement In
this paragraph:
"All are agreed Theodore Roosevelt
1 is the one man who can, at this time,
unite all elements of the party and
attract a tremendous numhes Of in
, dependent voters"