The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-06-11
ROOSEVELT TAlKS0F
BRAzEN, VULGAR FRAUD
Nomination by National Com
mittee a Farce. He
Declares.
WORSE THAN TWEED DAYS
No Man Who Approves Can
Hereafter Say lie Believes
in Political Honesty.
WORSE THAN TWEED DAYS

! Col. Roosevelt declares editorially in
the current iss,ie OF the Outlook that
in many cases the Taft delegates TO the
Republican national convention repre-
sent absolutely nothing but fraud as
vulgar, as brazen and "a cynically open
as any ever committed by the Tweed
regime in New York forty odd years
! ago" and says that "the man who stands
for the pract ices by which Messrs. Barnes,
Mex inley. Penrose and their allies now
seek o nominate Mr.. Taft will make him
self an object of derision If he hereafter
! states that he believes in honesty in poll
tics or breaches high standard OF public
morality"
These statements follow II discussion
Of the makeup OF the Republican national
committee and an arraignmcnt OF the
methods by which he alleges delegates
subsequently seated by this committee
we're chasen. these factors in the contest
Tor the Presidential nomination. he says.
have narrowed il down to a naked issue
of right and wrong; for the issue is simply
whether or not we shall permit II system
of naked fraud, OF naked theft from the
people. to triumph" Of the national
, committee he saye.
! Properly speak ing the national COM
! mittec's only function il honestly TO nudge
what delegates have prima face the CAT
to II seat aud to suggest the name oi u
! temporary chairman who shall cal the
| convention t. order Practically tho at
temrt j.. being made b. the TAFT managers
| TO Use the present mai ional committee Tor
the pu-uo.. OF un-eating honestly elected
delegates and OF seating enough iraud'lleh'ly
plc tod dalagptps especially from states
| where there is no real Republican party. to
sccur" the no'Dlre'iou Tor Mr.. lGit. Snch
,nomin,t,on vogld morallT stand on precisely
the SAM" plane as anv election secured
IN Nev- Nor'; state in ia" old Tweed days
Ny 'radul,nt voting Al the polls.
The 'rcu.h"rs of the NAT ional committee
wee chosen ;opr years ago. They we're
no, chosen w., ropuiar vote. they were
chosen ly he delegates To the last Repnb-
lican Hit "ual convention. Practically
mono a til" delegates were themselves
chosen hy popular rrimaries. these men
represent tn" choice oi the politicians or
tour vear> ago In som" cases these poli-
ticlHu- ,"rs good and wise men. honestly
endcavOrin to represent the people. AND
the national committeeman thus chosen
w"ro ,."n or IL" highest character and
',iauG.u.. ' hp have acted accOrdn1ly
lu uti,' o.-r- tina pol .ti' .auS dtd no oct
iioru .o,' u.ntINe-. aud certain national
.ripnitt"Srl"n represent hos>ism and siecal
'riv. I":" ,u treir most "dous 'orris. In
mas" .d-"- the national coirluitt""WAr.
chosen ,nd"r IN" old system. stands for
'l,. ola alliance u' hosSi-m and privilege
atthou.a the ~'a'e Witch he is supposed
20 rr,,r. -en' has this very spring under
b." dl-.r, ~ mar, by vote oi III" people
declared IN tho most emphatic terms against
a"-.'.m aud vrivileg"
Moreover. of III" thiry-bine 'renlers oi
tho IA ,ional committee who followed the
head "i the rait manager in the vote on pub
li'y a, th. first meeting in Chicago. fifteen
hav" been defeated and repndiated IN their
S,utc-. ionr represent Territories. insular
possessions having no vote. and ten are
from Sou'harn states that have given no
electoral vote for tho Republican party.
These twcn'y-nine. constituting two more
than maicri,y of the committee. will be
without political standing after this week
and have no popular vote behind them
Yet in a recen, speech in New Jersey Mr.
TAFT stated that he believed he would te
nominated because he believed that the
national committee would support him
Npparcn,iy Mr. Tart Nas not aware OF the
full significance Of his words He is himself
being used by men who know thoroughly
what the : want and what they mean. who
had doubtless told Mr Taft thar the national
committee wonld he for him. hut with no
idea that he would repeat the statement in
public. The real meaning of such a state
ment is that an appeal from the people lics
to this body OF nifty men chosen not by the
people but by the politicians four years ago
have made my appeal TO the people of the
states where there is real Republican party
MIR. Taft. unwsrily stating the real truth of
his canvass. announces that he puts his
trust not in the people but in body Of nifty
men chosen four years ago. over whom the
rank and file of the Republican party to-day
have no power whatever. and who. as a
matter of fact. have been in case afjcr case
by overwhelming majorit,es Iepudiated by
the Republican party at the primaries Just
held.
Reviewing III" primary contests Col :,
Roosevelt says that in the eleven States
whore direct primary laws we're in force
the ma jority against Mr.. Taft was nearly
500. 900 out of nearly 2.4OO ,OOo votes cast.
Eight ont of nine other States in which
primaries were held under conditions
that permitted rough approximation
of popular preference. Col. Roosevelt
says. gave ma jorities against the Presi-
dent. OF the other Stetes he says:
The other States in the North which sent
Taft delegations we're States in which the
Republican voters had no chance TO vote
or where as in Michigan and Indiana,
they we're deliberately cheated by the Taft
supporters out Of their right to vote. In
Ohio very fiagrant action was taken, which
while it may not technically come under
the head of cheating, represented such
outrageous defiance OF the popular will
as to call for the condemnation OF every
honorable man. The State went by over
30 900 mo jority against Mr.. Taft at the
primaries. but The Taft managers had re-
fused to permit q vote TO be taken at the
prima ries for the delegates at large. and
in the state convention by adroit political
trickery they sent six Taft delegates to
vote AT Chicago for the man whom his own
State had inst repudiated by 30 900 ma iority
] fail myself to see how an honorable
man can profit by or take part in such a
piece of trickeryas this Ohio State convention
victory" In the same way ] fail to see
how an honorable man can profit By or con-
nive at or approve of the farcical New York
county primaries. where the Taft organ
ization removed 700 inspectors of elections
beca use they were suspected of being Roose-
welt men and left the polls in absolute con
troll of the Taft men. an act which should
| L., L.~l III