The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-19

without my knowledge and if 1t had
been brought to my attention and
had any power in the matter would
have interfered with it,
In the second article the colonel al
ludes to ''the respectable men who
with discomfort stood behind their
leaders in securing the triumph of
fraud and political theft at Chicago. ;"
and scores the ''other respectable men
who felt no discomfort in thus sup
porting rascality; who, on the contrary
glorified in their actions
Some of the men responsible for
tion," said Colonel Roosevelt in his
first editorial, had sought to excuse
themselves by saying that they were
only doing what had. always been
done. and specifically what was done
for me at the time of my nomination
and what was done for Mr.. Taft him
self four years ago. AS regards my
self, the statement has not even the
I vas nominated for vice president
against the wish of the most powerful
politicians who then had control of the
Republican party, and purely because
be denied. In 1904 the national COM
mittee contained a majority of the
men who were hostile to me and as
in 1900, the leading politicians of the
party would have liked to have upset
me.
Never Used Patronage.
''I never used the patronage, not to
the extent of a single appointment to
secure my nomination.; 1 never ap-
pealed to a single politician; 1 never
sought or used the aid of the machine;
1 made my appeal direct to the people
over the heads of the politicians; and
stood squarely on my record; and L
received the nomination solely because
the people believed in me and APP
proved of my record, and were 50
Overwhelmingly for me that the ma
chine politician abandoned all thought
of a contest against me before the con-
vention met"
Colonel Roosevelt goes into details
as to how, he says, steam roller meth
Mr.. Taft at the recent convention. He
reviews the history of the primary
campaign in the various states ana
contrasts his action in waving technl-
calities in the Massachusetts, primary
as against the action taken by the Taet
managers on the delegates at large IN
put Senator Burton and his fellow
politicians bv adroit manipulation equally
discreditable to them and to Mr.. Tart
hiInself'' the article goes on, persuaded
land to violate the expressed and over
whelming will of the people and to vote
for Mr. Taft It seems incredible that
after this action Mr.. Taft should still
have made no sign as to the Mas5a-
chusetts delegates-at-large. But such is
the fact He was not ashamed to ACCEPT
elected for me by 5000 majority, but given
to him because he had received about 400
preference majority and yet at the same
time to insist that his representatives, by
trickery and sharp practice secured for
him six notwithstanding from Ohio
which in the primaries had gone 4l'eoo
against him. Of course. If was right in
the attitude I took about the eight dele
gates-at-large which Mr. Tafts heuten-
ants so greefiily accepted-that is. If the
preference of the voters was to be held
morally binding-then it was also Tnoraliy
binding on Mr.. Taft not to take the four
district delegates from Massachusetts
where the preference had been expressed
for me and not to urge his subordinates
to steal from the peonle of Ohio the SIX
observation-disclosures which by a. 900 majority
they had declared should be mine
Makes a Comparison.
In contrasting the two conventions.
Colonel Roosevelt writes:
There was one essential and instructive
difference between the attitude of the big
Republican political bosses at Chicago AID
the big Democratic bosses at Baltimore.