The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-07
PINCHOT MAKES
POLITICAL STATEMENT
Says Withdrawal of Lafollette Has
Weakened the Cause He
Stood For.

United Press Leased Wire Serv1ce.l
NEW YORK, Feb. Amos Pin
chot, one of the most active of the rep
uhlican progressives, brother of Gift
ford Pinchot, and one of the men who
has been the welding force uniting the
extreme progressives of the LaFollette
type and the less radical Roosevelt
supporters, prepared for the Unieed
Press a statement in which he de-
clared that the withdrawal of La
Toilette as presidential candidate,
resulting from the fact that. with the
senator's health broken, and his ability
as campaigner weakened, not only
LaFollette but the principles for which
he stood. were threatened with de-
feat, especially in view of the nation
wide clamor for the nomination of
Theodore Roosevelt.
The PincI1ot statement follows:
when lasr year small group of
progressives met at Washington to
discuss placing presidential candi-
date in the field, we had two definite
ends in view to bind the progressives
together as an effective fighting force
and to prevent the nomination or re-
nomination of a reactionary candidate
for the presidency
If there was no progressive repub-
lican candidate in 1912. party loyalty
and hostility to the democrats in a
great national election would tend to
weld the progressives and reactionary
republicans together SO that the former
as an effective fighting unit. would dis.
appear, and the cause of the govern.
ment for the benefit of the average
man would suffer serious setback.
| "As to the denomination of a re
! dictionary We believed that in practi
cally every cas-, where the interests
of the average man conflicted with the
! interests of the standpat machine and
/ the business interests which it repre-
sents, the Taft administration has
regularly lined up on the side CT big
business and party politics.
"On account of his character and his
great record of useful service, Sena
tor sLaFollette was chosen to be the
/ candidate. He accepted reluctantly
only under pressure from progressive
friends, and at a great personal sacri
fee to himself, solely to serve the
cause for which he las fought FOL
years.
Since our organization started
largely through the work of La Fol
lette and the men who are supportin.
h ~ 1ov
clearly that the only way to save thu
republican party in 1912 and to max,
it an instrument to serve the average
man, is to nominate progressiv,
candidate for the presidency. Senate
La Toilette as factor in the presi
dental race has been chiefly responsi
Bile in demonstrating this fact.
His withdrawal from the race simf
~ means that the progressives real
ize that owing to the growing deman
for Roosevelt, and owing to the sens
tors health, La Toilette cannot him
self accomplish the purpose which ha
at all times meant more to him tha
his individual success. With Ii
Toilette out of the race, his follower
are free to get behind Roosevelt an
continue the old fight with anothe
leader. Many La Toilette men fee
that Roosevelt is not advanced in thi
progressiveness as LaFollette. Bt
however that may be, it is clear the
Roosevelt and LaFollette are agree
on most fundamental points, and aboy
all that they have the same real col
viction that the country belongs
the people and its government mus
be an instrument for the people