The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-06-27
IS MOST BITTER
IN ALL HISTORY
AMERICAN POLITICS CONTAINS
NO PARALLEL FOR REpuB-
LICAN CONVENTION.
That IN RING" STARTS WAR
Disorder and Confusion Mark Battle
for Republican Leadership-CuI-
mination OF Combat Full Of
Charges and Recrimi-
nations,

| contains no parallel for the Republ!'
can convention just closed The bit
teruess of the struggle was Tespon'
sible for more disorder more con
fusion and more exciting and nerve
wracking incidents than ever attend
ed political convention in this coun-
try.
1t required little to start demon.
straton and when once started 1t
could be Quoted only after the dele
gates had completely exhausted them
selves. On Wednesday Governor Had.
ley, who was popular with the crowds
at all times, took the platform to
make an explanation, a demonstra'
ton for him was started which the
Roosevelt men subsequently turned
into a demonstration for their lead.
er, which lasted almost All hour.
During the reports of the creden-
tials committee on Friday the pro-
ceedngs We're interrupted time and
time again by the Roosevelt men.
who thus attempted to show their dis
approval of the proceedings.
moSt bltteT Battle
Battle for the Republican presi.
dental nomination that Is without
precedent for the bitterness displayed
by the contestants and the popular
interest aroused has been waged for
the last four months by Theodore
Roosevelt and President Taft. The
country knew the fight was on when
it learned of Roosevelts reply to
those who asked his attitude on the
presidency after his sensational
speech at the Ohio constitutional con
vention Feb. 81:
MY hat is In the ring"
The colonel followed this challenge
up on Feb. "a by writing to seven Re.
publican governors who had urged
him to declare his position:
Il will accept the nomination for
president If 1t is rendered to me and
] will adhere to this decision until
the convention has expressed Its pre-
ference"
Taft Becomes WsrIike, Too.
Tafts candidacy had taken on
warlike tinge early in January with
the statement given out at the white
house and attributed to the presi-
dent: Nothing but death can keep
me out OF the fight now"
A national Roosevelt committee was
formed in January with headquarters
in Chicago. Alexander II. Revell was
made president and Edwin w. Sims,
former federal prosecutor. secretary.
Roosevelt headquarters were later re-
moved to Washington and Senator
Joseph NJ. Dixon placed in charge of
the campaign Congressman William
b. Mckinley of Illinois was made the
Taft manager. It was announced that
the Taft literary bureau would re-
frain from attacking Roosevelt per.
sonaly. This idea was later aban.
Goned
The president started the fireworks
by characteri2ing RooseYelt's plan for
recall Of court decisions as utterly
without merit. crude, ftful. unstable"
Roosevelt Defines Issues.
Roosevelt, speaking in Carnegie
hall, New York March 20, declared
the fundamental issue between him.
self and Taft to be:
Are the American people 1T to
govern themselves, to rule them.
selves, to control themselves? be.
lieve they are. My opponents do not"
The president, in speech at Bos-
ton March IS, had said:
Continued iteration and reiteration
of the proposition. Let the people
rule If 1t has any significance at all
and is intended otherwise than to
hatter the people, is intended to be
a reflection on the government that
we have had down to the present
time"
1t was only step to mentioning
names This began with some degree
OF mildness. In one OF his early
speeches Col. Roosevelt remarked:
"Mr. Taft says our government
should be government OF all the
people by representative part OF the
people, This is an excellent descrip
ton OF an oligarchy."
Roosevelt Denounoes Votes.
The New York and Indiana pri
mary decisions were given to Taft.
Roosevelt promptly denounced the
proceedings In both states as a Grim.
inal farce" ---.. ~ ? ~.
The latter part OF April saw the
rivals denouncing each others works
In red hot speeches all over Massa.
chnset,s In their efforts to win at
the presidential preference primaries
there, Roosevelt accused Taft OF
breaking his pledges to the people.
and Taft retorted that Roosevelt had
misstated the facts about the Taft
administration and was not giving
him square deal The primary
yielded split delegation, with no
advantage to either candidate.
Roosevelt Carries States.
The Massachusetts performance
was repeated with increasing acrl.
mony In Ohio and New Jersey. Roose-
welt carried both states by big ma.
jorities, but Taft was given the Ohio
delegates at large by the state con.
ventlon, an act which Roosevelt called
pure brigandage.'