The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-09-25
A fierce
ATTACK On
BULL MOOSER
Has Fomented Discomfort In
American Nation
"Malevolcnt Desire to Wreck
Republican Party"
This Is Aim Of Progrcssives,
Guthrie's Statement

Saratoga, N. Y, Sept. 25.--An att
tack on Roosevelt and the policies Of
the progressive party in nation and
state marked the address Of William
D. Guthrie, temporary chairman, to-
day before the republican state con-
Vention,
I'VE see clearly" said Guthrie, that
the progressive campaign is doomed
TO a pitiabIe defeat and that only
malevolent desire to work injury to
the republican party continues it's
campaigning"
The temporary chairman compared
the present situation in particular with
the conditions which existed in 1850
and 1896, when. he said, THE outlook
for the success of the republican party
had for q time beer discOuraging." {
Success of the republican cause in
those campaigns, he prophesied, would
he repeated this fall. u
EVERY republican vote cast for the
democratic ticket" he declared, will
be wasted and will only trend to mag
Nifty the future strength and nuisance
value Of the progressiveS."
Guthrie gave three reasons why the
republican national convention fulfill
ed its duty in refusing the nomination
Of Roosevelt: I'm the firsI place." he
said, "the nomination of an ex-presi-
dent Of the United States for third
term would have been in violation OF
the unwritten rule established bg
Washington, Jefferson, Madison aud
Monroe, and followed ever since. Com
mon sense of thoughtful and patriotic
men must convince them that nothing
could be more dangerous than to per-
NIT any individual, however popular
or eloquent, to WELD the power of
presidential Office for more than two
terms.
Roosevelt" Guthrie declared, had
fomented more than any man living
the discomfort and class hatred eX-
listing among our people. He had as
sailed judiciary and undermined the
confidence of the people in the in
dependence, integrity and impartiality
of our judges.
He had advocated revolutionary
doctrines. He had shown that he
despised constitutional restraints. He
had held us UP to the contempt Of the
world as politically a dishonest peo-
pie, and he was known to be socialist
at heart, although protesting that he
alone could save the country from So
Cialism.
'I appreciate his eloquence, his ex-
altation, his great personal magnet
ism, his fierce and tireless energy, as
well as his Unsuitable ambition, his
impatience with any rule of law that
curbed or checked his own will, his
determination to rule or ruin the party.
All were beginning to perceive that
his enthusiasm was rather for the
arena and for power than for princi-
pies.
But his popularity is similar in
many respects to the popularity Of
Kearney, the Sandlot orator, and Bry
an, the populist. 1t was likewise the
weakness of Roosevelt as the candi-
date of a. great party. The qualities
which attract and make him popular
with the unthinking repel the thought
full, the sober minded and the patriotic.
"The third reason why the majority
in the Chicago convention should not
have cast aside President Taft and
nominated ex-President Roosevelt was
because to have done so would have
been an act of political treachery, In
gratitude and dishonor. President Taft
had earned and deserved a renomind-
tion for his great and faithful serv-
ice to the nation and to the party" e..
Guthrie defined the great issues of
the national campaign as follows:
First, the constitutional right and
power of congress to protect American
industries and to preserve our pres
ent Industrial system; second, the
threatened overthrowing of the repre-
sentative system of government an
state and nation by the introductio.f
Of the initiative, referendum and res
call; and third, the assault upon the
administration of justice in American
courts"
Almost the only reference Guthrie
made to the democratic presidential
candidate was in his discussion of the
tariff