The Greeley tribune., 1912-02-29
Who win Win---The
People or the Machine?

| The battle is on within the rePuO-
lican ranks and now the interest of
the country is centered on the preei-
Dental nomination. There WAS
nothing but speculation until yes
terday. when Theodore Roosevelt
yielded to popular clan,or and an.
nounoed that he would De candi-
date.
Now the proposition confronting
the republican party and which also
interests the entire country is-will
the steam roller be effective or will
the wishes of the rank and file of
the republican party be considered?
To tie uninterested observer Of
an opposite party 1t looks as though
battle royal Is ON with the party
machine on one side and tho COM
mon herd on the other. The party
machine is for Taft and the people
are for Roosevelt. What the repub-
lican party will do in the face of
this new and unique situation re-
mains to he seen.
= OF aIl tfe straw votes taken IN
the various parts Of the United
Saatee there has not been q single
one in which Roosevelt did not
OvershadOw all other republican
candidates. OF course his declars-
tOn Of yesterday will eliminate
from the race for nomination every
other Republican candidate save
Taft and himself. But Taft has the
gigantic federal machine behind
him, the power Of which was DEM
0nftrated at the state central COM
mittee meeting in Denver . short
time ago when GuEgenheim told the
committeeman where to head in.
They headed. with the result that
the Roosevelt delegates were snow.
ed under 10 badly that they nearly
frOze to death In an Overkeated
room.
/ The republican state COMMITTEES
Of Colorado knows, and other state
committees know that the rank and
file Of the republican party wan,
Roosevelt But the state committee.
are part Of the machine and It take,
"sOme msn" to jar loose from tn,
machine. That Il the reason tn,
people like Roosevelt, becau.e h
told the machines to go tO-(mean
ing anything that occurs to tn,
readers mind).
And that is why the presiiientia
primary will he fought from tfli
, date ~ It was never fought before
Here in Weld county. . Roosevelt
majority has gone to Big Mac on 1t
knees to get his consent to a Iri
mary for this county. A commit
I tee Of six. three Big Mac men an
, three representing the progressive
will Hold solemn c0nclave over tn
proposition. And then Big Mac ma
: veto 1t in the end, because he doe
t not want an expression Of the vo
o tefS-he wants hts own expresAiO
t only. which is the expression Of tn
d machine in which he is q small, bt
3 we'll fitted cog.
n And from now the country wi
d witness the curious spectacle Of
= vast majority Of tie republicans ,
Il the country fighting q small mino
It fty for the extraordinary privile&
Of being allowed to select the me
Is they want for presidential nomine
Il And the peculiar part Of 1t In TIN
It the majority will have to go son
+ to get recognition, in spite OF the
70 overwhelming numbers.
b One precinct In Weld county we,
n, moro than 20 to 1 for Roosevelt
u NO wonder Big Mac is insisting Il,
II . presidential primary is not nee
te ed, that the people all want TIA
,e and that he does not deem the mo
ig ''e0pe<iient''. Asking Big Mac for
Il presidential primary IL a good de
% like handing . man . revolver wi
N the request that he take q few sho
m 1t himself.
Ii But the big battle is on. II ,
~ mains to he seen II the oyerwhel,
Ih ing voice Of the people can b., ~,
1t cessfully ignored by the G, O.
re m1achine. And II the mach;
should wake up some day next n
ct vember to find itself out OF comm
" SION some frivolous person miv
m risc to remark ''there's q reason