The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-25
Taft Tackles Teddy,
 While Crowd Cheers

(Continued from Page One)
 all my ancestors came but this time
 I have come purely from a sense of
 highest duty. .7
 ceeded President Mckinley. Tn 1904
 Theodore Roosevelt was himself tri-
 umphant and he said that he would
 not accept another nomination. In
 1908 he recommended to the people
 of the United States that be the
 nominee. He labored hard and suo-
 ceeded in electing me and I have felt
 deeply grateful ever since. Neither in
 thought word or act have I ever been
 disloyal to the friendship I have had
 with Theodore Roosevelt.
 But, like other Presidents, have
 been willing to have the people ap-
 prove my first term by re-electing me
 for a second. I signified this and MT.
 Roosevelt said he did not intend to
 be a candidate. But his resolution grew less and less and finally, upon
 the solicitation of a number of state governors he announced that he would
 be a candidate.
 .orhen he went out to Ohio and gave out statements which strike at
 the roots of the independence and rights of our courts. 1 was imper- sonal in my reply. l said to myself welt. He cannot make a quarrel with me because I won't quarrel with him. 'sBut the charter of Democracy was not so effective as he thought It would prove to be and so he depart ed from this course and. took up my administration and myself for attack. And ever since he has been engaged in an abuse of my administration and in charges against me.
 "So far as my personal feelings are concerned I would never reply to him. I am willing to let the future cJ,a not | been h. cere in my administration Of the laws But I represent a cause, the ele- ment in the Republican party which believes in the sacredness of the con- stitution and in wise progress under it's guarantees.
 "Mr. Roosevelt has misled many honest people to believe his charges against me. The cause l represent is entitled to have my defense.
 ."He says I favor an oligarchy of bosses, that I represent the special ln- terests, that my administration has not been productive of anything pro- gressive, that I am a reactionary and other charges so numerous I canont think of them all.' The President then proceeded to an-
 swer those charges, one by one, prac- ticaliy anticipating the speeches he had planned to deliver first at the Boston meeting today. The crowd applauded 1 freuuently and seemed to delight In seeing for the first time the President ! in the role of a fighting man. The President spoke for nearly an hour to a crowd which filled the central square l of the town, cutting short his re- marks just in time to get to the sta- l ton for the Boston train.
 The President pointed out that the re-nomination or reelection of Roose- welt would be dangerous.
 "He has forgotten the standards Of the square deal'', he said.
 l MT. Taft pointed out how his posi- i tion had been misrepersented by Col. 1 Roosevelt. Mir. Roosevelt says have the support of the bosses de- clared Taft ''The definition of boss
 depends upon whom the boss is sup porting. If he is supporting Colonel 1 Roosevelt he is leader, if he is sup porting me he is a boss" In a voice choking with emotion Taft concluded his speech with a
 solemn warning to the people of the United States that, in Roosevelt they were in danger of a dictator, who. once he received a third term, would l cling like leech to the White House