The Washington times., 1912-06-23
ROOSEVELT LEADS
IN WAR ON BOSSES
Consents Be Standard Bearer in Battle for Principles
Sums Up Issue as Thou Shalt Not
Steal"

bold in the language of the Kentucky
court of appeals, that stealing Is steal
ing. No people Is wholly civilized where
distinctive is drawn between stealing
an office and stealing purse. No truly
honest man should be satisfied with an
office to which his title is not as valid
as that of the homestead which shelters
his family"
Popular Will Overthrow.
II do not know whether our country
rren fully realize the gravity Of the
crisis which we at this moment face.
There is no use in holding primaries, no
use in holding elections II we permit a
small group of unscrupulous politicians,
some of whom are certainly acting in
exercise the veto power over these pri-
maries and elections by upsetting the re-
suits at their own pleasure.
The convention which today closes
represents a negligible minimum of the
rank and file of the Republican party.
But what II has done and what 1t has
provided for the future offer material
for very serious consideration. The old
i.ational committee, chosen by the poll
ticians four years ago, made up tenn
porary roll. including some ninety fraud
ulent delegates who had not been elect
ed by the people and thereby they con-
trolled a majority OF the convention.
This fraudulent temporary roll in turn
chose a fraudulent credentials commit
tee, and all the fraudulent delegates
voting on one another's cases, thereby
made up the permanent roll which con-
stituted the fraudulent convention. Then
This fraudulent convention chooses
new and not less fraudulent national
committee.
Nominated By Fraud.
Now, gentlemen, thehe are those
who ask US to stay in the party which
has just fraudulently nominated for the
Presidency a man who inspired and
profted by the fraud. They ask us to
submit to infamy in the present on the
ground that perhaps we may be able TO
prevent such infamy in the future. They
seem to forget that the vicious circle
has been completed and that this fraud
ulent convention has provided in its
fraudulently chosen national committee
a means whereby they can hope once
again four years hence and with like
impunity to overthrow the will OF the
ma tority Of the voters at the primaries.
The national committee. over whose
selection and retention in office the vot-
ers have no control whatever, makes up
the fraudulent temporary roll call,
which controls the national convention.
The national convention thus fraudu..
! lently made UP names another national
committee, and the new national COM
| mittee, constituted by the same ele-
| ments that constituted the old one. has
dITeduy SHOWN Dy ltS dCtlOnS lnht IL call
| be trusted four years hence to repeat
the misbehavior Of the old one.
The vicious circle must be broken.
| The powerful crooked political bosses
| contempt for the honest men who sub
init to their violent and unscrupulous
dishonesty. If we permit fraud Of this
thing "a and show show either that we are
faint at heart or dull of conscience.
Rule Of the People.
''As for the principles for which
| stand, I have set them forth fully in
the many speeches I have made during
the last four months, while making an
active contest for the nomination which
| won and out OF which / have been
| cheated by the men who feared to sea
| these principles reduced to action Fun
damentally, these principles are, first,
that the people have the right to rule
! themselves. and can do so better than
| any outsiders can rule them, and, sec
ond. that It Is their duty so to rule in
spirit of justice toward every man
! and every woman within our b orders,
! and TO use the Government so far as
| possible as an instrument for obtaining
not merely political. but Industrial.
| peace.
We do not stand for these principles
as mere distractions any. more than we
stand for honesty and fair play as mere
| distractions. We seek to apply them
practically in every relation of life
where we have power. We stand for
honesty and fair play. We practically
apply the commandment, Thou Shalt
| Not Steal and we wish to give a
square deal to every citizen of this re-
public so that hes may have chance
to show the stuff there is in him. un-
helped by privilege himself and un;,
hampered by privilege of others. l hold
that We are performing a high duty IN
| inaugurating this movement, for the
permanent success of practices such as
have obtained in the fraudulent conven-
ton that has just closed its sittings
would mean the downfall OF this re-
public, and we are performing the most
| patriotic of duties when we set our
faces like flint against such wrong"