Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-06-12
TAE0. ROOSEVELT, New York

the new primary system is its failure.
as its opponents aIlege, to bring large,
proportion Of the voters to the polls.
The vote in North Dakota was small,
and that in New York. which had
primary characterized by Colonel
Roosevelt as "a criminal farce" was
much smaller comparatively In iii.
nois and Pennsylvania, however, the
general interest displayed and the size
Of the vote polled were such as to give
little color to this objection.
An Unprecedented Spectacle.
II it has done nothing else the first
trial of the presidential primary has
furnished the people of the United
States new experience. Never before
have president and an ex-president
''stumped" the country in contest for
delegates. After trips to Massachu-
sets and Maine in the interests of his
candidacy Colonel Roosevelt visited
Illinois on the eve of the primary eec-
ton and reaped the reward of his dill
gence in the overwhelming victory in
the Prairie State which gave his can
didacy its first decided impetus. Then
came the upheaval in Pennsylvania, to
which he had given some personal at
tention, though not so much as to ILL.,
nois. As the date of the Massachusetts
primaries approached, both the colonel
and the president decided that an i'm
portant job of fence mending called
them to the Bay State. and they con
Quoted their repairing operations
strangely enough, as it appeared to the
onlookers-with hammer and tongs
The result was so little decisive (many
of the Massachusetts voters, by the
way. being apparently unequal to the
task of casting their ballots according
to their real preferences, that both
contestants decided to continue their
joint debate at long range tactics in
Maryland and Ohio. Maryland went
somewhat gingerly, to be sure-for
Roosevelt, and the presidents advisers
thought that the result might have
been different If their candidate had
talked oftener and more strenuously.
So when Roosevelt invaded Ohio, the
presidents own state. the latter pre-
pared to defend his candidacy with all
the energy that farmer displays
when the boys of the neighborhood
have served notice of a raid on his
watermelon patch. The personalities
of the Maryland and Massachusetts
struggles were outdone as the two
came to grips. on the hustings of the
Buckeye State. The result justified
the presidents apprehensions. The au
dacious invader did get away with the
better part of his melons.
Neither Taft nor Roosevelt entered
in person into the primary contest in
California. The striking feature of its
prediction campaign was the large
participation of women. who must be
credited with share in Roosevelt's de.
cisive victory In the newest suffrage
state.
The Four Formal Candidates.
OF the four formal candidates for
the nomination at Chicago President
Taft entered the race with the strong
est backing. for In addition to the ad
vantage generally supposed to reside
In the support of the head of an ad.
ministration by the officeholders he
had In his favor the tradition that
president is entitled to a renomina-
ton. In his fifty-6ve years William
81. Taft has seen much public service,
the earlier part of it In judicial posi-
lions. He refused an appointment to
the supreme court. offered him by
President Roosevelt In 1903; but, hav-
ing previously served as head of the
Philippine commission and first civil
governor Of the Philippines, he accept
ed the position of secretary of war in
the Roosevelt cabinet in 1904. BE
was nominated for the presidency In
1908. his predecessor throwing all his
influence to accomplish that result.
Theodore Roosevelt is the youngest
Of the candidates. his age being fifty
four. he has put good deal Of living
into those fifty-four years too. He has
been cowpuncher, police commissioner
Of New York. assistant secretary of
the navy. colonel Of rough riders In
Cuba. governor of New York. vice
president and then president for the
better part of two terms. winning his
election over Parker by the largest
popular majority ever awarded can
= Lea Y.> 4 = - - g.