The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1912-06-29
La TOILETTE PAYS
RESPECTS TO TEDDY

Senator LaFollette has written the
following editorial in the current num-
Der of LaFollette's Weekly:
+" Until Roosevelt came into the open
as a candidate for the presidency five
months ago, there was strong and
rapidly growing progressive move
ment within the Republican party 1t
was based upon clearly defined princi-
pies. 1t stood forth as the representa-
tive of modern political thought on
fundamental democracy. 1t had as
sumed national proportions. 1t was
united.
''To this movement, when it gave
promise of national success, Roosevelt
projected his ambition to be president
third time. He spent weeks care
fully planning a spontaneous call for
himself. He responded by announcing
that he would be a receptive candi-
date. His candidacy began to drag.
He and his friends were in despair
kota. He became desperate.
Much Money for T. R.
An enormous campaign fund was
New York, Washington, Chicago and
writer's were engaged at large prices to
further his candidacy. Special trains
were hired and the receptive candi-
date started in frantic pursuit of
the nomination. In the history of
American politics there has never in
a primary campaign for presidential
nomination been an approach to the
extravagant expenditures made in this
:
the steel trust and the harvester trust
became his most active supporters.
Leading reaetionaries, stand-patters
Quay sort became his representatives
in many states.
g A number of the newer recruits to
the Republican progressive cause, men
who, before 1909, had either been in
different or opposed to the progressive
movement, became the noisiest sup
porters of Roosevelt, the winner. - 1t
mattered not to them that Roosevelt
had co-operated with Aldrich on leg
islation during the entire seven years
he was president. They forgot that it
was only when Roosevelt was out of
Office and in Africa, through the united
efforts of men who for years had been
fighting special interests that the pro-
gressive cause became national
movement That Roosevelt was for
Taft in 1910 when Taft was denounc-
ing all progressives as pirates and
traitors that he waited until little
more than a year ago, balancing the
chances before deciding whether to
cast his lot with the progressives in
this presidential year, counted for
L a1ae 1f
who wanted to win not a real pro-
gressive victory-just victory.
A Shallow Victory.
sAnd thev did win precisely that
kind of victory. They carried over
whelmingly the great standpat states
of Illinois and Pennsylvania. They
stamped the Roosevelt candidacy with
its true character. No real progress
such a vote in either of those two
states. 1t had, however, the outward
seeming of success, the sort of success
that intoxicates-that catches the
crowd. 1t enabled Roosevelt to win in
Fortunately it did not enable him to
secure the nomination, which would
have compromised the progressive
movement anu utIcdbcu d1hiCFo-
ment for years.
Roosevelt Divided Party.
"Upon Theodore Roosevelt and his
followers rests the responsibility of
having divided the progressives in
their first national contest. Stimu
lated by an overmastering desire to
win, they denounced loyalty to con
viction and principle as stubborn self
ishness. In the convention they put
forward no platform-no issues. They
made no fight against the reactionary
platform adopted. They substituted
vulgar personalities and the coarse
epithets of the prize ring for the con-
sideration of the great economic prob
lens and for the time being brought
ridicule and contempt upon great
cause.
But the progressive movement con-
sists of number of good citizens
drawn together in principles. They
will permit no combination of special
interests and political expediency to
secure control of the progressive
cause. which is ultimately TO redeem
Democracy and restore government to
the people,