The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-02-22
ROOSEVELT MUM
i ON NOMINATION
Delivers Address Before Ohio
Constitutional Convention.
TELLS OF REVISED POLICIES
Colonel oisappoints Many Hearers by
His Failure to Mention Whether.
He viii Run for Presi-
dent or Not.

Soiulnpus, w., rep. Zl.-Col. The0.
dore Roosevelt came to Columbus to.
day and delivered a characteristic
and stirring address before the mem
bers of the constitutional convention
in the state house. He set forth in
detail his revised progressive poll.
cles, but, to the disappointment OF
many Of his hearers, he adhered to
his announced plan and did not say
whether or not he would accept the
Republican nomination for president
If 1t were offered him.
Once or twice, however, he paused
impressively and then said things
that caused his supporters to emit
joyful whoops, for these sentences
seemed to be clear intimations that
II the Republican convention in Chi
cago insisted on placing his name at
the head Of the ticket his sense of
public duty would not permit him to
reject the honor.
Indeed, in a broad sense, the colo.
nefs speech was entirely non-parti-
san for the principles of government
he advocated have earnest supporters
In all parties The constitutional
convention Is non-partisan body and
the applause that greeted most of Mr..
Roosevelt's emphatic utterances was
general
Makes Reply to Harmon.
Colonel Roosevelt had said pre-.
viously that he would not reply to the
letter Of the governors who urged
his candidacy until after this Column.
bus visit, and so in his public utter
ances here he virtually ignored that
incident. But he did answer the at.
tack on the initiative and referendum
recently made by Governor Harmon
His position regarding that policy
long has been well known and that
position he defended vigorously. Il.
and r." has large number of advo-
Gates in the constitutional convention
and they, as well as the political ad-
versaries of the governor, gave this
part of the coloners address their
noisy approval.
Great Throng at Station.
When Colonel Roosevelt's train
pulled into the Union station shortly
before eleven o'clock this morning the
station and the streets outside were
so thronged that the special details
of police had their hands more than
full.
AS the ex-president alighted from
the car a mighty shout of greeting
made the Orders of the station ring.
IL nv hn M Ut
mittee of the convention, comprised
OF Walter F. Brown of Toledo, John
d. Fackler OF Cleveland and Ebert l..
Lampson OF Ashtabula county, Repub-
licans. and Richard A. Beattie OF
Wood and F. G. Leete Of Lawrence,
Democrats. With them was Mr..
RooseveIt's intimate personal friend,
DR.. Washington GLADDEN..
Address Before Convention.
The party drove at once up High
street between solid walls OF human
ity and the colonel was kept busy re-
spending to the cheers, showing his
evident pleasure in his famous smile
He was taken direct to the state
house, where he was formally greet
ed by Herbert S. Bigelow, president
OF the constitutional convention who
escorted him to the platform and in
troducedy him to the big assemblage.
AS Mr.. Roosevelt began his address
the applause subsidized. He spoke for
about quarters OF an hour, hold
ing very closely to the text of his pre-
pared speech. AS is usually the case
with the colonel, the address sound
ed spontaneous and at times bit
startling, but was carefully consid-
cred
Mr.. Roosevelt spoke substantially
as follows:
Mr.. President, and Members Of the
Ohio Constitutional Convention:
am profoundly sensible OF the
honor you have done me in asking
me to address you. You are engaged
In the fundamental work OF self-gov-
eminent; you are engaged in framing
a constitution under and in accord
ance with which the people are to get
and to do justice and absolutely to
rule themselves. No representative
body can have higher task. To
carry It through successfully there Is
need to combine practical common
sense OF most hard-headed kind with
a spirit OF lofty idealism. without
idealism your work will be but sor-
did makeshift; and without the hard
headed common sense the idealism
will be either wasted or worse than
wasted.
shall not try to speak to you OF
matters of detail. ! cannot touch
upon them all; the subject is too vast
and the time too limited: II any one
OF you cares to know my views OF
these matters which do not today
discuss. will gladly send him a
copy of the speeches | made In 1910,
which l think cover most OF the
ground.