The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-06-21

Ch1cagO, July 21.-FolloWlng is the
full text of Colonel Roosevelt's state
refusing to- be bound by the action of
the credentials committee and the
convention in seating certain dele
gates claimed to have been illegally
elected:
The time has come when I feel
that 1 must make certain statements
not merely to honestly elected MEM
bers of the republican national con-
vention but to the rank and file Of the
republican party and to the honest
people Of the entire nation. went
into this fight for certain great prin-
ciples At this moment / can only
serve these principles by continuing
to bear the personal responsibility
which their advocacy has brought to
me.
"On behalf of these principles I
pie themselves. I. went before them.
l made my argument and every move
made was in the open without con-
cealment Of any kind. Opposition to
me was extraordinarily bitter for
was opposed by practically the solid
phalanx Of big constituencies political
bosses, with back of them practically
beneficiaries of special privilege in
every form and Of course many big
newspapers. which are controlled by
or in the interest of the bosses and
special privileges.
Won Before People.
Nevertheless in the appeal to the
people. won. In many of the repub-
lfcan states and of democratic states
where there is large and real re-
publican party. the primaries of diff
ferent kinds were held and substan-
tial expressions Of the will of the peo-
pie were obtained.
In these primary states. some three
million voters. the rank and file Of the
republican party. cast their votes. I
beat NJ. Taft considerably over two to
one. In these states l obtained about
six delegates to Mr.. .Taft's one. Near
ly three-fourths of my delegates came
from these primaries states where the
people had chance to express them
selves Mr.. Taft's strength as indi-
Gated by the two roll calls already
taken consisted chiefly (aside from
his 80 stolen delegates) of nearly solid
delegations from the territories and
from the southern states in which
there is no real republican party.
South Carolina. Georgia. Florida. Ala
bama. Arkansas. Mississippi. Louis
lana and of the northern states like
New York. where the people had no
chance to express themselves at the
primaries, and where the delegates
were picked by the bosses.
Had Clear Majority.
In spite of these odds against me.
l obtained a clear majority of all the
delegates. elected to the convention.
In my campaign I again and again
stated that If the people decided
against me I would have nothing to
say: but that If they decided for me
and the politicians then robbed me of
the victory l would not silently and
tamely acquiesce. It was already evil
dent that my opponents. with Mr..
Taft's encoura cement intended to beat
me by foul means II they could not do
so by fair means
THE crucial but not the only step
in the concerted. and hitherto success
full effort to cheat the people Of their
victory. they had fairly won was taken
up by the now defunct national COM.
mittee which without one show of
justification. with cynical contempt of
the most ordinary: rules of decency, in
making up the temporary roll call, un-
seated 30 fairly elected Roosevelt del
egates and substituted for them 30
Taft delegates who in the convention
represented nothing whatever but sue