New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-24
PEOPLE REAL DICTATORS
Roosevelt Tells Jersey City
Crowds Their Interests Are His.

| Colonel Roosevelt spoke last night 10 an
! audience more than three thousand per-
! sons in the big hall Of the Jersey City High
| School in ending his first days tour in New
| Jersey. Before speaking in the hall he ad'
dressed an overflow meeting of about three
| thousand persons who were unable to get
! In the building. He was received with
great enthusiasm by the big crowds IN
SIDE and outside of the high school. and his
| . marks were peTsistently cheered
! lie told both audiences that he was par
! tCularly gratifed with the reception he
had received in New Jersey during his
days trip. and he ventured to predict on
the strength Of the enthusiasm he had wit
messed that New Jersey would stand beside
| Ohio and other states i'm the vote at IN
! primaries next Tuesday.
| Congressman Victor Murdoch. Of Kansas.
ana other speakers occupied the time be-
fore Colonel Roosevelt's arrival AT the high
school Judge Robert Cary. Of Hudson,
who presided. introduced him as the next
| President The audience in which there
were many women. Chcered for two or
! three minutes. Colonel Roosevelt said:
Il don't want the nomination unless the
people want me to have It. The only pos
| sible reason why should like 10 be Presi-
| dent again is to have the people back Of
| me and be able to accomplish some of the
policies which am now advocating for the
! peoples interests and which / believe in
with all my heart.
| Some persons have referred TO me. when
! I was President, as a dictator. President
! Taft has called me that recently. | don't
| k;ow Of much on the calendar I have not
| been called by my opponents Put the
| onk people | ever dictated TO were the
! Senators and Representatives who did not
/ represent the people. and the only way |
| dictated 10 them was % appeal directly TO
the people whom they were supposed to
represent. and then the people usually did
| the debating themselves.
1T was only in that way 7 was able 10
| get all Of the most beneficial legislation
! during my administration. like the pure
| food law and many others"
The colonel admitted, however. that
sometimes a crisis arose when he had TO
guess what tie people wanted and then
act quietly. That was so with the Panama
| Canal matter. ne said. Instead Of sending
"masterful message" 70 Congress on the
subject. which would have teen debated IN
| found out Colombia was trying 10 take in
! Uncle Sam. he said. and started the canal.
| II he hadn't done so We would have found
France on the isthmus, he declared
Il allowed Congress to debate me instead
OF debating the canal" he said
We got the canal and Congress got he
! debate on me for which no one cares.
! This debate goes ftfully on and mean
while the canal will be finished in couple
! Of years
| Colonel Roosevelt denied that he had
ever violated the laws Of the constitution,
in the Panama matter, or anything else.
as some OF his opponents had charged, but
| had always construed it, as Lincoln did,
and all the greatest statesmen Of the coun-
try. He said if any opponent could cite an
instance where ne had misconstrued the
constitution nc would express his sorrow
and try to make amends.
when the need OF the people was great
and real" he said, land there was no law
10 prevent me- ! gave them the hereft, OF
the doubt. That is all there was TO it
Colonel Roosevelt attacked the big New
York newspapers and named most Of them
He said they had done him the honor OF
showing that he was the one man in pub
lie life whom they most dreaded. They
guessed that Parker would beat me in 1901
and they had to guess again he said 'and
they will have a similar experience this
time"