Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-06-24

teristic political shrewdness and eX-
the boldness for which he
is famous, Colonel Roosevelt today
checked the movement for cOmpTO-
mise progressive candidate, and burn
ing his bridges behind him formally
announced his withdrawal from the
republican party and his determina-
tion to run for the presidency on an
independent ticket.
The statement in full is as follows:
"The time mas come when | feei
that | must make certain statements
not merely to honestly elected
members of the republican national
convention but to the rank and file
of the republican party and to the
honest people of the entire nation.
went into the fight for certain prin-
ciples. At the moment | can only
serve these principles by continuing
to bear the responsibility which their
advocacy has brought me.
"On behalf of these principles
made my appeal straight to the peo-
pie themselves. | went before them;
| made my argument in full, and
every move | made was in the open,
without cOncealment of any kind.
The opposition to me was eXtraordi-
narily bitter, for | was opposed by
the practically solid phalanX Of the
big constituencies politicians, with
back of them the big constituencies
beneficiaries of special privilege in
every form and of course the many
big newspapers which are controlled
by or in the interest of bosses and
special privilege.
Nevertheless, in the appeal to the
people | won. In many of the repub-
lican states and of the democratic
states where there is a large and real
republican party primaries of differ
ent kinds were held and a substantial
expression of the will of the people
was obtained. In these primary
states where some 100000 voters
the rank and file of the republican
party cast their votes, | beat Mr.
Taft considerably over two to one. In
these states | obtained about six dele
gates to Mr.. Taft's one. Nearly
three-fourths of my delegates came
from these primary states, where the
people had chance to express them
selves.
Mr.. Taft's strength, as indicated
by the two roll calls already taken
consisted chiefly (aside from his sc
stolen delegates) of nearly the solit
delegations from the territories anG
from the southern states in which
there is no real republican party
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi anC
Louisiana-and of northern states
like New York, where the people haC
no chance to express themselves a
primaries and where the delegates
were picked by the bosses.
In spite of these odds against me
| obtained a clear majority of all the
delegates elected to the convention
In my campaign | again and agar
stated that if the people decided
against me | would have nothing tC
! say, but if they decided for me anl
/ the politicians then robbed me of the
victory, | would not silently ant
! tamely acquiesce. 1t was eviden
| that my opponents, with Mr.. Taft''
encouragement, intended to beat mt
by foul means if they cannot do Sc
/ by fair means.
The crucial but not the only stel
/ in the concerted and hitherto success
full effort to cheat the people out o
| the victory they had fairly won, wa!
taken up by the now defunct nationa
committee, without one show Of jus
| tification and with cynical contemp
for the most ordinary rules of decen
cy in making up the temporary rol
call, unseated 80 fairly elected
Roosevelt delegates and substituted
| for them 80 Taft delegates, who, il
the convention, represent nothing
whatever but successful fraud,
was clearly entitled to all the 80 del
| egates; all the 80 possessed, for in
| stance, clearer titles than the uncon
| tested Taft delegates from New York
city, and as to ~ of them, their titles
were as flawless as that of any other
! delegates in the convention.
MIR. Root was elected and Gov
ernor Deneen's motion for partially
cleansing the roll of fraud was de
feated by the vote of these straight
out fraudulent delegates, the last vote
bClhS q NOJS Oll d SlldlSnU OuJ mora
issue, the result of which. in my
judgment, ought to render it impossi.
BILE for any man longer to take part
in the proceedings of the convention
as now constituted. The majority in
each case was slightly over So
In each case, therefore, if it had
not been for the rascality which
placed these fraudulent delegates on
the roll and permitted them to vote
the cause of decency would have
won; Mr.. McGovern would have been
elected in place of Mr.. Root; Coy
ernor Deneen's motion would have
prevailed and the republican national
convention would now be exercising
in good faith the fair, honorable and
important function of honestly repre-.
senting the wishes, the judgment and
the interests of the plain people who
make up the mass of the republican
party. Instead it now represents
nothing but successful political fraud
perpetrated in the interest of po-
litical and financial interest.
Il understood that Mr.. Root has
announced that not one of the stolen
delegates will be allowed to pass on
his own case, but will be permitted
on the other cases.
"Such ruling ic q viola tion of