New-York tribune., 1912-04-07
ROOSEVELT TURNS ON
LOR|MER AND CHOATE.
Attacks Senator in Home State
and New York Lawyer, Who
Oppose His Ideas.
TALKS TO MANY IN RAIN
Colonel Declares Men of Wealth
Who Disagree with Him Are
Against Rule Of
People.

speeches and an encounter with slashing
April storm Colonel Roosevelt made to-day
the first half of his campaign tour OF I'LL
nois. He made his first speech In Rockford
and his last one here. Although In several
towns the people listened 10 him at the cost
of drenching, he was met everywhere by
crowds.
The principal speech was delivered In
Springfield this evening. In 1t Colonel
Roosevelt attacked Senator Lorimer, OF
Illinois, in emphatic language. He took
issue with Joseph H. Choate and other
New York lawyers, who have formed an
association to combat his ideas I'm regard
to the judiciary. and expressed his opinion
about what he termed the nice, exclusive
persons" OF great wealth. who. he said,
are easily frightened especially by the
bugbear of majority tyranny"
The formation OF the LorlmerL Lincoln
Republican League. which is opposed to
Roosevelt, furnished the theme for the
coonel's remarks about the Senator.
Mr.. Roosevelt expects to rest tomorrow.
He intends to spend most of Tuesday with
friends in Pittsburgh, making a speech in
the evening. His Philadelphia speech IS
scheduled for the following night
In his speech here tonight Mr.. Roosevelt
said:
Men and women OF Illinois, I do not see
how any Republican, shall go further
than that. and say. do not see how any
good American cltiZen-can be In Illinois
at this time and fail 10 realize that in every
essential the present situation repeats the
situation when Lincoln made his great.
historic struggle for righteousness I'm this
gtrs In nj f.ag a
Lincoln made his fight on the two great
fundamental issues OF the right OF tho
people. 10 rule themselves, and not TO DE
ruled by any mere part of the people. aud
on the vital need that this rule Of the
people shall be exercised for social and
industrial justice. in a spirit of broad char
iry and kindliness 10 all, but with stern IN
sistence that privilege shall be eliminated
from our industrial life and be shorn OF
It's power in our political life. The de-
tenders OF privilege have no real right TO
represent the Republican party. still less
to dominate II.
Especially. men and women of Illinois. IL
Is an infamy and outrage that Lincoln,
who stood for honesty I'm politics as well
life. should have his name desecrated by
abuse in connection with Mr.. Lorimcr ard
his advocates. They stand for and typify
all those evil influences against which LIN
coins whole life was a protest.
This exactly and precisely describes the
present situation. The individuals who be-
iieve in privilege and those who distrust tho
people were against Lincoln then and they
are against us new
1t is announced IN the papers that Mr..
Joseph Choate is to head an association OF
lawyers t. protest against our proposals
for seeing the rule OF the people made gen
zine and .or insisting that social justice
shall prevail against every form OF reac-
ion. even though the form taken at the
moment may be that OF reactiOnary court;
which acts as n bulwark Of privilege ana
OF he special interests, Mr.. Choate and
:hoso with him have either forgotten or do
not care to remember and certainly never
alude to the fact that Lincoln In 1913 ana
later fought his night largely on the very
issue we now advance. lie insisted tnat
when the courts. as IN the Dred Scott case,
misrepresented the people and stood against
in the interest Of special privilege and Of
tyranny then IL became the duty OF all
friends Of true freedom TO tcmporately and
resolutely take issue with the court
lie made the fight for human rights
without regard to who his opponents were
whether those opponents were Presidents
or chief justices or Senators. and Lincoln
coupled the rames OF two Presidents with
those of chief justice and Senator as
being specifically the opponents of the
people and OF Justice and the friends OF
privilege: and he unsparlngly criticised
the chief Justice whom he was attacking.
Moreover, lust as Mr.. Choate now says,
according 70 the papers. that ne IS defend
ing the Constitution. so Presidents Buchanan
and Pierce and Chief Justice Tawney said
when they werc defending tho Constitution
against Lincoln. and James Russell Lowell
spoke of them as ''pettifogging the ConstI-
tuition.
Fling at Mr.. Choate.
Eight years ago Mr.. Parker ran for the
Presidency. The lawyers OF precisely the
same 81 mp az those I'm the present move
mont formed 4 Parker Constitutional club.
with John T.. Parsons as leading member.
IN every fundamental matter that Parker
Constitutional Club. and under the lead OF
Mr.. John T.. Parsons and his associates.
occupied precisely the ground now occupied
by Mr.. Choate and his associates.
The representatives. Of privilege. the men
against tho rule OF the plain people. and
who distrust the people. care very little for
party names. They were for Mr.. Parker
and the Democratic party In 1901, and now
they oppose uS. who stand for the cause
OF progress and OF Justice within the Re
publican party with just the same bitter
ness ard with exactly the same purpose.
They were accurately described by Lincoln
in the extract | have given above, when
he said that there had been nothing I'm
politics since the Revolution so congenial
to their nature as the position then taken
by his opponents The same thing Is true
now These people are against me because
they are against the cause ! represent, and
their hostility is precisely the same.
whether 1t manifests Itself within the Re
publican party. as at this moment. or
whether IT manlfests itself on behalf OF
the Parker Democracy OF eight years ago
In theory these people. when they OPP
pose ma jority rule and stand up for those
courts that do social injustice. are advo;
eating what President Taft has called
government Of the people. by a repre-
sentative part OF the people" But, In
actual practice this simply means govern
lment of the people for the special interests
by the boss. II you people in Illinois let
the bread-and- -butter politicians and the
federal oficeholders and the men Of the
stamp of Senator I,orimer and his associ-
ates master you In your government. you
cannot expect 10 get social or Industrial
justice.
-xn ~rrronn mo cnrAU