Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-07-05
LA TOILETTE ON ROOSEVELT

lnasmuch as senator La Toilette
OF Wisconsin has long been regarded
as the real leader of the progressive
element in the Republican party, his
opinion of Colonel Roosevelt is of
general interest. He gives it in an
editorial in the current issue of La
Follette's Magazine, as follows:
Until Roosevelt came into the
open as a candidate for the presi-
dency five months ago, there was a
strong and rapidly-growing progress
sive move in the Republican party.
1t was based upon clearly defined
principles. 1t stood forth as the rep
resentative of modern political
thought on fundamental democracy
1t had assumed national proportions.
1t was united.
Into this movement, when it gave
promise of national success, Roose-
welt projected his ambition to be
president third time. He spent
weeks carefully planning a 'spontan-
eous CALI for himself. He responded
by announcing that he would be a
receptive candidate. His candidacy
began to drag. He and his friends
were in despair. Then came his de-
feat in North Dakota. He became
desperate.
AN enormous campaign fund was
Eaised. Headquarters were opened
in New York, Washington, Chicago
and states east and west. News
paper writer's were engaged at large
prices to boom his candidacy. Spe-
cial trains were hired and the re-
ceptive' candidate started in a fran
tic pursuit of the nomination. In
the history of American politics there
never has been in a preliminary cam
paign for the presidential nomina-
ton, an approach to the extravagant
expenditures made in his campaign.
Men VIGOROUSLY identified with the
steel trust and the harvester trust
became his most active supporters.
Leading reactionaries, Standpatters
and political bosses of the Hanna and
Quay sort became his closest political
trends and representatives in many
states.
"a number of new recruits to the
Republican progressive cause, men
who before 1910, with three or four
exceptions, had been either indiffer-
ent or opposed to the progressive, be-
came the hoisiest supporters of
Roosevelt 1t mattered not to them
that Roosevelt had co-operated with
Aldrich on legislation during the en-
tire seven years he was president.
They forgot that it was only when
Roosevelt was out of office and in
Africa, through the united efforts
of men who for years had been fight
ing special interests, that the pro-
gressiVe cause became a national
movement. That Roosevelt was for
Taft in 1910 when Taft was denounc-
ing all progressiyes as pirates and
traitors" that he waited until little
more than year ago, balancing the
chance, before deciding whether to
cast in his lot with the progressives
in the presidential year, counted for
nothing with the class of progress
sives who wanted to win-not pro-
gressive victory, just victory.
And they did win precisely that
kind of a victory. They carried
overwhelmingly the great standpat
states of Illinois and Pennsylvania.
That stamped the Roosevelt candi-
dacy with its true character. No
real progressive could have secured
anything like such vote in either
of these two states. 1t had, how
ever. the outward seeming of sue
cess that intoxicates-that catches