Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-04
NOT A PROGRESSIVE.
Kentuckians Hear RooseveIt's
Opinion of Taft
DEFINES TERMS MEANING
Men Fighting Privilege Come With
in Classification.
CITES SHIFT IN POLITICS
Reactionaries Once Fighting Chief
Executive Now for Him,
Says Colonel.

LOUISVILLE. KY. April 4.-'Every
man who fights fearlessly and effectively
against special privilege in any form
is to that extent progressive. Every
man who, directly or indirectly, upholds a
privilege and favors the special interests,
whether he acts from evil motives or
merely because he Is puzzle headed, or
dull of mental vision, or lacking in social
sympathy. or whether he simply lacks
interest in the subject, is a reactionary."
So declared Theodore Roosevelt here
last night in a speech which he devoted
largely to defining "progressiveness' as
he applies the word to American politics
of today.
The former President, who spoke before
a crowd Of 5000 at Phoenix Hill Park
assailed the alleged steam roller methods
of the Taft forces in the southern states.
He declared the postmasters of Ken
lucky. Georgia, Florida and South Caro-
lima were actively engaged in promoting
the Taft propaganda.
Position of President.
I'm his recent speech at Philadelphia
began Col. Roosevelt, President Taft
stated that he was progressive and this
raised the question as to what a progress
sive u.s. More is involved than any mans
say-so as to himself
"A well meaning man may vaguely
think Of himself as a progressive without
| having the faintest conception Of what a
progressive is. Vision and intensity of
conviction must both go to the makeup
of any man who is to lead the forward
| movement, and mildly good intentions are
wholly useless as substitutes.
The essential difference, as old as civil
| lied history, is between the men who.
with fervor and broad sympathy and
imagination. stand for the forward move
| ment, the men who stand for the uplift
and betterment of mankind, and who have
faith in the people, on the one hand, and,
on the other, the men of narrow vision
and small sympathy, who are not stirred
by the wrongs Of others. and with these
men stand those other men who distrust
| the people. and some of whom at least
to keep them helpless SO as to exploit
them for their own benefit"
Question Of Courts.
| Referring to the method he has advo-
| Gated Of letting the people Of state
decide upon the constitutionality of GER
| tain acts of their courts, Col. Roosevelt
declared:
ITO denounce such proposition as
| Putting an ak to the tree of freedom
without proposing any more workable or
| of the special interests, in whose favor
as against the people and against the
cause Of justice, the courts have decided.
when, in difference to the reaction
aries in Congress, the President put a
| stop to the work of the country life COM
mission, so that for three years the ma
| tional government has done little but
| mark time, or, indeed, to step backward,
| as regards this movement them no mat
| ter how good his Intentions, his actions
ranged him against the progressive side.
When the President supports those
| courts which declare that the people
\ have no power to do social justice
| by making laws such as those
| have above outlined, and when he op-
poses the effort to give to the sober
| judgment of the people due effect, against
! the decisions of reactionary court, then
! he shows himself a reactionary.