The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-15
ROOSEVELT PAID
TRIBUTE TO HIS
OLD CHIEF"
Said Mckinley Was Close to the
plain People"
FIRST SPEECH IN OHIO
Colonel Attacked Taft Managers but
Denies That He Is Preaching
Class Hatred

Canton, Ohio, May 14.-Colonel
Roosevelt tonight in his first speech
in this state prior to the Ohio prim-
aries said that it was his desire to
open the campaign in the home town
of the late President Mckinley whom
he referred to as my old chief" He
said that President Mckinley was "a
man who al his life long kept in
peculiarly close touch with the plain
people"
President Mckinley" he contin-
ued, would have been quite incapa-
BILE of expressing, because he would
have been quite incapable of feeling,
the deep distrust of the people which
inspires those who sheer at them as
a 'rabble' or mob those who lay
stress upon their fear of tyranny Of
the majority, and upon their ty-
ranny of the majority, and upon
their disbelief in the right of ma
jority actually and not nominally to
shape their own destinies, and TO
control the public officials who are
or should be the servants OF the peo-
pie and not the masters of the peo-
pie
Colonel Roosevelt renewed his at
tack on President Taft and the men
prominent in directing the presi-
dents campaign for denomination. He
referred to Senator Lorimer of Hin
OILS, as mir. Taft's lieutenant" He
strongly criticised Representative
William NJ. Mckinley, manager of the
presidents campaign, for referring,
the colonel said, in a public state
ment to the men who opposed Presi-
dent Taft in the Maryland campaign
as the rabble Of cities"
From the writings and public ad-
dresses of Abraham Lincoln, Colonel
Roosevelt quoted more literally than
at any time previously during his
campaign for the presidential nomi-
nation He asserted that the pro
gressiye Republicans today stand for
the principles which were advocated
by President Lincoln. Colonel Roose
welt reiterated many OF the declara-
tons made in his speech before the
Ohio constitutional convention at
Columbus. and defended his course
in advocating the recall OF judicial
decisions. Colonel Roosevelt IN part
said:
I'VE, who stand for real progress
within the Republican party, have
been accused OF preaching discomfort
and class hatred. | do not believe
that even those who make the accus-
alton believe what they assert. At
any rate. the accusations are only
true IN the sense that they would be
true II made OF Lincoln and Lin.
coins companions fifty and fifty-flve
years ago. and we endeavor TO act
toward all men in the spirit of kind.
ly charity which Lincoln showed.
But We do preach hatred of evil We
hold that We would be recreant to
Lincoln's memory II with supine ac-
quiescence We permitted evil, wheth.
er political or industrial, to continue
to sit in the high places and exalt
the horn Of the unrighteous. Lin.
coin preached discomfort with slav-
cry and in the same way We preach
discomfort with Industrial tyranny
and oppression. and with any failure
Of legislator or Judge to see that the
rights Of the wage worker and the
former are properly safe guarded.
Lincoln preached discomfort with
the action OF certain president and
n certain senator. and (the bred
Scott easel with the action of the
chief justice and the other members
OF the supreme court themselves.
when he found the servants OF the
people, by their actions, betraylng
the interests OF the people. In the
same way We preach discomfort with
all men, no matter how high their
official position, no matter what the
official position may be, whether ex.
ecutive, legislative, or judicial, who
interpret the constitution in such
fashion as to show that they do not
believe in its preamble. where II
explicitly states that IL has been ere
ated to bring about Justice and to
promote the general welfare. Lin.
coin preached discomfort with Pres
ident Buchanan and his ofliceholders
and with the bosses Of his day. We
do not hate them. and II they would
retire into private life they would
have our cordial good will We do
most emphatlcally desire that they
quit governing us and let us govern
ourselves, and when. as Is too often
the case, they govern us by suppress.
ing our rights to self government.
when they govern us by means OF
corruption and against our interests
and In the interests OF special priv.
ilege, then We feel that Il is our high.
est duty, sternly. resolutely to drive
thpm from ntthifr fifo