The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-06-24
Col. Rooseveits Disappointment

Col. Rooseveit's Disappointment
Cedar Rapids Republican: Col.
Rooseyelt's greatest disappointment.
however, came out of the fact that his
own followers would not follow him.
His friends say that he had implicitly
believed that when he gave the word
that at least the seven little governors
One of whom. Hadley, grew to be
rather big would follow him. But
when 1t came to a question of parting
with the party, they demurred. Had
ley said he had spent his life in build
ing up the party in Missouri and he
did not want to forsake his life's
work in politics. He said he loved
the grand old party. even if those op-
posed to him held the whip hand for
the time being and that, as he believ-
ed, unfairly. The party might not be
right In this instance, but what organ
ization is always right. There was at
least better hope of reaching the
right through the party than outside
| of 1t. He did not want to destroy the
institution of the party because some
error had crept into it, as he saw
error.
That was the most crushing blow
to Theodore Roosevelt and it stag
gered him. He had supposed that all
of his men, at least his seven gov
ernors. would have been willing to set
him up above party. 1t was ascase of
which he found that his own estimate
of his personality was not shared by
even his own followers. When he ar
ranged the walk-out Wednesday night
only the Heneys and the Garfelds and
the Pinchots we're willing to follow
him and they were unattached influ-
ences. traffickers in personal vanities,
without party ties. The Hadleys, the
Borahs, the Deneens and even the
Glasscocks of West Virginia, some
what fierce fire-eaters, refused to fol-
low They said, in effect, they loved
their party more than their party
God. That is the blow that fell heav-
lest on Mr.. Roosevelt
That Colonel Roosevelt staggered
under this blow was shown by his sub
sequent actions. He staggered about.
He lost his fighting qualities. He kept
changing his mind every few mo-
ments. He tried one thing after an
other. He prepared statements and
tore them up. He was about to re-
lease his delegates, and then he did
not release them Finally, he decided
upon some sort of non-active partici-
patton, to remain in the convention.
but to take 70 part In it. But even
Idaho delegates deserted him bodily
when such proposition was made.
They were not going to be stool pig.
cons.
The truth of 1t is that Mr. Roosevelt
exaggerated his own ego little too
far for the endurance of his follow
ers. II he had really wanted merely
"a progressive Republican, he might
have placed himself behind La Fol-
iette or Cumming. He made such an
agreement with La Follette's men but
afterwards upset the agreement They
say he did it when the lust for power
dawned again in himself. He wanted
to get what no American had ever
received, twelve year occupancy of
the presidency. That he wanted it to
save progressive Republicanism is not
clear to the La Toilette men and It
has not been clear to the Cummfns
men. They say that when he was
President. Roosevelt fought the pro-
gressives like La Toilette and Cum
minis, but this year when he wanted
10 make himself the progressive lead
er. pushing aside La Toilette, he
enunciated doctrines to which not
even the La Follettes had ever con-
mitted themselves, thus endangering
their case by extravaganza of utter
ance which astounded even them.
Constitutional, Not Personal.
But. perhaps the fighting has not
been in vain. Human progress is
made. often, through such terrible
struggles. The Republican party. no
matter about its nominee, has been
forced TO take q more advanced DO
Eition. II has always been the party
of progress. II was born that way.
Some men simply thought that ii was
not progressing far enough nor fast
enough and so they organized them
selves into an inside force 10 push it
along and called themselves progress
fsiyes. They may not have won on
their men but they have made con
siderable victory along their princi-
pies. The Republican party has been
largely renade, almost reborn. Ii has
also had a rebaptism and that into
newer and more aggressive faith.
All the schemes tnat have been an
nounced in the name of progressive
ism are not feasible, nor even desir-
able, for national presidents and con-