Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-08-02
The Worst About Taft.
From the Chicago Tribune

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The worst thing about the Chicago
convention was not the nomination Of
Taft against the wishes of the repub-
lican voters. The worst thing it did
was not the deliberate seating of
fraudulent delegates. Even the crea-
tion of a possibility that Sunny jim"
Sherman might become president was
not it's worst act.
| The act which stamped it's control
| ling majority as enemies of the party,
of the people and of representative
government is contained in the fol-
lowing rules adopted to govern the
next convention:
| "There shall be n republican ma
tional committee consisting of one
member from each state, one mem
Der each from the territories of Ha-
| waii and the District of Columbia and
one member from each of the territor-
ial possessions, to-wit: the Philippine
Islands, Porto Rico, and Alaska.
"The national republican commit
tee shall, however, have power to de-
clare vacant the seat Of any member
who refuses to support the nominees
of the convention which elected such
national republican committee and
| ill such vacancies.
"rhe republican national commit
tee shall issue the call for the meet
ing of the national convention 60 days,
l,D 70
said meeting, and delegates to the
national convention shall be chosen
in such manner as the national COM
mittee shall provide"
BY these rules they demand that 53
men not recognized by or responsible
to any law, many of them coming from
states and territories where there is
no republican party, many of them
avowed representatives of criminal
corporations, many Of them notorious
ly corrupt political bosses, may expel
many men of conscience from among
their number, may call another ma
tional convention, and may provide
for the election of delegates in man
ner contrary to law, and if delegates
are elected in accordance with the
law, as happened this year in Cali
| fornia, may unseat those delegates
and put in men of their own picking
and then nominate a candidate for
the presidency and call this man the
republican nominee.
These rules stamp with approval
the system whose abuse at Chicago
has shocked the conscience and out
ragged The self respect of republicans
throughout the country.
The worst thing about Taft is that
he has become the open and avowed
cham pion of this plan. His election
would mean that the people intend to
turn over the selection of president
to an extra legal body of 53 men.
Every man every newspaper that sup
ports Taft openly or surreptitiously,
is working to take the selection OF a
president away from the people and
give it to committee of professional
politicians.
That good could come from such an
act is inconceivable. For what evil
does arise, Taft and the convention
bosses are responsible. All honest
men in or out of office. Of private life
or seeking election, must repudiate it.
The method OF reputation is one of
matter of judgment or temperament.
Some will favor third party. Some
will support Roosevelt as republicans.
But all upright men who believe In
honesty and In real republican COVER
nment must repudiate the Chicago
convention, its methods, and its re-
suits.
| Your money back II you don't like
! - II-xafa - 4 L.,