Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-20
OPPOSITION RUN WASTE.

4 Franklin MacVeagh, secretary OF
the treasury who was prominent
among republican progressives when
he was called to the cabinet, gave
out an interview in Chicago yesterday
which supplemented the speech he
made at Lansing the day before in be-
half of President Taft. Mr.. Mac
|Veagh said: .f*A
''The Taft opposition is showing it.
self to be movement, without sub
stance, without progressive quality, and
without any rational excuse in the
world said Mr.. MacVeagh. 1T is
without dignity. And, worst of all, it
is without the slightest possible sense
of humor 1t is opposition run to
waste. 1t is voice and nothing else.
"Most Of the men who are in this
futile and superficial movement are
the men with whom have often poll
|tically sympathized and acted. But
they are ridiculously mistaken in their
opposition to President Taft. They
have no case. They hop from candi-
date to candidate as lightly as birds
hop from twig to twig. 1t is LaFol-
lette or Cummins or Roosevelt, as the
fancy strikes them.
UNLESS am gravely mistaken, they
will find a different man to deal with
in Roosevelt. believe the anything
to-beat-Taft' people will never succeed
in getting Roosevelt to lead them.
They are dealing with one who knows
politics, and with a man who has
wealth of great things of the past to
look after, to cherish and to protect.
They are dealing with a man who
penetrates political DISCUSSES and esti-
mates political forces"
Concluding with high tribute to
President Taft Mr.. MacVeagh said:
'If there is a strong man in Ameri-
ca who is 1arge-minded, generous
spirited and unselfish it is President
Taft. The man who thinks least of
himself and most of his work is Taft.
The man whose one conspicuous weak
ness is that he cannot think consecu-
lively of his own interests is Taft. And
If there is one man who accomplishes
results it is Taft. And if there Is one
man who deserves well Of his coun-
srymen it is Taft.
"They say his personal relations
have been too much with the republi-
can regulars. But the simple truth Is
that his personal relations have been
with all those who have helped him to
accomplish things-with regular repub-
licans with progressive republicans
and with democrats
"The simple truth is that he has
broadly converted people to progress
sive ideas and progressive policies
And there is the secret Of his great
success, the secret Of his unexampled
achievements, the secret of the marvel
GUS record of his term
"The American people are beginning
to think, shouts William j. Bryan.
When the people think for themselves
they will repudiate the standpat re-
publicans, declares Clifford Pinchot.
Both of these expressions" the Kansas
City Journal says, assume that up to
date the people have not been think
ing. And both assumptions are wrong.
There has been no time in the history
of our country when the people have
done more thinking on their own &C
count than during the past fifteen
years. The trouble seems to have been
that they did not think favorably of
Bryan, and that they continued to
think we'll of president after he had
kicked a bunch of knockers and poll.
!tical incompetents out of the govern
ment service"