Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1912-07-05
COLONEL TO STICK
ROOSEVELT DECLARES THAT
THE INTERESTS" SEEK TO
ELIMINATE HIM.
WILL FIGHT TO THE END
At Conference With Comptroller
Prendergast OF New York Declares
Sinister influences" Are Fighting
Him Because They Fear Him.

Oyster Bay. N. Y, June 2S.-Colonel
Roosevelt indicated here Wednesday
the issue upon which he is to make
his campaign for the presidency. He
purposes to base his appeal upon the
assertion hat what he has termed the
"big, sinister Influences" have deter
mined to eliminate him from public
life because he is the one man whom
they really fear. To accomplish this
purpose, he believes, they are willing
to take up any man who they think
can win the presidency owe him.
Having defeated him at the Chicago
convention, he says they hope to con-
troll the Democratic convention to
this same end.
They know me, and I know them"
he said. TT is anything to beat me.
I am fighting a lone hand, and l am
going to fight it out to the end"
The former president made this re-
mark after a long conference with
William A.. Prendergast, comptroller
of the city Of New York. Mr.. Prem
dergast came to Oyster Bay to induce
Colonel Roosevelt to say definitely
that under no circumstances would he
withdraw from the fight.
HAS any suggestion been made"
wal asked Mr.. Prendergast, that
man other than Colonel Roosevelt
should lead the fight for the new
party?"
Il will answer that question for
Mr.. Prendergast," said the colonel.
In the statement which I made IN
Chicago l said that / would stay in the
fight to the end. Since then l have
received hundreds of letters and tele-
grams urging me to go on with 1t, and
not one Of them suggested that get
out of 1t. In every case my reply is
just what l said in Chicago"
The comptroller said the reason he
was anxious tt make it clear that
Colonel Roosevelt would make the
fight was that the interests" which
defeated him at Chicago would do
anything in their power to keep him
out of the White House, and for that
purpose would gladly accept any 9TH
er progressive.
In Chicago, he continued, some OF
the Taft leaders asked him to go to
Colonel Roosevelt with the offer to
give the nomination to Governor Had
ley or any other man the colonel
might name. They had even offered,
he said, to put the Roosevelt delegates
from Texas and Washington back on
the list If he would consent to this.
Colonel Roosevelt corroborated this
statement and added that the same in
terests were hard at work at the Bal
timore convention.
Comptroller Prendergast said in a
statement that he had pointed out
to Colonel Roosevelt that the over
~shadowing issue was whether the
nomination for the presidency can be
stolen, and the people given an oppor-
tunity to pass judgment on the theft"
The object for which this fraud
was perpetrated," he said. was the
defeat Of Mr.. Roosevelt, not the nom
ination of anybody else. This con-
spiracy will be successful If any other
man is elected to the presidency. The
object of every honest man should.
therefore, be to elect him. Should
either Mr.. Taft or a Democrat be
elected. the success of the conspiracy
will be complete. If the presidency,
or a nomination for it, can be stolen,
and the thieves escape unpublished,
what security can there be for prop
erty or order?"