Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-26
What TAFT'S
VICTORY
MEANT
Chief FEATURES EXPLAINED
And What Ii Committed the
G. 0. P. To.
Baltimore SUM

the republican national convention for
another term in the white house is in
strict accord with republican prece-
dent. In all the line of republican
presidents, only one of those who sur
vived the first term failed of a re-
nomination. That one was Ruther>
| ford B. Hayes, who title to the first
term was disputed Lincoln, Grant,
Harrison and Mckinley were all NOM
mated for a second term. Hayes was
not a candidate for denomination, nor
was he considered because of the
manner of his first election. His sue
cessor, Garfield, was murdered during
his first term, or he would have been
lrenominated Mr.. Roosevelt was not
nominated for the second time be-
cause he declared that he regarded
himself as already having served two
terms.
The denomination of Mr. Taft, how
ever, is departure from precedent
as to it's method. Other candidates
have been nominated in republican
conventions by the use of the steam
roller" and all other political ma
chinery that could be of service. But
at least the delegates who made the
nominations have always been con-
sidered bona fide delegates and emit
tied to their seats in the convention.
Not so, however, with the delegates
by whose votes the nomination of
Mr.. Taft was achieved. Without the
votes of the contested delegations from
a number of states, Mr.. Taft could not
have received the nomination. If the
contestants, who were clearly elected
and who plainly represented their
party had been seated Mr.. Roosevelt
and not Mr.. Taft would have been the
nominee.
The denomination of Mr.. Taft sup
plies a strong and telling argument
for the constitutional limitation Of
the president to single term. Even
with the votes of delegates denounced
by Mr.. Roosevelt as fraudulent, Mr..
Taft could not have been nominated
without the rotten borough, or pocket
borough votes of the South. The votes
represented no republican party and
no republicans. The Southern deIega-
tons in the main represented the fed
eral charlottesville administration
in short With such a power as the
president has, if he is content to use
that power and his political agents
are without political scruples, then he
can command and compel his renomi-
nation. Does anyone suppose that if
Mr.. Taft and Colonel Roosevelt had
been running against each other on
equal terms that Mr.. Taft could have
been nominated?
The significance of the action of the
republican convention is twofold. IT
is as we have said, the triumph of
machine methods and unfair methods
In addition to this, it is triumph
of conservatism and reaction; it is the
triumph of the high tariqff and the
protected and privileged interests; it
is a triumph of the "old guard" and
the stand-patters 1t commits the re-
publican party to all these things. 1t
commits the republican party to the
continued oppression of the people by
excessive tariff taxation; it commits
the party to the continued protection
of the great manufacturing manopolies
from outside competition; it commits
the party to everything against which
the progressive republicans and the
West have been protesting
And now, what are the democrats
sCing to do about it?