The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-06-18
ROOSEVELT HANDS
OUT HOT ONES N
SPEECH At RALLY
LAST NIGHT
CHARGES REPUBLICAN NATION.
AL COMMITTEE WITH POIIT-
ICAL THEFT.
TAFT PARTY TO STEAL, TOO
Says Issue Great Moral One. and
Taft's Triumph Would Mean Com
mission OF Great Crime.
(!iy Associated Press. J


Chicago. June Is At the tOosc-
welt rally 1T the Auditorium last
night Theodore Roosevelt addressed
ar immense audience discussing the
various matters pertaining to hiscan-
didacy and tho campaign leading up
to the convention Mr.. Roosevelt
said in part.
My Friends and Fellow Cti-
"cns: address you III my fcl-
low Republicans hut also
primarily address !ou as fellow
Americans. fellow citizens. for this
has now become much more than an
ordinary fight The isic is both sim
pier and larger than that involved in
the personality Of any man. or than
that involved in any factiOnal, or in
amy ordinary party contest. We are
standing for the great fundamental
rights upon which all successful free
government must be- based. We are
standing for elementary decency In
politics We are fighting for honesty
against naked robbery; and where
robbery is concerned. the all-impOrt-
ant question is not the identity of
the man robbed. but the crime it,
self
"As far rs Mr.. Taft and | ars per-
sonally concerned. 1t little matters
what the fate Of either may be. But
with Mr.. Taft's asquicsccnce Of by hts
direction, and In his interest. his fol-
lowers have raised an issue which Is
all important to this country. 1t is
not a partisan issue; 1t Is more than
Il political issue; II Is u great moral
issue II We cOndOnc political theft,
IL W. do not resent the kinds OF
wrong and injustice that will injur-
iOuSly affect the whole nation, that
not M rely our Democratic form of
;,Oy"rr mrnt, but our civilization it,
self caa endure II methods adopted
by tn national committee are ap-
proved by the convention which is
about 70 assemble. Il 2reai crime will
have been committed The triumph
"a su i proceedings at thn moment
ould mean thu wreck oi The Krpub-
lican party, aud if such prarr"dings
b"con habiiual. i, would mean the
VIE of popular go,ornmcn' The
act ions oi The Taft leaders in the ma
tional committee, taken with the ae-
tive aid of Mr. Tali's private scrre-
tary and one of Mr. Tafi's cabinet
officers are monS'rous andthcy should
b" Indignantly condemned by the
moral sent iimenf of the whole coun-
try Tonight ~ come together TO
protest against a crime which strikes
straight al the heart OF every prin-
cipIe of political drccncy and hon
csiy, a crime which represents treas
on TO the people, and th, usurpatiOn
of the sovereignty Of the people by
irresponsible political bosses, inspired
By the sinister influences of mOneyed
privilege We. here in this hall, are
engaged not only in a fight for the
rights of every decent Republican.
We are engaged in fight for the
rights OF every decent American
whatsoever his party may be And.
oh. my friends. for one thing at least
We should be profoundly grateful We
are more fortunate than our fathers
in that there is no slightest tinge OF
sectionalism in th.. fight We are now
waging The principles for which
We stand are aS vital for the south
as for the north. for he east as for
the west We make our appeal 10 all
honest. far-sieht,d and patriotic
Americans. no matter where they
may dwell
When in February last ! made up
ny mind that il was my duty to en-
ter this fight. it was after long and
careful filiberation. | had become
convinced that Mr.. Taft had definite
IL ami Completely abandoned tn
rarsa - tn" people and hal sur