Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-06-24
ROOSEVELT DECLARES HIS POSITION
ISSUES RINGING STATEMENT GIVING HIS REASONS FOR REFUSING To
RECOGNIZE The ACTIONS OF The PRESENT CONVENTION

its chairman the Guggenheim dele
gate from Colorado, who already, as
national committeeman, assisted in
initiating the very frauds upon which
he is now to sit in judgment. Moth
ing mat this committee may do is en-
Titled TO consideration, and in con-
slderlng what they will do it will be
well to keep in mind the remark
made in private by one of the nation
al committeeman, who when asked
why they had stolen so many more
delegates than were needed for their
purpose. answered that it would en-
able the credentials committee to
make a show of generosity in seating
some, while retaining a number am
ply sufficient to accomplish the ends
they sought.
Moreover, it is well to remember
that the fraud is equally great and
equally responsible, whether the
fraudulent delegates actually vote on
the nomination or whether they are
merely used to create a situation
which renders it unnecessary for
them to vote on the nomination for
president If the roll is not purged
Ell masse of these fraudulently elect
/ ed delegates the whole action of the
! convention is tainted.
The committee on rules has lust.
/ against the protest of the progressive
members, provided for the perpetual
| tion of the national committee in the
! form responsible for the scandalous
outrages which have at this moment
! brought the republican party to the
| breaking point and they have eX-
! pllcitly refused to recognize the prin-
ciple of another presidential primary
and have made the national commit
tee supreme over the people in the
matter of primaries.
Unfortunately. in our political
life, the INSCRIPTIONS man who COM
mits wrongs such as these, can usu-
ally count on having some respect
able men support him and other re-
spectacle men oppose him, but cease
their opposition at the point when it
would become really effective. In
this convention the INSCRIPTIONS
men who also are the leaders have
already received support from the
former class of respectable men; and
they count on seeing representatives.
OF the latter class, who have hitherto
voted against them, fear to take the
decisive step of severing connection
with the fraudulent convention itself.
Such are the facts about the ma
tional convention as now constituted.
| decline any longer to be bound by
any action it may take. | decline to
regard as binding any nomination ii
may make. | do not regard success
full fraud and deliberate political
theft as constituting title to party
regularity, or a claim to the support
,, OF any party.
II hope that the honestly elected
majority will at once insist upon the
immediate purging of the roll in its
entirety and not piecemeal, by the
convention. If this purging is not
accomplished, | hope the honestly
elected delegates will decline all fur
ther connection with a convention
whose action is now determined and
has hitherto been determined by q
majority which is made a majority
only by the action of fraudulent dele,
gates whom the convention has re
fused to strike from the rolls.
''If the leaders of the honestly
elected majority disagree with me il
this matter and wish for any cause
to defer for the moment this action
then | most earnestly hope that "a
least they will insist upon voting or
the cases of these fraudulent dele
gates en- bloc and not separately. We
cannot afford to pardon a thief or
condition that he Surrenders half the
stolen goods.
IF the honestly elected majority
of the convention choose to proceed
with the business and to nominate
me as the candidate of the republican
party, I shall accept If some fear
to take such a stand and the remain
der choose to inaugurate a movement
to nominate me for the presidency
as progressive on a progressive
platform, and if in such event the
general feeling among progressives
favors my being nominated, | shall
accept. In either case | shall make
my appeal to every honest citizen in
the nation, and | shall fight the cam
paign through, win or lose, even if
| do not get a single electoral vote.
II do not wish a single man to
support me from personal feeling for
me. | have nothing to offer any man;
any man who supports me will do so
without hope of gain, and at the risk
of personal loss and discomfort. But
if, having this in view, those fervent
in their great fight for the rule Of
the people and for social and indus
trial justice, which has now become
a clear-cut fight for honesty against
dishonesty, fraud and theft, desire
me to lead the fight, will do so.
There can be no cause for which it
Is better worth while to fight; none
I in which it is of less consequence
what happens to the individual HIM
self, provided only that he valiantly
does his duty in the forward move
ment.
81 shall make my appeal to hon
est men, east and west, north and
south, and gladly take the result,
whatever that result may be.
/