The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-27
WHEN LOYALTY IS DUE.
Colonel Roosevelt Discusses His ReIa-
lions to the Republican Party.

New York May 27.-''This >ampaign
has been a fight by the rank and file
| against the bosses. 1t is we progress
sives who are the real Republicans.
because it is we who are standing
along with the rank and file. The pop
ular primaries have shown that the
Republican voters do not want anyone
else to govern them; they want to gov
ern themselves" is the opening para
graph of an editorial by Theodore
Roosevelt, which appears in the cur
rent issue of The Outlook.
"The party is not made UP of the
bosses or the party workers alone; it is
made up of all the voters of the party,
the editorial says.
Every party has to have its leaders.
The true party leader is the man who
tries to lead and not drive the voters,
and to put into effect their deliberate
judgment. He has the right and duty
to go before the voters and try to per-
suade them, but he has no right, by
trickery or violence, to try to impose
his own will upon them against theirs.
The man who tries to impose his will
upon the voters, who tries to do things
against the will of the voters-he is a
boss.
In this campaign we have shown
that whenever the people have a
chance to express themselves they
have no use for bosses Even states,
of the party to express their wishes.
Out of 324 delegates elected at these
primaries, the most that Mr.. Taft
could secure with the help of party or
ganization and patronage, and with
the bosses on his side, amounts only
to 48.
Party Loyalty.
1.-THE only state where Mr.. Taft has
secured his real victories are the states
where the party is in the control, not
of the people, but of the bosses. That
shows clearly on which side in this is
sue Mr.. Taft stands.
THAT shows that this is a straight
issue between the bosses on the one
side, and the people on the other side.
When. in the face of that fact, Mr..
Taft says in spite of this vote that he
expects the Chicago convention to be
under the control of the friends of
constitute nal government it is clear
ly evident what he means by such
friends All that this means is that
the convention which will make the
presidential nomination would have to
defy the will of tho voters, it would
have to override the peoples will.
"Those who want special privilege
very well know who their friends are.
They are glad to- make alliance with
the bosses. This is what they mean
when they talk about being friends of
constitutional government The way
to break the pow .r of special privilege
is to break the power of the boss on
whom it depends.
"It has been said by my opponents
that what 1 am standing for is treason
to the party When they speak of the
party they mean the bosses and their
understrappers VINO have so often
manipulated the rarty machinery.
decline to recognize the bosses as en-
bodying in their own persons the par
ty. 1 recognize the rank and file as
making up the part and it is to them
that my loyalty is due.
when 1 say, therefore that no Re-
publican is called upon to surrender to
the irresl- onsible action of party boss
es, 1 am showing my loyalty to the
people. No loyalty is due TO the bosses
who defy or disregard the will of the
people. The only loyalty 1 acknowI-
edge is loyalty to the rank and file,
loyalty 20 the people,"