The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1912-11-14
ROOSEVELT TO THE
FOUR MILLION VOTERS
$50 Far from Being Over, the Battle
Has Just Begun"

New York, Nov. Theodore Roose-
velt made formal statement tonight
bearing upon the election and the fu-
ture of the Progressive party. In line
with previous expressions of his and
his colleagues, he reiterates that the
Progressive party has come to stay"
and 80 far from being over, the bat
tie has just begun"
Roosevelt regards the party's show
ing in polling more than 4, 200, 600 votes
in the face of numerous obstacles nat
urally in the path Of the new move
ment as literally unparalleled in the
history Of free government.
The statement follows:
II congratulate the Progressives of
the country-that is, l congratulate
those good men and women who, with
sincerity of purpose for the common
good, have had the vision to look into
the coming years and see what the
future demands from US who work in
the present.
''What the Progressive party has
done since the theft Of the republican
organization by republican bosses at
Chicago last June is literally unparal-
leled in the history of free government
worked under representative institu-
tions. Three months have gone by
since some hundreds of earnest men
and women gathered to found the new
progressive party. Without much
money, without any organization,
against the wealth Of the country,
against the entire organized political
ability of the country, against the Bit
ter hostility of 80 per cent of the press
of the country, against the furious op-
position of every upholder of special
privilege, whether in politics OF in bus
mess, and with the channels of infor-
nation to the public largely choked-
the progressive party has polled be-
tween four and four and one-half mill
lion votes; it has hopelessly beaten one
Of the old parties in the electoral COL
lege and in popular vote; has taken
second place in the nation, and either
first or seeend ;place Ely. in eome 81 of the
48 states. ''s''&
''No task in any way approaching
this has ever before been performed
by any party in our country, such &
feat. performed by volunteers hastily
brought together and without any pre-
vious cooperation with each other
against trained veterans Of the polit-
ical arena-these trained veterans in
cluded the entire mercenary forces of
politics-should be source of pride,
not only to those who performed the
task, but to all believers in good cit
izenship and in the capacity of Amer
leans for self government.
''During the campaign said repeat
edly that this was in no shape or way
q one man movement, but q movement
for great principles movement which
has sprung aa all healthy movements in
our Democracy must spring, from the
heart and conscience of the people
themselves. This truth must be kept
steadily before the minds of all of US.
The Progressive party has come to
stay. If either of the old parties will
endeavor to put into legislation any
one of our pfanks it can count upon
our hearty support in so doing; but we
will not rest contented until the entire
platform is enacted in law and be-
comes a part Of our government, nat
ional and state.
II am proud indeed that the great
good fortune has been mine to fight
shoulder to shoulder with men and
women who, in the ranks and in the
various positions Of leadership have
waged this great battle for social and
industrial justice. So far from being
over, the battle has just begun.
''We will not rest content until every
feature of the Progressive program has
been put into effect; and when this has
been done, unquestionably there will
be open to US new avenues along which
it will still be our duty to work for the
moral and economic betterment of the
people.
(Signed)