Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-09-03
COLONEL ON
TRAIL OF RED
BANDANNA
Spends Day in East and Heads for
St. Louis at
Night.
WOULD USE THE SCHOOLS
Declares Polls and Political Meet
ings Should Be in
Houses.
WOULD USE THE SCHOOLS

Albany, NY, Sept. 3.-Theodore
Roosevelt struck out on the trail of
the bandana handkerchief yesterday
to follow it on months journey in
to the four corners of the country.
His first days trip took him into
Connecticut and Massachusetts,.
Then he turned toward the west. He
was greeted at every stop yesterday
by large crowds.
Colonel Roosevelt discussed social
ism, one of Woodrow Wilson s
speeches, the tariff, the democrats
and the weather. He spoke feeling
ly of the weather, for he made some
of his speeches standing bareheaded
in the rain.
I'm sorry you should suffer so
much from the wet" he told the
crowd in Hartford, Conn. "I'm
glad to see, though, that the pro-
gressives of Connecticut never suffer
from cold feet"
The colonel announced his belief
that the national government
should help Tighten the expenses of
political campaigns.
He declared himself also in favor
of control of insurance companies
by the national government and said
school houses should be used for po-
litical meetings.
81 want to touch on the need of
the government exercising it's pow
ers to help voters to get more con-
troll over their machinery than at
present" he said at Hartford. Zone
of the ways by which I would see
that done is by having greater use
made of the school houses by getting
| the government to utilize them as
| they have never yet been utilized.
For example the polling places
ought all to be in the school houses.
At present We have the polling
places in sheds, barber shops, sa-
-everywhere-but we do not
have them in the school houses.
"But the school houses should be
utilized much more than that. They
should be thrown open to all citi-
zens for public meetings, and espec-
tally political meetings. That means
that either the school principal or
some other school officer should have
it made part of his duty to provide
for opening school buildings when
ever needed for public meetings and
should if necessary provide means
for having memoranda made of the
discussion.
"At first blush, this will strike
you as rather revolutionary move.
But / am sure we shall have to have
the government assume for all par
ties some of the expenses of our po-
litical campaigns.
ut ought not to be necessary for
the parties to hire buildings in
which their candidates are to speak.
We have the school houses in which
they can speak. We can make each
school house a senate chamber of the
plain people.
Think of how this would reduce
the expenses of campaigns. Every
thing should be done in the line of
making the government limit what
is necessary to be spent and what
can and shall be spent on cam
paigns, and also to make the govern
ment provide further legitimate
means of reaching the people by ar
guments, which ought to be the real
aim of every campaign committee"
Colonel Roosevelt began his tour
with the announced intention of
making one speech in most of the
states he is to visit. The only
speech he had planned to deliver yes
terday was in Hartford, although
few days ago he promised to stop at
III iuSSpoit, Sohh', IoI an HuuI.
at almost every stop along the line
he found crowds which cheered I'M
til he made a speech.
Colonel Roosevelt is due at st.
Louis at 3 p. m. today and after
speaking their will leave for ST.
Paul.