Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1912-03-06
WORKS ONLY FOR THE PEOPLE
is ENDEAvoRlNe TO RESTORE
THE GOVERNMENT TO THEIR
HANDS, HE SAYS
had NO PERSONAL AMBITIONS
he is WILLING TO TRY FOR NoMl-
NATION SOLELY FOR coUN-
TRYs GOOD

Mineola, l.. l., March 6.-Secretary
Stimson's speech in Chicago last
night supporting President Taft for
the republican nomination brought
from Mr.. Roosevelt today tart re-
ply.
'1n regard to Mr.. Stimson's state
ment that against my original inten-
ton l am being forced by certain per-
sons into the arena this year, | need
merely say" declared Colonel Roose-
velt, chat the statement is correct
only in the sense that it would be cor
rect to make the same statement as
to my advocacy of Mr.. Stimson for
governor in 1910 In that contest,
as in this, was exceedingly reluctant
to be drawn into the contest. In that
contest, as in this acted only from
a sense of duty to the people as a |
whole. and in that contest was as
sailed with precisely the same argu-
ments of the great majority Of thosej
who are now assailing me- IL
The colonel continues:
If had considered only my own
personal interests and personal pref
erence, / should. of course, have kept
out of the 1910 campaign, have let
the machine remain in control at Sar
atoga and seen the state go demo
cratic by 10000 majority. as under
those circumstances it certainly would
have gone.
81 went in because conscientious
ly felt that it was my duty to take
my part in the fight for honest got-
ernment, for genuine self-government
by the people, without regard to the
consequences to myself; and | am in
this fight on precisely the same basis
and for practically the same reasons.
Let me add, in view of the ques-
tions of certain friends, that neither
Mr.. Stimson nor any other man whom
Ihave supported for public office owes
me any gratitude for doing so; sup
port a man, not to get his gratitude
but because I believe he will render
good service to the people, and I ask
nothing from any man in return ex-
cept that he render such service to
the people, and l judge him accord
ingly.
GAS for the question concerning
who are forcing me into the arena
the answer is easy.
(Which side is making the demand
for open primaries and which side is
stifling this demand wherever pos
sible, refusing to accede to 1t save un-
der compulsion and trusting to the
use of patronage, to such methods as
those tried in the recent Kansas City
congressional convention, and to those
very machine leaders who have turn
ed complete somersault as regards
the president during the last four
years.
s'These leaders are managing the
campaign against me; and If they
were deliberately trying TO wreck the
republican party they would follow
precisely the tactics they have been
following tactics which make it seem
that they would rather see the repub-
lican party defeated than see it re-
stored to what 1t was under Lincoln
and see it become again the genuine
party of the people, the party that
stands for real popular rule, and for
the highest ideals of social and indus
trial justice to be achieved through
popular rule.
I'VE stand for direct presidential
preferential primaries everywhere, in
Massachusetts. in Illinois. in New
York (for in New York the present
primary law. passed by the machines
of two parties is expressly designed
to prevent either party from escaping
the control of the professional politi-