The Washington herald., 1912-10-18
ROOSEVELT GETS
BACK INTO THB
POLITICAL GAM
c..s....a sr.. r.s. o...

contest, hs saA The issues Of this cam
psign shouid not - dsterminsd b. ths
oct Of IN assassin. Neither Col Hooee-
Welt NOR his friends could ask that the
discussion should Be turned away from
the principles that arc involved. II he
70 elected President II should be because
Of what hs has done In. the past ana
what he proposes to do hereafter
Il Wish to point ont, however. that
neither nor my friends have asked that
the discussion Be turned away from the
principles that are involved. On the con-
trary, We emphatically demand that the
discussion be carried on precisely ~ II
I had not been shot. I shall be sorry u
Mr.. Wilson does not keep on the stump.
and feel that he owes II to himself and
the American people to continue ON the
stump.
IT wish to make one more comment ON
Mr.. Bryan's statement. It ID, Of course.
perfectly true that in voting for or
against mo consideration must be paid
to what I have done In the past and to
what I propose to do. But IL seems to
me far more important that consideration
should BE- paid to what the Progressive
party proposes to do.
Per.onalities Do Not Count.
81 cannot too strongly emphasize the
fact that Progressives insist that welfare
Of any one man In this hght 10 wholly
immaterial compared to the great and
fundamental issues involved In the tri-
umph Of the principles for which our
cause stands. II had been killed the
fight would have gone on exactly the
same. Gov. johnson. Senator Beveridse,
Mr.. Straus, Senator Bristow. Miss Jane
Adams, clifford Pinchot. Judge Ben
Lindsay. Raymond Robbins. and the hun
dreds Of other men now on the stump
are preaching the doctrines that I have
been preaching and stand for. and rep
resent just the same cause. They would
have continued the fight In exactly the
same way II I had been killed, and they
sre continuing It In Just the same way
now that am for the moment laid up.
$50 far as my opponents are con-
cerned, whatever could with truth and
rroprietv have been said against me
and my cause before ! was shot can with
equal truth and equal propriety be said
against me now. and should be % said:
and the things that cannot be said now
are merely the things that ought not
to have been said before. This ID not .
contest about any man; 1t ID . contest
concerning principles.
III my broken rib heals fast enough
to relieve. my breathing I shall hope to
be able to make one or two speeches in
the campaign: In any event. II 1 am not
sble to make them the men have men
toned above with the hundreds like them
would support our cause right to the
end Of the campaign. and I trust our
opponents will be supporting their cause
also"
Coehens Laabasts Bryan.
Shortly after this statement was is
sued Henry Cochems, Of Progressive
headquarters. called on the colonel at the
hospital.
In the evening Cochems. basing his re-
marks on q second speech Of Bryan's at
Indianapolis. called the .Nebraskan an
oratorical gravedigger and said that It II
absolutely ghoulish to say that Col.
Rooseveits supporters are using his
body as a shield"
Cochems insisted that the colonel was
not only ignorant Of the contents Of the
second statement. but Of the fact that
Bryan had made q second speech as
well.
The second statement is practically a
rctraction Of all the kind things the
colonel said about Bryan. When in
formed that this was the case Cochems
said that the colonel was asleep at this
hospital and could not under any cir
II will take the responsibility for this
announcement" he said. ''if any one
must take it,
Cochems' Statement.
Here is Cochems statement: Col.
Bryan's second interview, referring to
the disability Of Col. Roosevelt, delivered
at indianapolis last night. il Of a diff
ferent temper than the one issued at
Franklin. Ind, which induced q state
ment from Col. Roosevelt expressing ap-
probation of the sentiments Mr.. Bryan
had expressed and replying to the impu-
tations contained in that statement.
''The indianapolis interview Is a con-
donation of the violent assaults which the
newspapers have made on Col. Roose-
welt. and seeks to exculpate them by a
suggestion that other papers have spok-
en- Of other candidates with equal vio-
lence.
This is a shameless sentiment to either
entertain or express at a time when.
while conditions appear favorable. the
country does not yet know but what the
act which the assassin admits was in
cited by the assault Of certain news
papers. may yet result In tragic conse-
quence.
This is a new note In Mr.. Bryan's
nature. Under phrases Of coincidence he
hero argues over a PROSTATE mans body,
and then adds:
'Oratorical Grave DieEer.''
"'Mr. Roosevelts supporters must not
use this act to protect themselves and
their position from just criticism. The
brave soldiers on q battlefield do not use
the wounded for breastworks. They
stand out and give blow for blow
Further, Mr.. Bryan says:
Mr.. Roosevelts supporters cannot use
him As a shield to protect themselves
against the attacks that may be made
against the policies for which they
stand
This statement by Mr.. Bryan il the
statement of an oratorical grave digger.
It Is absolutely ghoulish in its apparent
desire to use this tragic event to give
voice here to an imputation that Col.
Roosevelt's supporters. or he personally.
are using his wounded body as a shield.
Mr.. Bryan apparently cannot leave him
alone, but desires to make the fact that
he 10 wounded the basis for the imputa-
ton Of cowardiy conduct on tho part Of
Col Roosevelt's followers and support
era. The thought I, and sentiment that
Induced that statement il not the
thought Of . Christian gentleman or of q
fair fighter"
No -Chaage In Condition.
Only three bulletins were issued
through the day by the physicians, and