The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-04
Il. r. Gives Wilson "FearfuI
Slamming" in N. Y. Speech.
Says He Places Nations Belly
Above Its Soul.
A POOR HORSE IN STREAM
Swapping Mounts Only Saliva
ton of Country Now.
Colonel Given Enthusiastic Re-
ceptiOn by Gotham Crowd.

New York, Nov. 4.-Colonel Roose-
Welt and large crowd of his admirers
had hot time in Cooper Union Friday
night slamming Woodrow Wilson. The
colonel concentrated everything he
had said before about the president
during the campaign into this final
speech and said some new things.
Very little was said about Mr..
Hughes. John Wanamaker, who pre-
sided. spoke of him more times in his
talk of 20 minutes than the colonel
did in his talk of more than an hour.
From appearance the colonel might
have been the candidate.
The crowd was quite different in APP
pearance from the Wilson meeting of
the night before There were many
in evening clothes and one-fifth at
least of the audience was women, in
cluding some of the Roosevelt family.
on the stage were many old guard Re
publicans and George w Perkins to
represent the returned ProgresslVeS.
There wasn't a heckler in the crowd:
When Colonel Roosevelt entered the
crowd cheered him for seven minutes,
four more than the crowd cheered
Wilson the night before. Cries of we
want Teddy made the colonel smile
The cheers were taken up OUTSIDE the
hall by thousands in the street
Mr.. Wanamaker spoke for the bust
ness interests or the country III III
Producing Mr.. Roosevelt
Peril Threatens Z. S.
Il believe, and many business men
believe" he said, that a period of
peril and distress threatens this nation
on account of the Wilson policies. L
believe the Republican party, which,
under God. saved the nation 90 years
ago, will have to save it now from be-
ing plunged into a century of indebt-
edness."
Colonel Roosevelt was cheered for
another minute when he began to
speak His scornful reference to Mr.
Wilson as another Buchanan made the
crowd yell with delight and when ne
said the president resembled a horse
in the middle of stream that moved
feebly forward and feebly backward
and occasionally lies down, they
cheered for minute and cried, Hit
him again"
Roosevelt said in part:
There can be no greater misfortune
for free nation than to find itself
under incapable leadership when con-
fronted by a great crisis. This Is pc
culiarly the case when the crisis is not
merely one in its history, but is due TO
some terrible world cataclysm-such
cataclysm as at this moment has over
wheimed civilization. The times have
needed a Washington or a Lincoln;
Unfortunately, we have been granted
only another Buchanan.
\ Poor Horse.
The appeal is made on behalf of
Mr.. Wilson that we should not change
horses in crossing stream. me
) worth of such an appeal is not OBJ
vious when the horse, whenever he
comes to a stream, first pretends he
is going to jump it, then refuses to en-
ter 1t and when he has reached the
middle alternately moves feebly for
ward and feebly backward and occa-
tered the greatest crisis in our history
when we snapped horses by eXchang-
ing Buchanan for Lincoln; and if we
had not made the exchange we would
never have crossed the stream at all.
The failure now to change Mr.. Wilson
for Mr.. Hughes would be almost as
damaging.
II have been assailed because
have criticised Mr.. Wilson. have not
said one thing of him that was not abb
solutely accurate and truthful. 1 have
not said one thing of him which l did
not deem it necessary to say because
Of the vital interests of this republic.
Ihave criticised him because 1 believe
he has dragged in the dust what was
most sacred in our past and has jeop-
ardized the most vital hopes of our
future 1 have never spoken of him
as strongly as Abraham Lincoln in his
day spoke of Buchanan and Pierce
when they were presidents of the Unit
ed States.
81 spoke of him at all only because
have felt that in this great world
crisis he has played a more evil part
than Buchanan and Pierce ever PLAYED
IN the years that led up to and saw
the opening of the Civil war. l crit
icise him now because he has adroitly
and cleverly and with sinister ability
appealed to all that is weakest and
most unworthy in the American char
acter; and also because he has adroit-
~ and cleverly and with sinister abil-
ity sought to mislead many men and
women who are neither weak nor I'M
worthy. but who have been misled by
a shadow dance of words.
Statesmanship Degraded.
He has made our craftsmanship a
thing of empty elocution. He has
covered his fear of standing for the
right behind a veil of rhetorical
phrases. He has wrapped the true
heart of the nation in a spangled
STROUD Of rhetoric. He has kept the
eyes of the people dazzled so that they
Know not what is real and what is
false, so that they turn bewilderec,
unable to discern the difference be-
tween the glitters and veneers evil and
the stark realities of courage and
honesty, OF truth and strength. In the
face of the world he has covered this
nations face with shame as with a
garment
Al hardly know whether to feel the
most burning indignation at those
speeches of his wherein he expresses
lofty sentiment. which his deeds belle;
or at those other speeches wherein he
displays frank cynicism of belief in,
and of appeal to, what is basest in the
human heart In a recent speech at
Long Branch, he said to our people,
rs reported in the daily press. that