Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1916-05-12
COLONEL ROOSEVELT FOR
PRESIDENT.


New York Tribune: Colonel Roose-
welt and no "pussyfooting
The Tribune likes this candidate an
this issue.
1t regards Senator Root, its favor
lite so long as he has a chance of nom
nation, as now practically elimin-
ated. 1t cannot interpret any more
hopefully the failure of the "oxygen
treatment" which his candidacy re-
ceived, in the shape of the mani
festo with seventy-five signers. The
party thinks that Mr.. Root would not
be so likely to win as either Colonel
Roosevelt or Justice Hughes, and it
wants him as Secretary of State in
the next Republican administration,
since it cannot have him as President.
We are for Colonel Roosevelt be-
cause we believe the country needs
him. No one else will quicken the
pulse of the nation as he will quicken
it. No one else will stir the con-
science of the people as he will stir
it. No one else will inspire patriot
ism as he will inspire it.
No one else personifies the issue
which the Republican party must
make as he personifies it. No one
else presents so effective an antithe-
sis to Wilson as he. If we are
Americans, real Americans, the Col
onel is our man. While timid pol
iticians were consulting the census
books and counting the German vote
he spoke and the country hearkened
He is the leader in the fight for
Americanism, and we don't believe
in changing leaders when we are go
ing to the front.
We are for Colonel Roosevelt in
spite of the fact that we were against
him four years ago. No one fought
him harder than we. No one will
fight harder for him. 1t has not been
easy to put aside our pride, our sense
of resentment at what occurred in
1912, and the hundred other things
that tend to keep alive divisions.
But we have put them aside and are
putting them as de because we feel
that they have no place in crisis
like this. We come out for Colonel
Roosevelt as Republican newspaper,
intending to remain Republican, and
we feel that in doing so we are doing
the best thing not only for the nation
but for the Republican party
We might have preferred another
leader, but there is no other leader.
Justice Hughes might have spoken if
he had been free to speak Indeed
we feel sure he would have spoke,
and for Americanism, had silence not
been imposed upon him, and then we
should have preferred him. But the
plain fact is that he did not speak,
that he could not speak.
If the Justice. should be chosen
leader in the fight for a worshier
nationalism, he would have to take
the torch that Colonel Roosevelt has
thus far borne. He would have to
accept an issue that meant its most
only in another mans hands. Sure
ly in the transfer we should lose our
stride. AS people we should feel
that we had hung back, that we hadn t
''gone the limit" in the true Ameri-
can way, The governments of Europe
would feel this, too. They would
conclude that we meant to temporize.
Something would be lost of the moral
effect of moving straight on under
the leadership of the man who repre-
sents the purpose of this country as
no one else does or can.
The Colonel stands for the things
the Tribune stands for. These
things will be advanced more by his
nomination than any other nomination
that can be made. The Tribune must
support him.
We are doing more this year than
choosing new President. We are
choosing which way the country shall
go in the era that is now opening,
just as our fathers chose the nation s
patb in tho davis If 1854