Arizona republican., 1916-06-27

candidate and that the method used might defeat the very object of the action
 John M Parker declared many of the progressives were former demo- crats and if the party was not to put up national ticket, they should be per mitted to select their own candidate for president. He intimated that he might vote for President Wilson.
 While the debate was at it's height Clarence Strouse read a resolution said to have been passed by the dele gates from Virginia to the progressive nationa convention, opposing the en- doTsement of any other than a pro- eressive for president and challenged the right of James R. Garfield to vote for Hughes under the proxy he held of the national committeeman from Virginia. MT Garfield said he had never heard of the action and finally declined to be guided by it.
 Chairman Hale made an earnest ap- peal against the endorsement before the vote was taken.
 The following states voted for the endorsement of Hughes on the roll call:
 Alabama. Arizona Arkansas. Cali fornia, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgie, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa. Kansas, Louisiana, Maine Maryland, Michigan. Minnesota, Ne braska Nevada, New Hampshire. New Jersey, New York North Dakota, Ohio Oregon, Pennsylvania. South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming. Hawaii.
 Many of the committeeman in vOt vote. Harold l.. Ickes of Illinois. said that seventy per cent of the pro- gressives in his state would vote for Hughes. William Finn of Pennsyl vania said that 95 per cent of the progressives in Pennsylvania were for Hughes. Dr. Harris of Rhode Island said that a majority of. the progress sives in his state favored Wilson. Committeeman Griffiths of Washing ton said that majority of his con- stituents favored a third ticket and that President Wilson had many sup porters.
 Following is Colonel Roosevelt's let ter in full:
 The Progressive National Commit tee:
 Gentlemen:
 In accordance with the message sent to the Progressive national con vention as soon as l had received mo- tification that it had nominated me for president, I now communicate to you my reasons for declining the honor which 1 so deeply appreciate. Since the adjournment of the convention I have received between two and three thousand letters and telegrams from men who had supported me for the nomination, the majority expressing the desire that l would refuse to run, while a minority urged that l should accept the nomination. As it is a physical impossibility to answer these letters and telegrams individually. beg of you the courtesy of the send CTS that they will accept this public statement in lieu of such answers.
 The Late Convention
 Before speaking of anything else, wish to express my heartiest and most unstinted admiration for the character and services of the men and women who made up the progressive national convention in 1916. l can give them no higher praise than to say that in all respects they stood level with the men and women who in 1912 joined at Chicago to found the Progressive par ty. These two conventions, in charac ter. in disinterestedness in vision, in insight, in high purpose, and in desire to render practical service to the peo- pie, typified exactly what such bod ies ought to be in a great self-govern- ing democracy. They represented the spirit which moved Abraham Lincoln and his political associates during the decade preceding the close of the civil war The platform put forth in 1912 was much the most important public document promulgated in this country since the death of Abraham Lincoln. It represented the first effort on large scale to translate abstract for