The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-06-26
Urges All ProgreSsives to Sup
port the Republican Can
dIdate for President.
SCORES ADMINISTRATION
Third Party Ticket Would Mean
Four More Years of VIII
son, He Says.

CHICAGO. Juno Theodor,
roosevelt In letter read to tho Pro.
BresHiVe national committee In eeanion
mere Today finally declined to accent
tho presidential nomination OF the
party and strongly urged tho organixas
uon to support Charles %. Hughos. Tho
colono'S lOttOr was read by oscar
King Davis. sCcrOtary OF the commit.
too Colonel RooSOvelts letter In flil
Is as follows:
To tho Progressive National Com.
mlttee:
Hehucmen-ln accordance with
me message sent to the Progressive
national convention as soon ~ 1 had
received the notification that IL had
nominated mo for president, now
communicate to you my reasons for
declining the honor which 1 so deeply
appreciate. Since tho Adjournment
or tho convention. l have received
between two and three thousand let
tors and kilograms from mon who had
supported mo for the nomination. thc
majority expressing the desire that i
would refuSc TO run. while a minority
urged that l should accept the nofni-
nation AS II 10 u physical impossl-
nIhV 10 anSwer those letters and
kilograms individually. bog OF tho
courtesy OF tho BcndOrH that they will
accept this public statement In lieu
OF such answers.
Before SpcnklnE OF anything else.
wish TO eXpreaS my heartiest and
most unstintGd admiration for tho
character and services Of the men and
women who made up tho Progressive
national convention In 1915. can
slVO IN -' IN higher praise than 10
say that In all respects they stood
level with the mon and women who In
I9l2 '0ined at Chicago to found the
Frogreasivo Party. These two con-
ventions. In character, in disinter.st-
edneSs. In vislOn. in insight, in high
purpose ana In desire TO render prac-
tlcaI service TO tho people, typlfed
exactly what such bodies ought 70 be
IN ~ great self-governing democracy.
Ihey represented tho spirit which
moved Abraham Lincoln and his poli-
tical associates during the decade
preceding the close OF the Civil War
Tho platform put forth In 1919 waa
much the most Important public
document promulgated in this coun-
try since the death OF Abraham Lin
coin. II represented the first effort
on large scale to translate abstract
formulas OF economic and social ius-
tico into concrete American national
Ism; the effort to apply the principlea
or Washington and Lincoln to the
need Of the United States in the
twentieth century. No finer effort
was ever made TO serve the American
people. in n spirit OF high loyalty to
all that Is Hottest in the american
tradition.
Events have shown that the Pro
BresBive party In 1919 offered the
only alternative 20 the triumph OF
the Democratic party. Moreover.
these events have shown that tho an
plication OF the principles which W
then advocated 10 even moro neces-
sary to this nation than we AZ the
time supposed.
The results Of the terrible world
war OF the past two years have now
MADE II evident to all who arc willing
20 zee; that In this country there must
DC spiritual and Industrial prepaid
ness. along the lines OF efficiency. OF |
loyal service to the nation, and OF /
practical application OF the nreeent
That each man must be hts brother's
keeper. Furthermore. II IL NO less
evident. that this preparedness for tho
tasks OF peace forms the only aound
basis for that indispensable military
preparedness which rests on universal
military training. and which finds OK
preston In universal obligatory ser
vteo In time Of war. Such univornai
obligatory training and service arc
tho necessary compliments OF univor-
sal suffrage. and represent the reail-
cation Of the true American. the de-
mocratic, ideal In both peace and
war.
Sooner or later the national princi-
Pies championed by the Progressives
OF 1912 must in their general effect
be embodied in the structure OF our
national existence. With all my heart
shall continue TO work for these
great ideals. shoulder to shoulder
with the men and women who in 1918
championed them; and Tam sure that
these men and women win show a
like loyalty TO the other. tho funda-
mental ideals which tho events Of ths
last two years have proven to be vital
to the permanency OF. our nntional
existence. The method by which WI
are to show our loyalty TO those ideal,
must be determined In each case by!
t----~~-~>>->-