The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-06-26
Formally Declines the Pro
gressive Nomination for
the Presidency
FIERCELY ARRAIGNS
THE ADMINISTRATION
Says 1t Has Stood on an Even Lower
Level Than That of Buchanan-Gives
His Unqualified Support for Hughes
and Urges Progressives to Do So.


and Urges Progressives to Do So.
CHICAGO, June 26.-Col. Theodore
Roosevelt, from his home in OYSTER
Bay, sent today to the Progressive ma
tlon1 committee here has for
mai dechnation of the nomination for
the presidency rendered him by that
party at the recent convention. The
statement is a long one, in which he
gives great credit to the Progressives,
saying that the platform of 1912 was
the most important public document
promulgated in the country since the
death of Abraham Lincoln The Pro
gressiyes, he states, have forced the
other two parties to adopt many of the
principles for which the Progressives
fought four years ago. He says in
part:
1t is impossible for us Progressives
to abandon our convictions. But we
are faced with the fact that as things
actually are the Progressive national
organization no longer offers the means
whereby we can make these convic-
tlons effective in our national life. I'm
der such circumstances, our duty is TO
do the best we can. and not sulk be-
cause our leadership Is rejected. That
we ourselves continue to believe thaS
the course we advocated was in tho
highest interest of the American people
ls aside from the question. 1t is unpa-
trlotic TO refuse to do the best posi-
bic merely because the people have not
put us IN position to do what we re
gard as the very best. 1t remains for
us, good humoredly and with common
sense, to face the situation and en-
deavor to get out of it the bestAthat it
rean be made to yield from the stand
point Of the interests OF the nation as
a whole.
The present administration. during
its three years of life, had been guilty
of shortcomings more signal than those
of any administration since the days
of Buchanan. From the standpoint of
national honor and interest, It stood
on an even lower level than the admin
.istration of Buchanan. No adminisrra-
tion III our history had done more to
relax the spring of the national will
and to deaden the national conscience
In my Judgment, the nomination or
Mr.. Hughes meets the conditions set
forth IN the statement of the Progress
sIVe national committee issued last
January, and in my own statements
Under existing conditions, the nomina-
tion Of a third ticket would, in nv
judgment, be merely move in the in
terest of the election of Mr. Wilson
| regard Mr.. Hughes as a man whose
public record Is a guarantee that ''he
will not merely stand for a program of
clean-cut straight-out Amerieanism
before election, but Will resolutclv and
in good faith put il through if elect
cd. He is beyond all comparison
better fitted to be President than Mr..
Wilson. 1t would be grave detri-
ment to the country to re-elect Mr.
Wilson. shall, therefore, strongly
support Mr.. Hughes. Such being the
ease, it Is unnecessary to say tnat
cannot accept the nomination on a
third ticket. / do not believe that
there should be a third ticket. believe
that when my fellow Progressives
coolly consider the question they will
for the most part take this position.
They and / have but one purpose-the
/ purpose to serve our common country.
! 1t is my deep conviction that at this
moment we can serve it only by sup
porting Mr.. Hughes.
Mr.. Hughes has shown in his career
1 the instinct of efficiency which will
| guarantee that, under him, the gov
ernment will once more work with
vigor and force. He possesses that hab-
]
means that his words will be CORE
lated with his deeds and translated
into facts. His past career is the war
rant for our belief that he viii be the
unfaltering opponent of that system
/ of invisible government which finds
expression in the domination Of the
party boss and the party machine.
| His past career Is a guarantee that
! whatever he SAYS before election will
be made good by his acts after elec-
tion Morally, his public record shows
| him to be a man of unhending integ-
/ rity; intellectually, 1t shows him 10 be
a man of original and trained ability.
We have the alternative Of eontinu-
ling in Office an. administration which
has proved a lamentable failure, or
of putting into office an administration
which we have every reason to be-
lieve win function with efficiency for
the interest and honor of all onr peo-
4 pie. | earnestly bespeak from my fel-
low progressives their uagrudging
support of Mr.. Hughes.