Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-02
PUTS THE CAP ON ROOSEVELT

To the Editor OF EDenin0 Ledger:
sir-I have read with interest your recent edi.
torial, Dumb Oyster | agree with you
that it is unfortunate. to put II mildly, that the
patriotic citizens of the United States who are
dsgusted with the pusillanimous policy of the
Wilson Administration not aroused to the
necessity of early and organized action. I'VE
are drifting and trusting to luck" you say, and
so we are. You conclude as follows:
It is time that the best in the coun.
try began to make their views known.
Sure enough 1t is, and why do you not make
your views known? The New York Tribune
has and why not the EVENING LEDGER?
You indicate very clearly the sort of man who
should be chosen as the Republican nominee
when you say:
What need is not a politician nor a
business man, but a statesman with vision
to see and courage to act and driving power
to force his views upon others
Unfortunately there seems to be only one
such man in America If we had a score, there
would be problem confronting the Repub
lcans at Chicago. This great emergency this
great crisis. instead of developing expandnp
our so-called statesmen, seems to have dazed
them to such an extent that any abilities they
were thought to possess have become a negl
gible quantity, Such men as Cummins and
Borah seem to have dwarfed into nothingness
or to have become almost as pacific as Bryan
As for Hughes, who would have been an avail
able candidate four years ago. when totally
different issues were at stake, the mention of
him is worse than ridiculous He may turn
out TO be even more of pacifst than those
indicated
Surely you know that only Theodore RoosevoIt
measures up to the full standard of availability
that he is the only who comes within a
thousand miles of filling the requirements as
laid down in your editorial. Then why don't
you say So and thus aid in the shaping of their
judgments and the crystallzing of public opinion
generally?
Instead of this, now and then you permit some
diotc item to appear in your paper such as
printed few evenings since in the form
of Washington dispatch, setting forth that the
Massachusetts New Jersey and Ohio primary
elections had eliminated Colonel Roosevelt
What grotesque proposition! In Massachu.
setts the machine Legislature passed an act a
few days before the primaries whereby Roosa.
velt's name was kept off the ballot Neverthe-
less. the four delegatesatlarge known To favor
Roosevelt p6ed nearly $4,000 votes, as against
a little more than 10000 for the four most
prominent and powerful men in the State
United States Senators Lodge and Weeks Gov
ernor Mccall and National Committeeman
Crane Furthermore, ii was a case of Roosa.
welt against the held' not against a single can.
didate. Besides that two of the big Four"
Weeks and Mccall We're themselves looked upon
as possible dark horses. Indeed, Weeks had
been an avowed candidate for months
Under the circumstances it was a big ,,o,
2 victory for Roosevelt. Had he declared himself
a candidate in Massachusetts and taken tha
stump he would have carried the state over.
whelmingly.
In New Jersey. where Roosevelt had . ,,,,
delegation four years ago. he Is Just as strong
now; stronger, in fact But his Trinidad STATE
an
hght for him. Both Ex-Governor Stokes ana ey
Governor Fort are strongly in favor of Rooss
Yelts nomination, but it was deemed inexpsdient
TO make a contest for delegates because Of the
objections he had raised. w
In only two districts was Rooseveit's nam.
used In one OF them the 9Th, William A Tord
an announced Roosevelt supporter was slIccess
tul, while In the other, the 2d William r Co2srt
a negro hotel waiter of Atlantic city, who a.
elared himself for Roosevelt, defeated a Ieadtns
Bridgeton manufactures "s
Furthermore, while there was no effort ~ N
10 obtain an expression of sentiment AZ th
polls considerable majority OF those who 5iS
Roosevelt. Se''ee ior
Under the circumstances Il seems To me ,bo+
your editorial, Dumb as an Oyster I" q ,, a@l
excellent one. as your leading editorials ssDas
ally are, would be much more 10 the point -
much more effective In the development of ,,,hit
opinion II you would recognize the inevitahio
ana declare what is a fact that in this crisis
n the nations history Theodore RooseveIt 20 10
ths concrete essence Of the abstract prineiniss
eneheiated by YOU and the only man 10 lssd -
victory those torces who nauseated ,yIfb 49,
lAAnlDs -paaaoy program Of the Wilson Ad,nt,t
Sfation ana who DO not want four more s,
q y Roosevelt s the only man Who -, ~
AeAt nlie9n FRANK WILLING LHafts4-
1nekeFton.s n. =. april 80.