The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-26
The COlOneTs Letter Refusing
Nomination Read Today.
Says Hughes Has Shown Eff
cheney, Vigor and Force.
WILSON TRIED, FOUND WANTING
GriIls Mexican Policy of Pres
ent Administration.
81 Earnestly Bespeak Ungrudg'
ing Support" Urges L. R.

Chicago. June 26.-Colonel Roose-
velt's letter declining the Progressive
presidential nomination to the Pro-
cressive national committee expressed
his gratitude for the nomination, but
added that majority of kilograms he
had received since the convention ex-
nressed the desire that he should not
run.
| The colonel lauded the 1912 Pro-
gressive platform and declared events,
| including the world war, have SHOWN
the necessity for its application, as
well as of the necessity for universal
! military training.
the national principles championed
by the Progressives of 1912 must IN
their general effect be embodied IN the
structure of our national existence.
With all my heart, l shall continue 10
work for these great ideals. shoulder
Ito shoulder with the men and women
who in 1912 championed them; ana
lam sure that these men and women
will show a like loyalty to the otner, ie,a
been given an impetus by what the
events of the past two years nave
tproven to be vital to the permanency
of our national existence Inc n~nelnoo ~
lby which we are to show our ioyaity
TO these ideals must be determined IN
each case by the actual event our
LOYALTY is to the principle, TO the ioea.
land not merely to the name, and least
of all. to the party name.
.~T7he Progressive movement mas
haaT given an impetus by which the
Progressive party has done Our
e+rongest party antagonists have ac-
cepted and enacted into law, or EN-
bodied in their party platforms, very
many of our most important plAh-
ciples.
Not Prepared for New Party.
| onfiralV evident
THAT the people under existing condl-
tions are not prepared to accept new
marty. 1t is impossible for US Progress
sives to abandon our convlcuons. bpt
we are faced with the fact tnat as
| things actually are the Progressive ma
tionaI organization no longer offers
the means whereby we can make these
lconvictions effective in our national
life. Under such circumstances our
duty is to do the best we can and not
to sulk because our leadership is re-
iected 1t remains for us, good hu-
moredlv and with common sense, to
face the situation and endeavor to get
out of it the best that it can be made
to yield from the standpoint or the
interests of the nation as whole.
This was the situation at the open
ing of the present year. 1t was clearly
evident that unless a cataclysm oc-
| Cured the presidential election would
result in the choice of either the Re-
publican or the Democratic nominee.
The present administration, during its
three year RS of life. has 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 ad-
r11inistration of Buchanan. No ad-
I rninistration in our history has done
more to relax the spring of the ma
tional will and to deaden The national
conscience 1t was plainly our duty to
do everything honorable in order to Sc
cure the alignment under one leader
ship of the forces opposed to the con-
tinuance in power of Mr.. Wilson and
the Democratic party.
Urged Unity of Republicans.
Under these circumstances the
Progressive national committee at
Chicago in January, outlined our duty
to seek combination with the Repub-
lican party.
six weeks later, on March 9, in my
Trinidad statement asked for sim
: liar combination against the Demo-
1 cratic party. This was, in effect, the
, same that I made in my telegram to
: ex-senator Jackson, pending the con-
D vention."
S To the Progressive National Com
D raittee:
Gentlemen: In accordance with the
= message 1 sent to the Progressive ma
= ceived the notification that it had
r nominated me for predden I now
j | communicate to you my reasons for
= declining the honor which 1 SO deeply
y appreciate. Since the adjournment OF
= the convention. I have received be-
tween two and three thousand letters
v and kilograms from men who had sup
n ported me for the nomination the ma
t jority expressing the desire that
t would refuse to run, while minority
| urged that 1 should accept the nomi-
nation. As it is a physical impossi-
a, | bility to answer these letters and tele-
Z grams individually, I beg of the cour-
: tesy of the senders that they will ac-
cept this public statement in lieu o1
: such answers
Before speaking of anything else,
I wish to express my heartiest and mos
unstinted admiration for the charae
u ter and services of the men and WON.
en- who made up the Progressive ma
s tional convention in 1916. I can give
! them nc higher praise than to sa,
! that in all respects they stood 1eve
= with the men and women who in 191:
joined at Chicago TO found the Pro
: | greSsive party. These two conven
= tions, in charac cter, in disinterested
: ness. in vision, in insight, in high pur
: pose, and in desire to render practi
: cal servi-e to the people, typified ex
s actly what such bodies ought to be il
. a great self governing democracy
il They represented the spirit whicl
r moved Abraham Lincoln and his po
O litical associates during the decad