The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-05-26
COLONEL I. R. THROWS HIS HEADCEAR
RIGHT into THE PRESIDENTIAL RING

Oyster Bay, N. Y, May 23.-Theo-
dore Roosevelt followed his hat into
the presidential ring when in I'M
equivocal language he accepted the
offer of the Roosevelt Republican COM
mittee, represented in thirty states,
headed by former Secretary of the
Navy George Won L. Meyer, to work
for his nomination by the Republican
national convention.
In accepting the offer voiced by Mr..
Meyer, Colonel Roosevelt paid his re-
spects to the candidacy of Justice
Hughes.
While he did not refer to the JUS
tice by name there was no room for
doubt in the mind of his hearers as to
whom he had in mind.
With Mr.. Meyer came more than
score of Republicans who had Joined
in the movement to organize Repub-
lican efforts in his behalf. With him
also come a delegation of the "home
folks" including the local station
agent, H. l.. Marsh.
Colonel Roosevelt received them in
the north room at Sycamore Hill,
where amidst the trophies of the chase
and souvenirs from all parts of the
world they awaited him.
Meyer Pops the Question.
Secretary Meyer got down to bust
hot hn
better than any other man is listened
to and trusted by the great mass of
the people"
In reply Colonel Roosevelt said:
81 am naturally very deeply touched
and pleased by your action. l accept
it absolutely in the spirit in which
you have taken it. You are for me
because you regard me as presenting
and embodying the aggressive move
ment for thorough going Americanism
and thorough going preparedness.
Your devotion is to the cause and
to the man only in so far as he for
the time being embodies the cause.
This is precisely the attitude l took
in my Trinidad statement / now hold
and shall continue to hold this a time
of great crisis in our country's his
tory, because it is great crisis in
the history of the world.
"If we are unprepared, if we are
split and sundered by rivalries of
creed, or section and national origin,
if our country's action is to be condi-
toned by helplessness without, and
the hyphenate within, the career of
the United States as a greater factor |
in the worlds civilization is at an end. |
Half Measures Useless.
There is no use of being for half |
measures of Americanism and prepar- |
edness. Still less is it of any use |
for any public man to announce him. |
self in vague general terms as in fa-
vor of Americanism and preparedness, |
unless his whole course of action in |
public life has made it evident, and
now makes it evident that he means |
just exactly what he says.
Unless, if he is in office, or has |
been in office, his career has been |
such as in fullest measure to warrant |
the belief that he is a man of deeds |
and not of words in this matter, and |
unless in every crisis, whether he be |
in or out of Office, he frankly and fully |
takes a position on the concrete facts
which are up for decision, and applies
the abstract statement directly to
these concrete facts.
General professions are utterly
worthless unless, in the first place,
the man who makes them is ready i'm
mediately to apply them to every con-
crete case as it actually arises.
81 am fighting for these principles.
They are the principles you are or
ganizing to support, and with all my |
heart welcome such support, accept |
ing it as given primarily to the prin-
ciples and only secondarily for myself |
"Any man at this time of crisis who |
is not aggressively, openly and spe-
officially for these principles is against |
them, and every patriot should treat |
orr prh1ip corvoptc n,, fhic