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The Commoner.
ISSUED WEEKLY
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i
"The Old Ship Is Leak
ing Now"-
Tho following newspaper dispatches show tho
progress of the great war now going on in tho
republican party:
Oyster Bay, N. Y., May 5. Colonel Roose
velt issued a statement tonight in reply to
President Taft's speech in Baltimore last night,
lie read tho speech carefully and prepared his
answer with equal care, writing it out with
pencil instead of dictating it to his secretary.
"Ho stands guilty of approving and encourag
ing fraud which deprives tho people of their
right to express their will as to who shall be
nominated," he wrote.
Cincinnati, 0., May 6. In one of his speeches
Mr. Taft said: "I have followed tho adminis
tration of Theodore Roosevelt on his policies in
every respect but one, and that one was that I
directed the prosecution of the steel trust and
also tho prosecution of the harvester trust."
Montgomery, Ala., May G. Booker T. Wash
ington, head of Tuskogeo institute, is at war
among tho negro delegates to tho ropublican
national convention to switch them from Taft
to Roosevelt, according to statements made by
republican leaders.
Washington is influential among the negroes
of tho south, and some of tho administration
loaders aro beginning to feel that they made a
serious mistake in giving the negroes equal
representation.
It is understood that Washington is work
ing on tho negro delegates in all of the southern
states and in Mississippi. It is certain that two
of tho delegates, P. W. Howard of Jackson, and
Charles Banks of Mound Bayou, will not vote
Tor Taft, despite tho instructions of the state
convention.
Banks is Booker Washington's closest friend
and ally in Mississippi and is quietly at work
lining up the negro delegates for Roosevelt.
It is said Washington has agents at work
on negro delegates in Georgia, Florida and Qther
states, and that as a result of his work the Taft
loaders will not be able to hold the negro dele
gates in line.
The Commoner.
branch of the government during the last few
Senator Cummins declared he believed it as
improper for a president to attempt to unduly
IXence courts1 as to take his power tc j in
fluence the judiciary in performance of duty. -
Columbus, 0., May 6. President Taft charged
hero tonight in a speech in Memorial hall that
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, his campaign
manager, Senator Dixon of Montana and demo
crats in the senate were responsible for tho
emasculation of the arbitration treaties with
Great Britain and France and that in consequence
of their action the pacts were so changed as to
be of doubtful utility. These treaties, the presi
dent declared, would havo made "wide steps
toward universal peace; would have signalized
a movement for a universal arbitral court, and
were as progressive measures as ever were sug
gested to the American people."
"For some reason unknown to my puzzle
witted brain," said the president, "Mr. Roose
velt opposed these treaties, and by these men
who supported that opposition, his manager, Mr.
Dixon and the democratic votes in the senate
thoso treaties were so emasculated that
it is difficult to see whether they contain
anything of value which ought to be ratified into
a treaty. My idea of having the highest pro
gress possible was in those arbitration trea
ties, because I saw in them a step toward a uni
versal arbitral court to which any nation in
tho world might resort in order to solve a con
troversy that it might have with any other na
tion, and until we get such a court, war will
not disappear, and this was a decided step
toward that end, as progressive a measure that
has ever been suggested to the American people."
President Taft concluded a three days' visit
to his native state hero tonight with a speech at
Memorial hall, in which he vigorously denounced
Colonel Roosevelt's attack on him. The presi
dent was repeatedly interrupted with cheers in
his defense of his advocacy of Canadian recipro
city. As to many of the issues upon which his
predecessor is fighting him, ho said they were
policies which Colonel Roosevelt himself has
advocated, both as president and as a private
citizen. He scored Colonel Roosevelt as an
advocate of class hatred and a man who Is ap
pealing to the element of discontent.
"It is dangerous to put such- a man in the
office of president," he said. Mr. Roosevelt is
nob a safe man for this country to trust with his
ideas as to the recall of our court decisions," he
declared with emphasis.
Answering the colonel's charge that he was
using public patronage to obtain his renomina
tion, he said 70 per cent of the present office
holders were Mr. Roosevelt's appointees and a
majority of them are now fighting for the
colonel's re-election.
Washington, May 6. President Taft was
sharply criticised in tho senate today by Senator
Cummins, who charged him with attempting to
coerce congress in tariff legislation. Mr. Cum
mins, speaking in support of his metal tariff
rovision bill, said he understood tho president
was opposed to any legislation on tho metal
schedule until tho board reported upon it.
"I deplore tho action of the president in in
terfering in any way with the work of con
gress," ho declared. "I have hoard a great
deal lately about the recall of judiciary and
judiciary decisions, both of which I oppose, but
I regard these as inconsequential in compari
son with the encroachments of tho legislative
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 19
dicate, Roosevelt money in large amounts was
poured into the county. Rolls of small bills, ac
companied by checks to be used if needed, were
sent out from Washington on Sunday to at
least one well known leader in the district hav
ing voluntarily exhibited such a 'roll' in Wash
ington on Sunday afternoon."
This statement was duly delivered in tho
R6osevelt headquarters about noon, the rival
organizations having an amicable arrangement
whereby they exchange daily bulletins and state
ments. Here is Senator Dixon's answer:
"Every one of these statements is a deliberate,
wilful lie. Every man connected with their con
coction and circulation is a deliberate, wilful
liar. The lies are circulated for the purpose and
for the only purpose possible for which liars
always lie."
President Taft's managers today stated that
"the president is entitled and will receive tho
vote of four of the delegates from the state of
Maryland" to the republican national convention.
The presidential primary in that state yester
day gave Col. Roosevelt apparent control of tho
state convention which is to select Maryland's
entire delegation of sixteen to Chicago, and re
ports from Maryland have indicated that tho
delegation would be solid for Roosevelt.
Tho Taft managers claim that the naming of
a solid Roosevelt delegation by the ttate con
vention would defeat the expressed preference o
the electors of the two districts. It is understood
this point will be pressed and the national com
mittee asked to rule on it unless four delegates
are given to the president.
Special to the Chicago Record-Herald:
Washington, May 7. Saved in Massachusetts;
set back in Maryland; now depending on Ohio.
That, in a nutshell, is the -situation affecting
President Taft's chances of renomination. The
lines are tightening every hour with respect to
the unparalleled fight between the president of
the United States and the only living ex-president.
As the lines tighten the dark horse phan
tom grows dimmer and dimmer.
Tho Taft leaders' are proceeding on the as
sumption that the president will hold his entire
strength, providing he shows a clear majority
when the convention is called to order at Chi
cago. They are not alarmed over any detri
mental "moral effect" due to the failure to carry
Maryland, although they mourn the loss of the
delegates that might have been gathered in that
state. Delegates now constitute the all-important
factor. It is regarded as essential that
President Taft shall havo more than a bare
majority in sight at the start of the convention
and it is felt that if the president does not have
a majority on the first balolt he will be defeated.
Washington, D. C, May 7. The Taft and
Roosevelt national headquarters clashed today
over tho Maryland primary result. The word
lie" was used freely by Senator Dixon, head of
the Roosevelt committee. Early in the day the
Taft headquarters put out a statement on tho
Maryland results, part of which follows: .
"More than half of Mr. Roosevelt's entire
delegato vote came from the city and county of
Baltimore, where it is stated the Roosevelt
managers placed $10,000 among their workers
at an early hour yesterday."
Another part said:
'7? JPrince George county, which definitely
decided tho contest bo far as present returns in-
Special dispatch to thG Cincinnati Enquirer:
Washington, May 8. Following the charge of
the use of money in the interests of Roosevelt
in the Maryland primaries, which Director Mc
Kinley and those under him made yesterday,
there emanated today from 'the Taft bureau an
indictment against the third-term candidate
which equals, if it does not exceed, anything
which the democrats have said against him.
Says the statement: "While posing as tho
acme of all virtue in politics, Theodore Roose
velt has been guilty in his official capacity of
some of the grossest outrages ever perpetrated
upon the good faith of the people of the United
States, who like to believe that their presidents
are all they pretend to be. No more blaring
examples of betrayal of public trust has ever
been exhibited in public office than by Theodore
Roosevelt in his.
"1. Official refusal to allow the harvester
trust to be prosecuted, thereby loading on the
farmers of the country an increase in tho cost
of farm implements of one-third their price.
"2. Refusal to prosecute the steel trust.
"3. Dismissal without trial of the battalion
of colored troops involved in the Brownsville
affair.
"4. Refusal to revise the tariff during his
seven years as president.
"5. Fawning upon political bosses while
pretending to flay them.
"6. Acceptance of contributions from E. H.
Harriman to bring about his own election as
president, while pretending to oppose Harri
man. "7. Accepting the word of George W. Per
kins, of the harvester and steel trusts, as against
the word of tho sworn law officers of the gov
ernment. "8. Determination to run for a third term
as president as specifically stating his decision
to abide by the 'wise custom' that no presi
dent should do so.
"9. Demagogic speeches in this campaign,
including misrepresentations of his opponent.
"These are only a part of the unwritten
planks in the national platform of Theodore
Roosevelt. They should be carefully con
sidered along with his proposed recall of Judges
and judicial decisions and other known socialis
tic vagaries for which he has announced him
self, although now attempting to dodge them
and fool the people again."
Director McKinloy took all up and made com
ment upon Manager Dixon's lie-in-every-Hne
statement of yesterday, which the Taft repre
sentative characterized as a "brainstorm."
Editorial in Harper's Weekly: Briefly put,
hero is the gist of this exchange of personalities:!
Roosevelt charged Taft with, being in league
with Lorimer. Taft proves that he was himself
,ginator of the maln flsht against Lorimer,
and that Roosevelt knew all about it. Roose
velt charged Taft with being in league with th
etandpat bosses against the progressives. Tart
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