theodore roosevelt-第44章

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an　Machine；　we　are　not　surprised　at　the　young　Rooseveltian's　statement：　〃The　Taft　forces　control　anything　that　has　to　do　with　machinery；　but　all　the　feeling　is　for　Roosevelt；　and　the　Congress　Hotel；　at　any　rate；　favors　the　'Big　Noise；'　as　you　will　sometimes　hear　him　called　in　the　lobbies　or　in　the　streets。〃　Apparently；　stump　speeches　were　made　at　any　moment；　and　without　provocation；　in　any　hall；　room；　or　lobby　of　the　hotel；　by　any　one　who　felt　the　spirit　move　him；　and；　lest　silence　should　settle　down　and　soothe　the　jaded　nerves；　a　band　would　strike　up　unexpectedly。　The　marching　to　and　fro　of　unrestrained　gangs；　shouting；　〃We…want…Teddy！〃　completed　the　pandemonium。

Monday　came。　The　young　scouts　were　as　busy　as　ever　in　following　the　trails　which　led　to　Taft　activities。　The　news　they　had　to　tell　was　always　very　cheering。　They　found　little　enthusiasm　among　the　President's　supporters。　They　heard；　from　the　most　trustworthy　sources；　that　this　or　that　Taft　leader　or　delegation　was　coming　over。　And；　in　truth；　the　Taft　body　probably　did　not　let　off　a　tenth　of　the　noise　which　their　opponents　indulged　in。　The　shallows　murmur；　but　the　deeps　are　dumb；　does　not　exactly　apply　to　the　two　opposing　hosts。　The　Taft　men　resorted　very　little　to　shouting；　because　they　knew　that　if　they　were　to　win　at　all　it　must　be　by　other　means。　The　Rooseveltians；　on　the　other　hand；　really　felt　a　compelling　surge　of　enthusiasm　which　they　must　uncork。

Meanwhile　Colonel　Roosevelt　and　his　lieutenants　knew　that　the　enemy　was　perfecting　his　plan　to　defeat　them。　On　Monday　evening　his　zealots　packed　the　Auditorium　and　he　poured　himself　out　to　them　in　one　of　his　torrential　speeches　calculated　to　rouse　the　passions　rather　than　the　minds　of　his　hearers。　But　it　fitly　symbolized　the　situation。　He；　the　daunt　less　leader；　stood　there；　the　soul　of　sincerity　and　courage；　impressing　upon　them　all　that　they　were　engaged　in　a　most　solemn　cause　and　defying　the　opposition　as　if　it　were　a　legion　of　evil　spirits。　His　closing　words〃　We　stand　at　Armageddon　and　we　battle　for　the　Lord〃summed　it　all　up　so　completely　that　the　audience　burst　into　a　roar　of　approval；　and　never　doubted　that　he　spoke　the　truth。

Tuesday　at　noon；　a　crowd　of　fifteen　thousand　persons；　delegates　and　visitors；　packed　the　vast　Convention　Hall　of　the　Coliseum。　Mr。　Victor　Rosewater；　of　Nebraska；　presided　at　the　opening。　As　it　was　known　that　the　Republican　National　Committee　intended　to　place　on　the　temporary　roll　of　delegates　seventy…two　names　of　persons　whose　seats　were　contested；　Governor　Hadley；　of　Missouri；　made　a　motion　that　only　those　delegates；　whose　right　was　not　contested；　should　sit　and　vote　during　the　preliminary　proceedings。　Had　he　been　successful；　the　Regulars　would　have　lost　the　battle　from　the　beginning。　But　he　was　ruled　out　of　order　on　the　ground　that　the　only　business　before　the　Convention　was　the　election　of　a　Temporary　Chairman。　This　took　place；　and　Senator　Root；　from　New　York；　was　elected　by　558　votes；　McGovern；　the　Roosevelt　candidate；　received　501　votes；　there　were　14　scattering；　and　5　persons　did　not　vote。　Senator　Root；　therefore；　won　his　election　by　38　votes　over　the　combined　opposition；　but　his　plurality　was　secured　by　the　votes　of　the　72　whose　seats　were　contested。

During　the　three　following　days　the　Roosevelt　men　fought　desperately　to　secure　what　they　believed　to　be　justice。　They　challenged　every　delegate；　they　demanded　a　roll…call　on　the　slightest　excuse；　they　deluged　the　Regulars　with　alternate　showers　of　sarcasm　and　anger。　But　it　availed　them　nothing。　They　soon　perceived　that　victory　lay　with　the　Republican　National　Committee；　which　had　the　organization　of　the　Convention　and　the　framing　of　the　rules　of　procedure。　The　Taft　people；　the　Regulars；　controlled　the　National　Committee；　and　they　knew　that　the　rules　would　do　the　rest；　especially　since；　the　Chairman　of　the　Convention；　Senator　Root；　was　the　interpreter　of　the　rules。

At　no　other　National　Convention　in　American　history　did　a　Chairman　keep　his　head　and　his　temper　so　admirably　as　did　Mr。　Root　on　this　occasion。　His　intellect；　burning　with　a　cold；　white　light；illumined　every　point；　but　betrayed　no　heat　of　passion。　He　applied　the　rules　as　impartially　as　if　they　were　theorems　of　algebra。　Time　after　time　the　Rooseveltians　protested　against　the　holders　of　contested　seats　to　vote；　but　he　was　unmoved　because　the　rule　prescribed　that　the　person　had　a　right　to　vote。　When　the　contests　were　taken　up；　the　Taft　men　always　won；　the　Roosevelt　men　always　lost。　The　Machine　went　as　if　by　clock…work　or　like　the　guillotine。　More　than　once　some　Rooseveltian　leader；　like　Governor　Hadley；　stung　by　a　particularly　shocking　display　of　overbearing　injustice；　taunted　the　majority　with　shouts　of　〃Robbers〃　and　〃Theft。〃　Roars　of　passion　swept　through　the　hall。　The　derision　of　the　minority　was　countered　by　the　majority　with　equal　vigor；　but　the　majority　did　not　always　feel；　in　spite　of　its　truculent　manner；　confident　of　the　outcome。

By　what　now　seems　shameless　theft；　the　Credentials　Committee　approved　the　seating　of　two　Taft　delegates　from　California；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　the　proper　officials　of　that　State　had　certified　that　its　twenty…six　delegates　were　all　for　Roosevelt；　and　had　been　elected　by　a　majority　of　76；000　votes。　Chairman　Root　put　the　question　to　the　Convention；　however；　and　those　two　discredited　delegates　were　admitted　for　Taft　by　a　vote　of　542　to　529。　This　indicates　how　close　the　Convention　then　stood；　when　a　change　of　seven　votes　would　have　given　Roosevelt　a　majority　of　one　and　have　added　to　his　list　the　two　California　delegates　who　were　counted　out。　Had　such　a　change　taken　place；　those　who　watched　the　Convention　believed　there　would　have　been　a　〃landslide〃　to　Roosevelt。　But　the　Republican　Committee's　sorely　tested　rules　held。　After　that；　the　Rooseveltians　saw　no　gleam　of　hope。

On　Saturday；　June　22d；　the　list　of　delegates　to　the　Convention　having　been　drawn　up　as　the　Republican　Machine　intended；　Mr。　Taft　was　nominated　by　a　vote　of　561；　Roosevelt　received　107；　La　Follette　41；　Cummins　17；　Hughes　2；　344　delegates　did　not　vote。　The　last　were　all　Roosevelt　men；　but　they　had　been　requested　by　Roosevelt　to　refuse　to　vote。　Through　Mr。　Henry　J。　Allen；　of　Kansas；　he　sent　this　message：

'The　Convention　has　now　declined　to　purge　the　roll　of　the　fraudulent　delegates　placed　thereon　by　the　defunct　National　Committee；　and　the　majority　which　thus　endorsed　fraud　was　made　a　majority　only　because　it　included　the　fraudulent　delegates　themselves；　who　all　sat　as　judges　on　one　another's　cases。　If　these　fraudulent　votes　had　not　thus　been　cast　and　counted　the　Convention　would　have　been　purged　of　their　presence。　This　action　makes　the　Convention　in　no　proper　sense　any　longer　a　Republican　Convention　representing　the　real　Republican　Party。　Therefore；　I　hope　the　men　elected　as　Roosevelt　delegates　will　now　decline　to　vote　on　any　matter　before　the　Convention。　I　do　not　release　any　delegate　from　his　honorable　obligation　to　vote　for　me　if　he　votes　at　all；　but　under　the　actual　conditions　I　hope　that　he　will　not　vote　at　all。　The　Convention　as　now　composed　has　no　claim　to　represent　the　voters　of　the　Republican　Party。　It　represents　nothing　but　successful　fraud　in　overriding　the　will　of　the　rank　and　file　of　the　party。　Any　man　nominated　by　the　Convention　as　now　constituted　would　be　merely　the　beneficiary　of　this　successful　fraud；　it　would　be　deeply　discreditable　to　any　man　to　accept　the　Convention's　nomination　under　these　circumstances；　and　any　man　thus　accepting　it　would　have　no　claim　to　the　support　of　any　Republican　on　party　grounds；　and　would　have　forfeited　the　right　to　ask　the　support　of　any　honest　man　of　any　party　on　moral　grounds。'

Mr。　Allen　concluded　with　these　words　of　his　own：

'We　do　not　bolt。　We　merely　insist　that　you；　not　we；　are　making　the　record。　And　we　refuse　to　be　bound　by　it。　We　have　pleaded　with　you　ten　days。　We　have　fought　with　you　five　days　for　a　square　deal。　We　fight　no　more；　we　plead　no　longer。　We　shall　sit　in　protest　and　the　people　who　sent　us　here　shall　judge　us。

'Gentlemen；　you　accuse　us　of　being　radical。　Let　me　tell　you　that　no　radical　in　the　ranks　of　radicalism　ever　did　so　radical　a　thing　as　to　come　to　a　National　Convention　of　the　great　Republican　Party　and　secure　through　fraud　the　nomination　of　a　man　whom　they　knew　could　not　be　elected。'*

*　Fifteenth　Republican　National　Convention　（New　York；　1912）；　333；　335。


Every　night　during　that　momentous　week　the　Roosevelt　delegates　met　in　the　Congress　Hotel；　talked　over　the　day's　proceedings；　gave　vent　to　their　indignation；　confirmed　each　other's　resolution；　and　took　a　decision　as　to　their　future　action。　The　powerful　Hiram　Johnson；　Governor　of　California；　led　them；　and　through　his　eloquence　he　persuaded　all　but　107　of　them　to　stand　by　Roosevelt　whether　he　were　nominated　by　the　Convention　or　not。

And　this　they　did。　For　when　the　vote　for　the　nomination　was　taken　at　the　Convention　only　107　of　the　Roosevelt　men　cast　their　ballots。　They　favored　Roosevelt；　but　they　were　not　prepared　to　quit　the　Republican　Party。　During　the　roll…call　the　Roosevelt　delegates　from　Massachusetts　refused　to　vote。　Thereupon；　Mr。　Root；　the　Chairman；　ruled　that　they　must　vote；　to　which　Frederick　Fosdick　replied；　when　his　name　was　read　again；　〃Present；　and　not　voting。　I　defy　the　Convention　to　make　me　vote　for　any　man〃；　and　seventeen　other　Roosevelt　delegates　refrained。　Mr。　Root　then　called　up　the　alternates　of　these　abstainers　and　three　of　them　recorded　their　votes　for　Taft；　but　there　was　such　a　demonstration　against　this　ruling　that　Mr。　Root　thought　better　of　it　and　proceeded　in　it　no　farther。　Many　of　his　Republican　associates　at　the　time　thought　this　action　high…handed　and　unjustified；　and　many　more　agree　in　this　opinion　today。

Except　for　this　grave　error；　Mr。　Root's　rulings　were　strictly　according　to　the　precedents　and　directions　of　the　Republican　National　Committee；　and　we　may　believe　that　even　he　saw　the　sardonic　humor　of　his　unvarying　application　of　them　at　the　expense　of　the　Rooseveltians。　Before　the　first　day's　session　was　over；　the　process　was　popularly　called　the　〃steam　roller。〃　Late　in　the　week；　a　delegate　rose　to　a　point　of　order；　and　on　being　recognized　by　the　Chairman；　he　shouted　that　he　wished　to　call　the　attention　of　the　Chairman　to　the　fact　that　the　steam　roller　was　exceeding　its　speed　limit；　at　which　Mr。　Root　replied；　〃The　Chairman　rules　that　the　gentleman's　point　of　order　is　well　taken。〃　And　everybody　laughed。　There　was　one　dramatic　moment　which；　as　Dean　Lewis　remarks；　has　had　no　counterpart　in　a　National　Convention。　When　the　Machine　had　succeeded；　in　spite　of　protests　and　evidence；　in　stealing　the　two　delegates　from　California；　the　friends　of　Mr。　Taft　gave　triumphant　cheers。　Then　the　Roosevelt　men　rose　up　as　one　man　and　sent　forth　a　mighty　cheer　which　astonished　their　opponents。　It　was　a　cheer　in　which　were　mingled　indignation　and　scorn；　and；　above　all；　relief。　Strictly　interpreted；　it　meant　that　those　men　who　had　sat　for　four　days　and　seen　their　wishes　thwarted；　by　what　they　regarded　as　fraud；　and　had　held　on　in　the　belief　that　this　fraud　could　not　continue　to　the　end；　that　a　sense　of　fairness　would　return　and　rule　the　Regulars；　now　realized　that　Fraud　would　concede　nothing　and　that　their　Cause　was　lost。　And　they　fel