Taft. And the Republicans listened
to the advice of their opponents. "Whom the Gods would destroy
they first make mad."
Roosevelt had been telling his friends that he would not run
again; that he did not wish to oppose Mr. Taft, who had been his
close friend and associate. But neither he, nor the Republicans
who thought as he did, liked to see their party drift back and
back to become the organization for plunder which the Bosses would
have made it long before, if they had always had a "good-natured"
man in the White House. When the governors of seven States--
Michigan, West Virginia, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
Missouri and Kansas--united in an appeal to Roosevelt for
leadership, he began to change his mind.
He said in private, that he knew it would be hard, if not
impossible, for him to get the nomination; President Taft
had all the machinery on his side. He knew that it meant parting
with many of his best friends; the older politicians would mainly
oppose him; he would have to go directly to the people for his
support, and rely upon the younger leaders as his lieutenants.
In going straight to the people he was following one of the
principles of the Insurgent or Progressive Republicans. In order
to fight the Bosses, and overcome the crooked and secret influence
of "big business" in politics, the Progressives were proposing
various methods by which it was hoped the people might rule more
directly, and prevent a few men from overcoming the wishes of the
many.
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