One of these methods was the direct primary, so that the
voters might choose their candidates themselves, instead of
leaving it to the absurd conventions, where large crowds of men
are hired to fill the galleries, yell for one candidate, and try
to out-yell the opposing crowd.
In February, 1912, Roosevelt announced that he was a candidate for
the Republican nomination.
"My hat is in the ring," he said.
The storm of abuse which raged around him now was terrific. All
the friends of fattened monopoly--and this included many of the
most powerful newspapers--screamed aloud in their fright. Mostly
they assailed him on three counts: that he was "disloyal" to his
friend, Mr. Taft, that he had promised never to run for President
again; and that it meant the overthrow of the Republic and the
setting up of a monarchy if any man ever disregarded Washington's
example and was President for three terms.
The charge of disloyalty to Mr. Taft does not deserve discussion.
Those who made it never stopped to think that they were saying
that a man should set his personal friendships higher than his
regard for the nation; that he must support his friend, even if he
believed that to do so would work harm to the whole country.
Moreover, if there had been any disloyalty, it had not been on Mr.
Roosevelt's side! He had remained true to his principles.
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