1904. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
677 
PLAIN TALKS 
With the Farmers of the United States About the Presidential 
Campaign and the Farmers Part in It. 
Appeal to the patriotism and reason of the American farmer has never failed 
of generous support. 
Without disrespect to other bodies of citizens, it is a truism that the farmers 
constitute a mighty share of the conservative, prudent, thrifty, God-fearing popu¬ 
lation upon which rests the perpetuity of the republic. 
The whole fabric of industry is reared upon the foundation of agriculture 
The moral character of our people, the aims and purposes of our government, all 
those attributes that best express American ideals, come largely from the soil—are 
nurtured among the families of that great host who cultivate the land, and whose 
homes arc close to Nature’s heart. 
The American Farmer the Wonder of the World 
The intelligence and far-sightedness of the American farmer amazes all who 
are familiar with agricultural conditions in other parts of the globe. The education 
that is so widely diffused among them, the desire for progress, the instincts of 
altruism and patriotism, the civic pride and political activity and power, the dis¬ 
criminating judgment, and above all, the purity of motive—these characteristics of 
the American farmer have given him a recognition as the possessor of all those 
elements that are the hope of the world. 
It is natural, therefore, that so large a proportion of the American farmers 
have affiliated with the republican party from its inception. This party is what it 
is to-day because composed to such a degree of the men who are engaged in 
agriculture and other productive occupations. And now that the country is again 
on the eve of a great presidential election, republican farmers as well as republicans 
in all other walks of life, unite in presenting certain facts, policies and candidates 
which they feel certain will be ratified and approved by an overwhelming majority 
of the electorate. 
An Effective Means of Reaching the Farmer 
Because our rural dwellers are such readers, such students of their technical 
journals, the republican party feels that republican policies and candidates can be 
most effectively brought to the attention of the rural public through advertisements 
in the agricultural press. It is also far cheaper to pay regular advertising space 
rates in representative agricultural papers than to print and distribute campaign 
documents to the millions reached by these journals. (And the same economy 
must be practiced in a political campaign as in running a farm, town, county, state 
or nation.) 
In this Series of Plain Talks 
or advertisements, only facts will be stated. What the republican party has done, 
what it stands for, why its policies should be sustained by the people, why its peer¬ 
less candidate should be elected president by the most overwhelming majority in 
American history—these facts will be set forth clearly, simply, impartially. 
Passion, invective, sectionalism, pretense, misrepresentation, have no part in 
this discussion. 
Country people, like city people, need only to weigh the real facts and actual 
conditions, free of campaign bias, to record a verdict in November that will continue 
for four years more the republican supremacy under which the republic has acquired 
supreme prosperity at home and supreme position among the nations of the world! 
FOR PRESIDENT, 
THEODORE ROOSEVELT 
Typical of all that is best in American¬ 
ism, Theodore Roosevelt is placed before 
the American people by the absolutely 
unanimous choice of the republican party. 
This great fact is of itself momentous. It 
is an indorsement by his fellows, by his 
compeers, by his party, which in its unan¬ 
imity is unprecedented in political history. 
The personal, political and official integ¬ 
rity of Theodore Roosevelt has been 
demonstrated during a quarter of a cen¬ 
tury of public life. In all this period, his 
every act constantly exposed to the fierce 
light of publicity, both his private and his 
public life have been above reproach. No 
touch of scandal, of any nature or descrip¬ 
tion, has ever tarnished his personal char¬ 
acter, his moral nature or his political rep 
utation. 
Heir to a competency, he never needed 
to do a day’s work, yet from earliest youth 
has been one of the greatest workers, and 
always in the public interest. 
HIS RECORD. 
Born in New York, October 28, 1858. 
Youth spent largely at the farm home 
on Long Island. 
Was graduated in Harvard, 1880. 
A year in Europe. 
Elected to New York legislature, 1881, 
and re-elected for two successive terms 
because of his valiant services for reform. 
Member New York state militia, rising 
to a captaincy in 1888. 
Rancher, farmer, hunter, plainsman, 
author. 
Defeated for the mayoralty of New 
York city in 1886. 
United States civil service commissioner, 
1889-95, during which the number of offi¬ 
cial positions taken out of politics and 
placed upon the merit basis increased from 
14,000 to 40.000. 
Then he became president of the police 
board of New York city, and did Hercu- 
lean work in clearing out the grafters and 
vice that beset the metropolis. 
As assistant secretary of the navy, in 
1897, he infused new life into the service 
and got the navy into condition for the 
victories in both hemispheres of the Span¬ 
ish war. 
That job done, he was commissioned 
lieutenant-colonel on May 6, 1898, raised 
the regiment of Rough Riders, and did 
heroic service in the Cuban war, culminat¬ 
ing in his brilliant charge up San Juan hill. 
Elected governor of New York in 1898, 
he did yeoman service for the whole peo¬ 
ple. Fie induced the legislature to enact 
the franchise tax law, by which street rail¬ 
way and other public corporations are rea¬ 
sonably taxed upon and controlled in the 
exercise of the valuable rights granted 
them by the public. This has largely re¬ 
duced taxes upon other property in the 
Empire state. 
Nominated for vice-president in 1900, 
against his earnest protest, elected with 
President McKinley, by 292 electoral votes 
to Bryan’s 155, a majority in the electoral 
college of 137. Out of a total vote ot 
13,961,556, McKinley and Roosevelt re¬ 
ceived a majority of 456,259 over all othei 
candidates combined. 
By the assassination of McKinley, Sep« 
tember 6, 1901, and his death September 
14, Roosevelt succeeded to the presidency, 
his first official act being this statement: 
“In this hour T wish to state that it shall 
be my aim to continue absolutely unbroken 
the policy of President McKinley for the 
peace, prosperity and honor of our 
country.” 
AS PRESIDENT, 
Mr. Roosevelt’s record is known of all 
men. The administration withdrew the 
American army from Cuba and set tha* 
government upon its feet as an independ¬ 
ency. 
The same result in the Philippines is 
now well on the way. 
The Alaskan boundary dispute is settled 
after years of friction. 
The Panama canal is to be built and 
operated by Uncle Sam in the interests ot 
the world’s commerce in general, but of 
our own business in particular. 
The settlement of the coal strike was 
due to the personal initiative of President 
Roosevelt. 
So was the enforcement of the anti¬ 
trust law, sustained by the United States 
supreme court in the famous merger deci¬ 
sion, which knocked out the scheme to 
place the public at the mercy of a few big 
combinations of railroads. Yet this result 
was achieved without detriment to any 
legitimate interest. 
On the other hand, when the labor 
unions undertook to dictate to the govern¬ 
ment. the President laid down this abso¬ 
lutely just rule for both public and private 
employers and employees: 
“'That no person shall be refused em¬ 
ployment, or in any way discriminated 
against, on account of membership or non¬ 
membership in any labor organization.” 
“the president’s weakness” 
is claimed by the opposition to be his im¬ 
pulsiveness. In a vague sort of way. they 
give out that he is “not a safe man.” 
But no instances are cited to prove that 
he is “unsafe.” 
On the contrary, his 25 years’ record 
shows that he is eminently a man the 
public can tie to. He is “safe” in the best 
sense—that is, in the interest of the com¬ 
mon people. FTe has made fewer mistakes 
than perhaps any other official so long be¬ 
fore the public, while what he has accom-* 
plished for the public welfare is of gigantic 
proportions. He is not infallible—he has 
made some mistakes, as all men do, but he 
has made no great or big mistakes. 
President Roosevelt is a man of action. 
He is also a man of sound judgment. Red- 
tape and official routine sometimes have to 
give way before his determination to ac¬ 
complish results instead of talking about 
results, but this very quality tones up the 
public service, and puts all officials on the 
qui vive to do their level best. 
THE REAL ROOSEVELT. 
Now with all these years of experience, 
in which he has been tried and never 
found wanting, 
With ripened and matured judgment, 
Helped and strengthened by the conser¬ 
vatism that comes with vast responsibility, 
With an incorruptibility that has ever 
kept him faithful to duty, 
Theodore Roosevelt can be trusted by 
every voter to fill the office of president of 
the United States with signal ability and 
perfect faithfulness to those principles and 
ideals upon which our representative gov¬ 
ernment is based. 
ROOSEVELT AND THE FARMER. 
Especially do the farmers of America 
pin their faith to Theodore Roosevelt. He 
knows them and their wants. 
He was the first president to compre¬ 
hensively grasp the problems of forestry, 
irrigation, gooci roads, rural free delivery, 
etc. He was instrumental in putting into 
force laws and policies for aiding agricul¬ 
ture in these and many other respects. 
Fie appointed a commission of experts 
to review the land laws, and to outline 
such reforms as would best promote the 
public interest in general, and also the 
welfare of the bona fide settler, stockman, 
rancher and lumber man, while putting a 
stop to the plundering of the public do¬ 
main. Roosevelt means that the public 
lands, waters and forests shall be the 
heritage of the people. 
THIS PLAIN TALK NO. 1 
stops here. Next week, Plain Talk No. 2 
will take up, more briefly, another phase ot 
the political situation as it affects the 
great agricultural interests of the country. 
Let farmers, and everyone else, read 
carefully these Talks and all other cam¬ 
paign material. When you are satisfied 
that the election of Roosevelt and Fair¬ 
banks will be best for the country, pitch 
in and work for it, until the votes are 
counted. 
SPECIAL NOTICE. 
If you want further information upon 
any of the issues of the campaign, apply 
to the chairman of your state republican 
committee. If more convenient, address 
a postal or letter to the republican national 
committee, New York, writing in it these 
words: “Send literature free as advertised 
in (mention this paper) to (sign your own 
name, postoffice and state)”. 
THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 
