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Show SECRETARY FISHER j SPEAKS FOR. TAFT I-ltfCOrvN, .N'eb.. April 12 Speaking here tonight in support, of President Taft'K administration, Secretary Walter L. Fisher of the Interior department declared de-clared that "absolutely regardless of the bricks that are thrown from either side," the president had pressed forward toward tho goal of "accomplishment of real measures for the advancement of the Interests In-terests of the whole people." "You can be pretty sure," said Secretary Secre-tary Fishor, "that any public man Is in the middle of the road when he is attacked at-tacked by big business upon one side and by those who are seeking to advance their personal interest by attacking the big business upon the other." Mr. Fisher said he had entered President Presi-dent Tnft's cabinet "because nothing but a lack of confidence In the sincerity and high purpose of President Taft would justify a refusal or his call." "I became president of the Conservation Conserva-tion Iicaguo of America at the suggestion sugges-tion of Mr. Roosevelt and Gifford Pln-chot," Pln-chot," he said. "I was for the colonel for president when he was only a lieutenant lieu-tenant colonel. In 1S9G, when he had not yet been nominated for governor of New York, I was one of a little group of enthusiasts In the city of Chicago who flung to the breezo a banner Inscribed, For President in 1901, Theodoro Roosevelt Roose-velt " Confidence in Taft. The secretary declared I hat his confidence confi-dence In President Taft had "deepened Into conviction with closer acquaintance and a greater knowledge of tho ability and energy with which he Is always working for tho promotion of the public welfare." "I understand Senator La Follette has recently told you that he came to Nebraska Ne-braska because Nebraska people arc progressive," said Mr. Fisher. "That Is the reason I have como to Nebraska. I claim to bo a progressive Republican, and I wish to say something to you about the so-called progressive policies, and their relation to the Republican nomination nomina-tion for president- "I believe that the position of Taft with relation to them hns been misunderstood misun-derstood nnd misrepresented. I myself have had the distinction of being under suspicion by both radicals and reactionaries. reaction-aries. My claim to being a progressive Is based, not upon mere ndvocacy of the progresHivo policies In a theoretical and academic way, but to practical Efforts to secure definite results, especially In the movoments for the short ballot, the di- rect primary, the referendum and tho recall." President Progressive. Sccrotary Fisher said President Taft had taken a progressive attitude upon all these questions. "He bcllcve6 In roduclng the number of elective officers, which Is the 'short ballot,' " he said. "He believes In the direct, primary and In the presidential preference at tho direct primary; he believes be-lieves in tho increasing but conservative use of the referendum and the only application ap-plication of the recall which ho has opposed op-posed Is the recall of Judges. "Upon all those questions," said Mr. Fisher, "genuinely progressive men disagree dis-agree about the form In which, and the, extent to which thoso changes In governmental gov-ernmental methods should be adopted by the states. To make them the teat In tho selection of a Republican nomlneo for the presidency Is to divide men who should act together. The real Issues of next November are to be federal Issues, Is-sues, such ns the tariff and the regulation regula-tion of the trusts. "Here again the differences between the militant reformer and the constructive construc-tive statesman Is well Illustrated In the attitude and action of the president. His tariff commission has, for the time, given to congress and the country the real facts upon which constructive tariff legislation can oe framed. I think it is entirely within bounds to state that not one of the president's critics haa made a successful or even serious attack upon these reports." Big Battle Today. PHILADELPHIA. April 12. PeniiFyl-vanla's PeniiFyl-vanla's delegation of seventy-six members mem-bers to both tho Democratic and Republican Re-publican national conventions will depend de-pend upon the result of tomorrow's primary pri-mary olectlon. Both parties will vote directly for slxty-rfour national delegates, two from each congressional district, and the remaining twelve will be chosen at tho state convention, the delegates to which will bo chosen tomorrow. Supporters . of Colonel Roosevelt havo named a complete set of national delegates dele-gates and alternates. Tho slated candidates can-didates for the regular Republican organization or-ganization havo declared for the re-nomlnatlon re-nomlnatlon of President Taft. but they will not be bound by Instructions from the voters, as the president's name will not appear on the ballots. Both wings of the Democratic organization organ-ization In this stato havo declared In favor of the nomination of "Woodrow Wilson Wil-son for president. In many districts there will be contests between candidates candi-dates of the "regulars." who supported National Chairman Guffey. and tho "re-organizers." "re-organizers." who arc followers of Congressman Con-gressman Palmer. Delegates pledged to Speaker Champ Clark will appear on the ballots in many congressional districts and In Individual Instances candidates havo declared In favor of Harmon and others. The primary pri-mary will open at 2 p. m. and close at o'clock. Johnson Pessimistic. SAN FRANCISCO. April 12. The defeat de-feat of Theodore Roosevelt at the coming com-ing presidential primaries In-'this state, said Governor Hiram W. Johnson here today, would mean the defeat of tho progressive Republicans at the polls next fall. The governor was speaking In support sup-port of Roosevelt's candidacy before the women of the San Francisco center of the California Civic league. Turning to L.a Follotte's candidacy, he said: "Is La Follette coming to California to advance the progressive cause? Not so. We have gone farther In one year than Wisconsin went In twelve- He comes not to educate us, for we are already educated. The effect of his coming com-ing can be but to Injure the progressive party of California. "If the progressive cause shall be defeated de-feated in the May presidential primaries lt will mean our defeat In the fall and the return of the state legislature to the enemy." |