www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

English 中文網 漫畫網 愛新聞iNews 翻譯論壇
中國網站品牌欄目(頻道)
當前位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> 新聞播報> Special Speed News VOA慢速

American history: Taft, Wilson and Roosevelt in the election of 1912

[ 2010-09-16 10:43]     字號 [] [] []  
免費訂閱30天China Daily雙語新聞手機報:移動用戶編輯短信CD至106580009009

BOB DOUGHTY: Welcome to the MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.

This week in our series, we talk about the presidential election of 1812.

The first ten years of the 20th century in America were shaped by the strong leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt. And in the second decade, he returned to national politics to bring, once more, dramatic changes to the United States.

Theodore Roosevelt was a distant cousin of Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat who became president in 1933.

In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt organized a new political party: the Progressives. Roosevelt created this new party after he failed to win the Republican presidential nomination.

The Republican convention of 1912 had been controlled by conservative supporters of President William Howard Taft. And, as we hear now from Leo Scully and Maurice Joyce, the party nominated Taft for four more years in the White House.

LEO SCULLY: As a result, Roosevelt broke with the Republicans. And he and his supporters held their own convention. They formed the Progressive party and approved a platform that promised reforms. These reforms were proposed to make the government serve the people and carry out more fully their desire for social progress.

The Democratic Party also nominated a candidate who supported progressive ideas. The Democrats chose Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey, a former president of Princeton University.

So, for the first time in many years, there were three major candidates for president. Wilson clearly had the best chance to win. He had the support of almost all the Democrats. The Republicans, however, were split. Some supported Taft. The others were for Roosevelt.

MAURICE JOYCE: Roosevelt refused to accept the idea of defeat. He campaigned hard, visiting many cities and towns, making speech after speech. Wilson also campaigned hard. He seemed to enjoy it as much as Roosevelt.

Taft did not like it at all. He refused to do much campaigning. He spent most of the time at his summer home.

It was a quiet election campaign...until the middle of October. Then, only three weeks before election day, Roosevelt was shot.

LEO SCULLY: It happened in Milwaukee. Roosevelt had just left his hotel and climbed into the automobile that would carry him to the hall where he planned to make a speech. As he stood in the open car, an extremist named John Schrank ran up to him, pulled a gun from his coat, and fired a bullet into Roosevelt's chest.

The bullet knocked him down. Roosevelt said it felt as if he had been kicked by a mule. He jumped up and put his hand to the wound. The bullet had passed through the inside pocket of his coat. It struck a steel case that held his glasses, and went through the folded 50 pages of his written speech. These slowed the bullet, and it went only a few centimeters into his chest.

MAURICE JOYCE: Roosevelt did not know if he was seriously wounded. He put his hand to his mouth and coughed. No blood came. And he knew the shot had not damaged his lungs. Roosevelt ordered the crowd around to stop beating Schrank. "Bring him to me," he said. He looked down at the man. "You poor creature," said Roosevelt. Then he turned away.

Doctors arrived. They said Roosevelt must go at once to the hospital. But Roosevelt refused. He said he would go to the hall. "I will make this speech," he said, "or die. It will be one or the other." On his way to the hall, he told a friend: "It takes more than that to kill a Roosevelt. I do not care a rap about being shot. Not a rap."

LEO SCULLY: At the hall, he stood before the big crowd. His face was white. But he stood straight, without help. Someone announced that Roosevelt had been wounded, but still planned to speak.

Roosevelt's voice was very low, almost a whisper. "I am going to ask you to be very quiet. And please excuse me from making a long speech. I will do the best I can. But there is a bullet in me." He paused and then continued. "It is nothing. I am not hurt badly. I have something to say. And I will say it as long as there is life in my body."

MAURICE JOYCE: Roosevelt's speech was not important. He said nothing that he had not already said many times before. What was important, however, was his cool courage. Men did not see his act as foolish or overly-dramatic. They saw it as the brave act of a strong man. To the public, he was a hero.

Roosevelt spoke for almost an hour. Finally, very weak, he let himself be helped from the hall. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors could examine the wound.

LEO SCULLY: The doctors found that the bullet had broken a rib, but caused no serious damage. They decided to leave the bullet where it was. The next day, Roosevelt made a statement from his hospital bed. "Tell the people not to worry about me. For if I go down, another will take my place."

President Taft and Woodrow Wilson sent messages of regret to Roosevelt. They announced that they would not campaign until Roosevelt was able to do so.

MAURICE JOYCE: Roosevelt's condition improved quickly. After two weeks of rest, he was ready to continue his campaign for the presidency. He made a speech to a big crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Everyone was surprised to see how strong and healthy he seemed.

Wilson ended his campaign in New York City the next day. He told a cheering crowd of Democrats: "What the Democratic Party proposes to do is to go into power and do the things that the Republican Party has been talking about for 16 years."

LEO SCULLY: On November 5th, the people voted. The winner was Woodrow Wilson. He received more than six million votes. Roosevelt was second with four million. Taft received only about three and a half million. Wilson's victory was even greater in the electoral vote. He got 435. Roosevelt got only 88. And Taft received only the eight electoral votes of Utah and Vermont.

The Democrats won not only the White House, but also control of Congress. And a number of Democratic governors were elected in states formerly controlled by Republicans.

MAURICE JOYCE: The 1912 campaign ended public life for Theodore Roosevelt. Soon after the election, a friend visited Roosevelt and talked of possible victory in 1916.

"I thought you were a better politician," Roosevelt said. "The fight is over. We are beaten. There is only one thing to do. That is to go back to the Republican Party. You cannot hold a party like the Progressive Party together. There are no loaves and fishes...no financial support."

LEO SCULLY: War was soon to break out in Europe. The United States would enter the struggle in 1917.

As always, Roosevelt was ready to join in a fight. He asked for permission to organize an American force and lead it into battle in France. President Wilson, however, turned down the request. Roosevelt was sure that it was a political decision. He never forgave Wilson for keeping him out of the war.

Although Roosevelt himself could not fight, four of his sons went into battle. One -- his youngest son Quentin -- did not return. When he received news of his son's death, Roosevelt wrote these words to honor him:

MAURICE JOYCE: "Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die. And none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life. Both life and death are parts of the same great adventure. All of us who give service and stand ready for sacrifice are torch bearers. We run with the torches until we fall, satisfied if we can then pass them to the hands of other runners.

"The torches whose flame is brightest are carried by the brave men on the battlefield and by the brave women whose husbands, lovers, sons, and brothers struggle there. These are the torch bearers. These are they who have dared the great adventure."

LEO SCULLY: Roosevelt's own great adventure was itself coming to an end.

He suffered from painful attacks of inflammatory rheumatism and from a serious ear infection. He had difficulty in hearing and could not walk. But the old man was still cheerful. He spent his 60th birthday in the hospital. And to his family and friends, he said: "I am ahead of the game. Nobody ever packed more kinds of fun and interest into 60 years."

Death came to Roosevelt as he slept on the night of January 6th, 1919. Said Vice President Thomas Marshall: "Death had to take him sleeping. For if Roosevelt had been awake, there would have been a fight."

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. The narrators were Leo Scully and Maurice Joyce.

You can find our series online with transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and images at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- an American history series in VOA Special English.

Related stories:

American history: the Republican Party is split over William Howard Taft

American history: Taft wins presidency promising continued reform

American history: Roosevelt exercises US power around the world

American history: Panama breaks with Colombia, clearing way for the Panama Canal

(來源:VOA 編輯:陳丹妮)

 
中國日報網英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。
 

關注和訂閱

人氣排行

翻譯服務

中國日報網翻譯工作室

我們提供:媒體、文化、財經法律等專業領域的中英互譯服務
電話:010-84883468
郵件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn
 
 
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产97公开成人免费视频 | 就草草在线观看视频 | 日韩一品在线播放视频一品免费 | 国产免费久久精品99久久 | 能在线观看的一区二区三区 | 一本久道久久综合中文字幕 | 日韩美视频网站 | 久久女同互慰一区二区三区 | 欧美成年黄网站色视频 | 亚洲一区精品在线 | 爽死你个放荡粗暴小淫货双女视频 | 黄色网址亚洲 | 成人欧美日韩视频一区 | 欧美成人免费高清网站 | 国产三级做爰高清视频a | 国产一级片在线 | 大尺度福利视频奶水在线 | 久久99热久久精品91 | a级片免费观看 | 国产在线观看成人 | 欧美顶级毛片在线播放 | 污全彩肉肉无遮挡彩色 | 在线观看亚洲免费 | 亚洲欧美一区二区三区久本道 | 成人久久网 | 亚洲国产精品看片在线观看 | 亚洲另类自拍 | 精品国产成人高清在线 | 一级片在线免费看 | 日韩在线一区二区三区 | 日韩美女一级毛片a | 国产精品久久久久国产精品三级 | 美女视频很黄很a免费国产 美女视频黄.免费网址 | 久青草免费在线视频 | 日日狠狠久久偷偷四色综合免费 | 一区二区3区免费视频 | 亚洲天堂免费在线视频 | 成年男女免费视频网站 | 国产精品亚洲精品久久成人 | 嫩草一区二区三区四区乱码 | 看性过程三级视频在线观看 |