Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-10-03
Il OF


President Taft is to be congratulate
ed upon the excellent speech he made
at the banquet of the national CON
ventIon of the Republican League In
New York Saturday night. TIE
President never spoke better in his
life and his address will do more to
reunite the republican party than
anything that has been said in a long
time. The old-time spirit of antagon-
ism to the insurgent element in the
party has disappeared. Instead, it is
now announced that the whole party
is progressive. This was bound to
com sooner or later and the Presi-
dent has taken the step to bring
about the adoption of progressive
ideas at once.
We have all known that the repub-
iican party stands for progress. 1t
has been the progressive party ever
sinesH was founded. Every step Of
progress this country has made since
the Civil War has been made under
its banner. There has been no objee-
tion TO the party itself. That is the
reason the insurgent movement has
--been Nitain the ranks rather than
the starting of a new party. The
whole trouble with the republican
party at the present time is its lead
ership. 1t has fallen into bad hands.
instead of being the party OF the
people it has become the party of the
private interests. 1t is to rescue 1t
from this position that the insur-
gents have gone on the war path de-
termined to purge the party and
restore 1t to the people.
President Taft is correct when he
says that republicanism means pro-
gress, but certain OF the leaders have
prevented it fulfilling it's mission.
With Aldrich and Hale retired, and
Burrows defeated; with Cannon re-
pudiated on ell sides and the men who
stood by him turned down for renom-
5~netior7It is evident that the repub-
Iican party will soon become all pro-
gressive. President Taft. in his
speech Saturday night, was simply
paving the way to complete progress
siveness. He has yet only to find a
way to rid his administration of
Ballinger.
President Taft did well to praise
the recent republican convention in
Saratoga. At this convention q great
step toward making the party pro-
Ggressive was taken. The "Old Guard"
was routed. Barnes, Woodruff and
others who have turned the party
over to the special interests were
sent into retirement and the party in
New York state has been once more
restored to the people. The signs
are most encouraging throughout the
nation.
There is a great work yet to be
done in New Jersey, however. Here
the bosses, the reactionaries, have
such a grip on the party that 1t is
hard to shake them of. They DON'T
mated the recent state convention at
Trenton and they dominated all the
congressional conventions. What a
contrast there is between the speech
OF President Taft in New York Satur-
day night and the speech of Edmund
Wilson at the congressional conyen-
sHRaS here and at the state convention
at Trenton, We had no Roosevelt
here to restore the party Of progress
TO the people. There is only one
method left for the people to express
their disapproyal of the present lead
ers and that is to turn them all out
by defeating the party under their
leadership. This will probably be
done this fall in New Jersey. Presi-
dent TAFT says the republican party
f. all progressive That is true and
New Jersey must get In line by get
ting progressive leaders. 1t has not
snch leaders now and until 1t has
defeat stares it in the face in this
state.