Arizona republican., 1911-03-07

Tor securing the public welfare. In common with all other republicans, ] am deeply interested (and rightly so) in the next presidential nomination but I differ from some others in being willing to speak out The public interest is not apt to suffer from plain speaking. Thus far, how ever, I conform cheerfully to the pre- vailing custom, and express no opin- ion as to who the republican nominee will be, or who he ought to be
 But if we keep silent over it we should also keep up a lively thinking For this at least is sure: The repub- lican party cannot afford to risk its chance of victory in 1912 merely upon the hope of democratic blunders. Time was when that was reasonably safe. Today it is a dependence distinctly less reliable than in the past. Also we need a larger issue.
 In 1912 the nominee himself will be more than half the platform It is obvious. therefore that the republican candidate should be selected with pe- culiar care. and that he must have certain indispensable qualifications
 First, he must have wisdom. cour- age. and genuine devotion to the well fare of the people
 Second. he must be a progressive. and stand for popular government
 Third. he must be leader. whom the voters will follow with enthu- siasm.
 Fourth. he must offer the party he is to lead a fair chance to win.
 These requirements are not unrea- sonable. No man not a reactionary can object to the simple standard they contain And no man whatever can doubt that unless the next republican national convention nominates a man who meets this test. the party is sure to suffer. For in these days the in- dependent voters are increasing by leaps and bounds.
 Party ties sit more lightly on the voter today than for many years. and that is well. In the last election many republican was beaten by the re- fusal of his fellow republicans to sup port him rather than by the Opposi- tion of the democrats. The political unrest of today is merely a sign of political independence. and political independence holds the promise of free institutions
 There are. I believe. many men who feel as I do. I am a republican. but I am an American first I am a re- publican, but I reserve the right to vote for what I believe. would rath- CT be right than be regular"
 The man who always votes ticket has destroyed his own political effectiveness. He has simply counted himself out. The vote of the republican simply can cells the vote of the always regular democrat. In effect the two are pair ed. and neither has an influence on the final result.
 Regularity in a party is often com paired and confused with loyalty in aTi army They are not the same. Tn war the prfvares in an army are un- der the command of their officers in a free government. on. the con- trary, the officers are under the com mand of the rank and file We pri- yates in the army of progress are be- ginning to understand this great fact. which some of the old leaders yet find it hard to realize.
 The man who boasts of his unshak- able regularity is boasting of his un- shakable inefficiency. He is proud that he does not count. The men who will not follow the leaders when they go wrong are the men who keep the leaders right. The men who will not follow the party when it goes wrong are the men who keep the | party right
 Whatever is right and vital in the | republican party today is progressive ! Whatever is not progressive is dying | Dr dead. When any part of a living | body dies. ''cut it off and cast it from | -hee,' or the death of the whole will l 'ollow
 The republican party cannot live half | lead and half alive. It cannot con- inue half reactionary and half pro- yressive. There has been doubt as to l he issue. There is less today. We | shall live. if We free ourselves from | he gangrene of blind devotion to hings that have gone by.
 As a nation we are passing out of he political leading strings of the special interests into the full develop nent of political maturity. The sign f our advance from childhood into manhood is the progressive movement