The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-02
PROGRESSVES ARE
 IN DEAD EARNEST Headquarters Have Been Opened in Washington OPPOSITION TO TAFT LaFollette Has Decided to Ignore Taft's Attack and to Indulge
 in no Personalities Dur
 ing Campaign
Nv WALTER HARPER

Washington. September 1.-tSpeciaD. =
 Progressive republican headquarters have
 been opened in washington. Walter L. Houser. ex>secretary of state of Wiscon- sin and a close personal friend of Sena- tor LaFollette, is in charge. A suite Of | four rooms in the Evans building, block and a half from the White House. has been taken and fitted up for business. The headouarters and the fight will con- tnue open until the meeting of the next national convention or until progressive republican candidate for President has
 been named.
 Opposition to William H. Taft seems to be the keynote of the campaign that has begun in earnest.
 Simultaneously with the opening of this campaign comes the announcement from Senator LaFollette and the most conspicuous progressive republican that he will disregard the personal attack of the President at Hamilton, Mass, last week He proposes to make his fight on the issues rather than on personalities in a political campaign. The man who mdulges in them with bitterness suffers thereby.
 MT. LaFollette is the man behind the progressive movement, and it is 10 be expected that he will direct the policies of the campaign. It is announced, how
 ever. that the headquarters were not opened at his suggestion or in his per sonal interest MT. Houser says the progressives want progressive candi- date for President, and that alone is the purpose and aim of the movement. If another man is found more available than the insurgent senator from Wisconsin he will be named. The progressives are after the scalp of MT. Taft, and they are deter mined to get it.
 All this is ambrosia for the democrats.
 The split in the republican party is wid- ening every day The President made the breach almost unmendable in his Hamilton speech. He has put himself in such an attitude that he cannot retrace his steps gracefully. He has declared that he will carry his fight into the coun- try of the enemy. He must condemn La Toilette along with Underwood and Clark in Wisconsin, Nebraska and the other progressive states. More than that. he must continue his campaign of person. alties.
 If Taft is the nominee of the republican party, can he hope to get the support of the progressives2 If MT LaFolette or any other progressive should succeed in
 capturing the nomination. will he get the undivided support of the regulars? Senator Bailey facing the regular and insurgent leaders on the floor of the Sen ate one afternoon just before the close of the extra session, shook his finger in their faces and declared that they could quarrel as much as they choose now, but
 everybody in the land knows that when
 the piEch comes in natiQnal campaign
 you. will all be found standng together
 to tlafeat tho true representatives of the people,
 Bailey has sometimes been mistaken.
 Many people believe he. was mistaken in this prophecy If 1t had not been for the attack of Mir. Taft at Hamilton the divid-
 ed forces might have been drawn
 together ''in pinch" But the President
 seems to want a fight, and the insur-
 gents are perfectly willing. Indeed they
 are delighted.
 between now and next summer will be vote getter for democracy. To condemn
 the policies of the standpat republicans,
 LaFolette and his lieutenants must com mend Underwood and his programme.
 Next to success in capturing the gov ernment the insurgents desire the de-
 feat of MT. Taft
 At any rate, the two factlons Of the re-
 publican party have already passed the
 parting of the ways.
 The bitterness that has already devel-
 oped and that will be increased during
 the campaign. cannot be healed in the
 short time that intervenes between the
 national convention and the November election.
 Since insurgent republicans voted with
 democrats on the floor of the House to
 override the Presidents veto in an effort
 to get relief for their people from ex-
 cessive tariff extortion, it Is easy to fig
 ure that untrammeled voters in the con-
 suming districts of the country will vote
 with democrats at the polls to accomp-
 fish the same purpose.
 And the oily promises of party leaders
 who have promised and betrayed them
 before will not deter them in this deter
 mination.