Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-17
SPEAKS AT BUFFALO, N. Y
Secretary Discusses Fight Between
Republicans and Democrats.
THIRD PARTY UNNECESSARY
Reviews Progress of g. o. p. for
Past Fifty Years-Not Boss
Ridden, He Says.

BIT FFALO. n Y. October I1.-Hepry
l.. StimsOn. Secretary OF War, addressed
the first big republican rally of the cam
pa1gn here last night. He prefaced his
| address with a reference to the attempt
| on Col. Roosevelt's life.
| Because of that dastardly crime in
! Milwaukee night before last. he saul
| you will all feel with me that this is
not time for invective it is time for
nothing but fairness. business and char
ty, and 1 Will ask you to approach the
discussion tonight in that spirit At all
times l am believer in hero worship
rather than in hero SANDER. 1t is not
by personal attack that We can solve the
momentous issues presented to us in this
election
between republicans and democrats.
prefaced by vigorous reply to the con-
tention that the republican party had out
i lived it's usefulness. making third party
necessary.
"The republican party is the great lib
eral party of the nation. caid Mr. Slim
son, mot the conservative party. which
opposes reforms. nor the radical party,
i which merely aeitates reforms, but the
liberal parry, which accOmpishes re-
forms This is not mere accident of
history. 1t follows necessarily and irey-
itably from the form of our government
ment by the men who republicans.
1T is necessary result of the national
views held by republicans toward their
federal uniCn and the liberal views of
construction held by them toward their
federal Constitution. Our party contains
the men who believe the Constitution is
an instrument of national progress. not
mere refuge of vested right-an instrlI-
ment not to be used to protect the great
special interests OF toda n the manner
in which John c. Calhoun used it to pro-
tect the great special interest of slavery,
but an instrument fitted to solve the
great problems of tomorrow Just as Lin
coin used it to solve the greatly war prob
lens of his day.
Monstrous to DESTROY It,
Now, if are right in this. if our
faith has a rational justification. it is a
monstrous thing to attempt to destroy
this great party-this instrumnt which
; has been working out the destiny OF
progress in this nation for fifty years;
it is monstrous thing to allow the inn
pulse. the passion, the lack of vision
or of perspective created by the events
) of single year, to destroy the organic
ed momentum for coed of a half century
If it has been good enough and pro-
gressve enough and effective enough
, through all the struggles of the past
, | NttH years up unlil THIS year. 1t Is not
, likely that it has completely changed
, its character this year and suddenly be-
come worthy of a death sentence.
Il believe that the year 1912 found the
republican party, better. cleaner and
, more progressive than ever before: that
it has been steadily growing and develop
. ing. until today, on the great problems
. which confront the country it's position
is one which the nation must adopt, if it
, is to permanently and satisfactorily solve
, those problems.
, They say it is boss ridden. On the
contrary. the republican party itself has
) progressed more rapidly during the past
ten years in the direction of freedom and
) popular control than in all the other
, Years of it's history. Why. the bosses of
today are pygmies compared witt, the
bosses of early days.
'They say that the republican nominal
, | ton this year was attained. by theft and
fraud l have examined the facts re-
, ating to this charge and l believe it is
, untrue 1t is doubtless true that the
methods of electing delegates to our
conventions of all parties republican and
democratic alike. are in period of tran
, stiOn. Some states have adopted the
, direct primary method i'm others the
old methods still obtain The very fact
that the new methods are rapidly coming
, in shows that the republican party is
open to change and reform. and that it is
not hidebound in it's methods. And the
proper. course for those who believe in
the new method of. primary election is
not to destroy the party WHICH is already
; busily adopting that method, but to go
. on and hasten to secure its adoption in
uir,ir1 ant