The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-09
Without Him the Progress sive Party Would Disinte-
 grate Very Rapidly
REPUBLICANS ARE
 DAZED BY THE BLOW
Scarcely Anyone in Washington Is Yet Able to Make Intelligent Com ment on Outcome of
 Tuesdays Election
By c. E. STEWART

Washington, November S.-6Speeial1. ). Don't cheer, boys" the poor old re- publican party is not dying-it ap- pears to be dead. Will It survive this awful defeat? Is 1t to be succeeded in 1 American politics by the party of Roosevelt? Are the men in control of what Is left of the once grand organiza- ton of the g. O.. D. equal to. the task of putting new life. into it's bruised and battered remains2 These are ques- tions now asked anxiously and earn l.estly In the capitol today by former ad- herents of the party of Lincoln, who while expecting defeat are deeply hu- Initiated that it should be so crushing and that Roosevelt with his radical ideas which are so much at variance and have so fur departed from the tra- ditional teachings Of the fathers should have in one brief campaign up set and destroyed a party which has for years been the bulwark of Amer iean politics and governmental con troll
 The few days after the election have not been sufficient time for the mem
 bers of the republican party in this city. at least. to pull themselves to- gether and make an intelligent state- ment or give an opinion of what the future may bring forth. They are dazed by binding and overwhelming de- feat defeat so ineoneeivable that It has left them helpless and dumb-and
 New Party Is "Chesty'
 On the other hand the new party is
 'chesty" and wears an air of an al- most victor. See what we did in one. little campaign Of three months,' they cry. Just wait until 1916, after we have had four years of development and preparation and we will sweep the country as surely as the time rolls round" Roosevelt is undoubtedly strong in the District of Columbia the straw ballot taken here on election day proved that when he received more votes than both his opponents combined and that he is a powerful factor in American politics and is destined to be one in the next national election Is pot only the firm belief of his follow CTS who have erected him on a ped estal of undylng fame, but it is con ceded by every one else His achieve ment in the recent election is consid- cred nothing short of marvelous--and no one attributes his wonderful show ing to anything his party stood for, or
 to the policies he advocated, but simp- 1y to Roosevelt. The third party, with it's wildcat platform and it's indei- nite advocacy of reforms with unde- fined ideas on the principal issue before the people--the tariff-with any other nominee than Roosevelt. it is the be- lief of politicians here, would not have been q respectable third in the run ming, and would not have secured an electoral vote. As it was, with Roose- yelt as it's leader, it crushed the re- rGblican party, made certain demo-
 cratic success and established itself In a secure place as the chief opponent In 1916 of the party just placed in power by the people.
 Fates Conspired to Aid Him
 It is true, as is contended. that the Hates conspired to aid him. He won the sympathy of many Americans, or il was won for him, by the treatment he received at the hands of the repub- 1:can machine at Chicago. Taft's nom- llallon WAS secured III llHe btittl Dl many through methods questionable, if Lot absolutely unjust The people be- lieve in fair play. and Roosevelt did not get 1t. They showed their resent ment of the treatment accorded him at the polls In addition the attempt upon his life won him thousands of votes from the emotional public who
 were inclined to believe him martyr for ther cause. and his spectacular act of delivering his address before wait ing audience before having his wound attended to. strange as it may seem. appealed to people in all walks of life as probably nothing else would and as
 no other man could or would, because no other man in public life in this country would have done such a thinE believing it to he an unnecessary and useless risk. Roosevelt is the Sam Jones of politics; sne can do things, say things and get away with them that
 Y ould kill any other public man po- lhically. He walks boldly in where angels would fear to tread and wins applause and homage by the very te- merity of his acts.
 First Choice of Republican Party
 He showed up to wonderful advan-