The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-10
Their ONLY HOPE
Wilson Says the Only Show the
People Have
For Reform Lies in Electing
the Democrat Ticket.

New York. Sept. 1O.-GovernOr Wood
row Wilson in an address before the
New York Press club last night ques-
tione,, the ability of leaders of the Pro
gressive party, if elected, to carry out
any part of the policies of its plat
form. Much of the speech was devoted
to an analysis of the Progressive party
plans, although he gave some attention
to the record of the Republican party
and predicted victory for united De-
mocracy. He said in part:
L have come here tonight for the pur-
pose of discussing just candidly as
possible the political situation; and
hope that in doing SO 1 shall do injus-
uce to no one. 1 am not one of those
who believe that the right tactics i'll
politics is to deprecate the men you are
opposed to and to belittle and misrep-
resent the forces with which you have
to contend. 1t ought to be a frank,
straightforward and fair determination
OF what it is we are to agree upon and
DO, and how we are to do it in the
great field of cur common action MY
feeling about my own candidacy for the
presidency is that if I cannot be the
peoples spokesman, 1 don't want them
t. vote for me. 1 want to feel, if 1 am
elected to the office of president, that
am speaking the purposes and i'm
pulses and judgments of the people of
the United States
Il want 70 discuss the three parties
now seeking your support. 1 know
there are more than three parties in
the United States, and it is not out Of
any d1srespect to the parties that have
commanded only a small number of
votes in the past that leave them out
OF the reckoning for the present
Parties and Leaders
Let US consider. first. the Republi-
Z sl1 ap.fxr NJ
ference between 1.-THE Republican party
and certain groups of gentlemen who
nave been allowed to lead and direct
the Republican party. The Republican
party as represented by these men, is
the very party which has got MS into
the difficulties we are now irvine 70
get out of. I do not have to prove
that, because We have got into those
d;hcult1es in the last Is wears and
during the last Is years that party has
neen IN power. If it did not get us into
these difficulties who did?
Mark you, I am not saving that the
leaders of the party knew that they
were doing us ali evil or that thew in
tended to do US an evil. For nv mart
am very much more afraid of the
man VINO GOES bad thing and does
not know it is bad, than of the man
VINO does a bad thing and knows it is
bad; because / think that in public
affairs stupidity is more dangerous
tran knavery; because harder to fight
and d1SlOdge. These gentlemen. what
ever may have been their intentions
linked he government of the United
States with the men who control the
Dis finances of tie United States
Here is the old question of cam
palgn funds; If take hundred thou
sand dollars from a group of men rep
resenting a particular interest that
has a big stake in a certain schedule
or the tariff, l take it with the know
ledge that those gentlemen will eX-
pect me not to forget their interest in
that schedule and that they will take
1t as point of implicit honor that 1
should see to it that they were not
damaged by too great a change IN
that schedule. Therefore, If 1 take
their money, I am bound to them by
a sort of tacit pledge of honor, and if
desert them 1 change the WHO'D
character of the government.
The Insurgents.
There is a large body of RepubIi-
cans now in open rebellion. And what
interests me about them and draws
me to them is that they are in revolt
because their conscienceS could not
stand what was going on. That third
party deserves your careful consider
alton when you are debating the queS-
ton which party you are going 20
support
If this new party is preferred or
the fifth of November, will it be in a
position to clear the decks and carry
out the policy which many noble gen
tlemen have conceived that it was
sincerely bent upon. Politics now at ,
last is intensely practical and real. We
cannot afford to vote on the fifth of
November and then wait another four
years. The process of reform in this
country must take place within the
next four years. If the leader of The
third party is made president, what I
will be his situation? Does anybody
suppose that he will have a third par
ty congress behind him? Is it not in
evitable that in such an event there
will be in congress such mixture OF
elements and groups and lotteries that
the president cannot possibly get any
program whatever put through?
Then you have only the Democrat
ic party left; and you will ask me how
1 can set up a claim for the Demo-
cratic party. Well, in the first place,
it is rather a fine discipline to have
been ON the outside for 16 years. We
We have been progressive for 16
years, and we saw the year 1912 half
a generation before it came.
THE Democratic party is now, per-
haps, for the first time in a genera
ton, united, solid and enthusiastic.
And the Democratic party is the only
set your government free. I was bred
in a football college; 1 know that
what wins is team work, and want
to tell you that we have got a Dem
ocratic team, schooled in years of ad-
versity that can hold together against
any team that can be put in the field