Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-23

Into three terse sentences, Woodrow Wilson
packed the logic of the national campaign when he
said at Seagirt yesterday;
"The progressive eleme.t in the RepubltcGn
party tried to get control of 1t and failed. The
progressive element in the Democratic party
tried to get control of it and overwhelmingly
succeeded. SO that it is obVtous to the t0hoIe
country that the Democratic party is free to
Serve the purposes Of al the people"
This statement of the case will not appeal to
Bull Moose, but to an ordinary man with average
capacity for reason and observation it is convincing
An ambitious politician, seeking third term OF the
presidency, may be blind and deaf to what really
happened at the Baltimore convention But the citi-
zen with no selfish interest to serve has seen and
heard to his thorough satisfaction and he realizes
that the nomination of Woodrow Wilson marked a
new era in the government of parties and new
omen for the government of the nation.
The Republican convention at Chicago the
triumph of a machine; the Democratic convention at
Baltimore the triumph of principle. The one
represented the failure of the people to control
party the other, the the people in their
effort to secure practical effective instrument for
accomplishing certain important work And the
fact that they did succeed. and succeed so over
whemingy, at Baltimore opens the way to COM
! - realization of their purpose.
Mr. Roosevelt was Undoubtedly very much disap-
pointed over what happened at Baltimore; for, it
left his own personal ambition without ground to
stand on A reactionary platform and reactonary
candidate would have supplied him just the Dretext
he wished for furthering his thirdterm designs But
the one distinctive feature of that convention was
the boldness with which it cut the party free from
all suspicious alliances 1t brought to pass the most
remarkable and decisive victory for progressive pol
icies that American politics has known for genera
ton. 1t abundanty met the needs of the time and
set up a standard which all good citizens can follow
with earnestness and faith.
Mr. Roosevelt had as we'll try TO turn the sun to
ice by tanning in its face with peacock feather as
try to chill or obscure the Significance Of Woodrow
Wilson's nomination. In New Jersey, the leadership
of Wilson the rout of the corrupt bosses and
the partys full freedom to the people; it meant
real leadership that brought forth specific and endur
ing results That is precisely what it will mean IN
the nation. 1t offers the country opportunity to
achieve needed reforms through sane and construc-
tive methods And for that very reason, it removes
the excuse for third party.
If Mr. Roosevelt had won the nomination at
Chicago either with or without the aid of his partys
bosses would he then have burned with the erusad-
er's ardor he now Processes to feel?
Had he succeeded in getting control of the Repub-
lican machine would he now be denouncing that
machine?
Had he been able to run for third term under
Republican auspices, would he now be making what
has been aptly called "his personally conducted
tour?"
The truth is the Colonel is disappointed, dis
gruntled Republican who is seeking revenge against
his nartv's bosses because they would not permit
him to be chief among them; the real animus of
his appeal for votes in that he may square his
g1udges and satisfy his greed for power.
In the Chicago convention, there other pro-
q essive candidates for the nomination and it seems
to have been pretty clearly established that he could
have placed progressive at his partys head had he
but sacrificed his personal wish the good of the
cause he professed to serve But it was me" or
nobody.
His attitude now is no different from what it
then. The fact that straight clear path to the
restoration of the peoples power in government has
been opened through the platform and the candidates
Of the Democratic party is of no interest to him.
Indeed he will fight the very forces that trying
to advance the common interests and will endeavor
to befog the real issues of the campaign. simply be-
cause he himself is not in the saddle at the head of
the march.
The Democratic party under the leadership Of
Woodrow Wilson is not seeking a bitter revolution
nor herading creed of socialism. 1t is not striving
to array class against class interest against
terest But it is proceeding in thoughtful workman
" fashion to bring about certain readjustments for
the lack of which nation has Jagged and suffered;
it is preparing as Mr. Wilson has said to establish
a universal partnership between the government and
the people In short the Democratic party has turn
ed itself over to the American people as a compe-
tent and willing agent to serve their practical needs
and because it stands for true service, it is worthy
of success and succeed it will