Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-08

NEW YORK, n. Y, February S-Out
of some quiet conferences of progressive
leaders held in New York city during
the last three days these facts emerge:
| Roosevelt is a candidate
| La Toilette is candidate
Roosevelt will run for the nomination
and stay with the fight to the end, even
| though he turn up in the convention with
only five or six delegates
| SO with La Toilette
Not Withdrawal.
La Follette's recent statement, which
| was taken by some of the progressives,
| like Record of New Jersey and Amos Pin
chot. to be sign of his withdrawal, was
| not withdrawal, not by him. 1t was
merely permission to quit to the La Fol-
| lette leaders who wanted to quit.
La Toilette himself has not quit and
his representatives say he will not quit,
| neither now nor before the convention,
nor after it, nor even after the next Pres
| ident is elected
The slncerest most impersonal objec-
! tion to Roosevelt by progressive leaders
Is that the colonel is not really a pro-
gressive. He will meet this sincere OBJ
lection sincerely by putting out in the
course of the next two or three weeks, a
statement of principles which will show
whether or not he Is progressive.
For Better Understanding.
Now, some of these facts today may be
, changed in the next few days One of
the purposes of the conference has been
to adjust conflicting facts. like the riva!
candidates. of Roosevelt and La Toilette.
And representatives Of the conferees will
go to beth OF these men to labor with
them for better understanding. For,
while the conferees are only men drawn
accidentally together by the coincidence
that they happened to be in New York
at the same moment they felt that they
were, and they were, representatives of
ize the progressive movement-in the re-
publican party, If possible, or at any
rate the progressive movement in the
United States.
ent times were Amos Pinchot of New
York, Charles L. Record of New Jersey,
Gov. Hiram Johnson of California, Medtit
Mccormick of Illinois, Walter Rogers or
Illinois and Charles r. Crane Of Illinois
Yesterday Walter Houser, La Follette's
campaign manager, and Representative
Lenroot of Wisconsin appeared, but only
to bear messages from tn senator and
not to take part In the conference.
Hold Movement Paramount.
One thing was clear in all the CONVEX
sations at these conferences. An i'm
personal view was taken of the work
that was to be donet-he movement. and
not the persons in it, was paramount
The whole progressive movement has
suffered because this has not been under
stood. 1t has been made to look like
long series OF personal squabbles
This due the ho
sressive movement in this presidential
campaign has been suffering from old
| time political methods
Inc leaders met, discussed plans and
reached decisions; met again and un-
made the previous decisions got to.
gether and split, all in good faith but in
private. The public has not been Ie. into
the confidence OF this new democratic
movement. The result has been not only
that the leaders have been working the
situation out with no direct pressure Cf
an enlightened public opinion, and there
tore no pubic support and correction out
all the troubles have been misilterpreted
by other persons and parties tnat mad a
purpose OF their own III miSinterpreting
everything.
La Toilette Urged to Enter.
The story. as it developed at these talks
| among these men, who disagreed in all
sorts of ways, but with great mutual re-
spect, is not unfit to be printed anywhere
La Toilette was asked by the progressive
leaders at Washington to go ahead and
take the leadership of the progressive
movement as the progressive candidate
| for the republican nomination for Presi-
dent. He said at the time that it meant
the end OK his chances to become Presi-
dent. But all hands urged him to do it
ahvhoW, mac there was no other way to
deieat LAT anu save the progressive
movement. Even Roosevelt took this
view, anu, IL IS said told two men, who
told La follette. that La Toilette should
| do this.
This does not imply bad faith OH
Roosevelts part. His boom began
| later. And ii was begun. apparently
| by reactionaries. who simply used him
| to counteract the La Toilette boom.
which showed growing strength But
| when La Follette's strength showen
Tafts weakness Roosevelt's friends
| jumped in and the Roosevelt boom was
on in full yigor. Then the trouble be-
gan.
In states like California, New Jersey
| and Illinois the rank and file began TO
split between Roosevelt and La Toilette.
| And SO did the leaders. And the old ma
chine men in these and other states he
| gan to pick up fresh hope of coming
| back under Roosevelt. Nor does this
mean that Roosevelt was dealing with.
them.
Position of Roosevelt.
Roosevelt's position at that time SEEM
| ed to be that he did not expect or want
| the nomination, that he regarded himself
| only as an emergency candidate and sub
ject only to that call of his party, or of
the people, to do some particular thing.
There were cynics, of course who dis
trusted him. and there still are such.
And there are sincere men. too, who
think that Roosevelt was thinking one
way in his mind and going the other way
in his. subconsciQus nature The present
story however, is written on the as
sumption of good faith all around.
The main fact in the situation was that
there were a lot of Roosevelt men among
the La Toilette leaders. especially in state
and local situations
They began to listen 90 the Roosevelt
BOOM There was only one way to check
the movement for La Toilette, and that
was for Roosevelt to speak. and to speak
plainly Hes would not do 1t, and there
| is something for him to explain some
| day. =
His Failure to Speak.
1t came up. at the conferences. There
has developed out of that failure of his
to speak some good will and good deal