Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-10-18
LET US REASON TOGETHER


well, possibly we won't elect our
man." said a Dallas bull mooser the
other night, but we will at least de-
feat Taft" Right then and there
that fellow sounded the keynote Of the
bull moose campaign. 1t is a revenge
movement with them. Revenge for
fanced wrongs, and an unholy alli-
ance with Democracy. 1t is incon-
ecivable that any well-informed man
really expects the election of Roose-
welt. There have been third party
movements before, but history does
not record an instance where one was
successful The most that the pres
ent attempt may accomplish, will be
to split the Republican vote and per-
NIT Wilson's election. According to
the bull mooser's idea such q result
will be supremely satisfactory to
them.
II has been quite spell since 1898,
and 4, and 5, and people have for
gotten. Many young men who Will
cast their first presidential vote this
year. We're too young to remember
those dark years; too young to real
ize the strenuous battle for existence
that their fathers fought to supply
the wife and kiddies with food and
clothing; too young to know of the
free soup houses the armies Of unem-
ployed men that tramped about the
country in search of work; too young
to know of the empty factories, the
smokeless chimneys, the idle saw
mills, the vacant stores and the
broken banks, the heritage of Demo-
In ID. 4, NJ
Observer isn't a calamity howler, it is
simply relating here what those who
passed through it, remember well.
Now we hear a cry for change"
Men demand Change" with no
definite idea of what might ensue
should they get it. A change from
what, and for what? Change from
our present prosperity, to less COM
Portable conditions? Change from
remuneratiVe wages and plenty OF
work to dollar a day" and The soup
house? That's what we got when we
changed" before, and after four
years Of change" how the people
did scramble to change" BACK again
Fifteen years tf Unprecedented pros
perity has caused many to believe,
like the young bun mooscr quoted
above, that 1--WE have passed all dan
ger of future panics" But have we?
We do not know--nobody knows. It's
going to be an experiment at best.
our Democratic friends tell us that
there Is now no danger of hard times,
and that the financial depression OF
lS92-96 should not be charged to
their domination of this country.
Possibly. Yet ii is a fact that all
panics have come under Democratic
rule, save only the near panic OF
1907, when Roosevelt was president.
This being true, isn't 1t Just as wen
To keep things as they are rather than
run the risk? We think so.
All this is mentioned because the |
present fight is a struggle between
President Taft and the survival Of
Republican policies and woodrow
Wilson and the employment Of DEM |
ocratc theories. A vote for Roosc- ]
welt is n half vote for Wilson-to de- 1
feat TAFT is the aim of the alleged /
progressive" party. 1t means either /
the continuation Of a tariff for the |
protection Of American industries and |
American worldngmen, or tariff for +
TeVenue-practical free trade. FN- /
actly the same arguments are used In I
this campaign by Democratic leaders. ,
as those employed In 1892 when f.
Cleveland was elected. Ask any man
old enough 60 remember he'll con-
firm this statement if he tells the
truth, Granting that this position is F
hut theory. the fact remains that
we have prosperity now, plenty of il /
then why change?
Here is something for the men who
have formerly affiliated with the Re
publican party to calmly consider: Is
IL sensible. are YOU honest with Your
self when YOU rcnouncc all your FOR
mcr beliefs and affiliate with a DEM
ucratir aid society simply at the hc-
hest OF a third party candidate FOR
the presidency running ON e spcck-
led platform and whose motive is
revenge" What's the matter with