Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-05-27
BE A PROGRESSIVE.

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race entirely.
These are days when things are progressing rapidly. The peo-
pie have become thoroughly aroused. They are making themselves
heard as never before. They are demanding a voice in the affairs
of government which was intended to be theirs.
Those who are making this demand were first called insurgents
and the old political machine leaders of both parties tried to read
them out of the respective party organizations. But the so-caled
insurgents kept right N until they have now become so numerous
that they are progressives, because they believe in progress, in con
trast with the old conservative, reactionary faction of the two par
ties which believes in standing pat In other words, the mem
bers of this faction would stand still and permit the world to move
on leaving them far behind the times. But they are already back
numbers.
Thomas Jefferson, father Of the Democracy, was a progressive
In regard to the great Louisiana purchase, which gave to us all the
Mississippi valley, a territory larger than the United States itself
at that time and which was a vast wilderness inhabited by hostile
tribes of Indians, Jefferson did a most radical thing, but he made us
really a nation. He was most severely criticised by the conserva-
tive, 'stand pat element Of that day for doing such a thing. There
was no authority in the constitution for making such a deal with
France. No doubt the reactionarics of that time accused him of
attempting to destroy the constitution, just as they are now accus-
ing Theodore Roosevelt, because Roosevelt is advocating certain
policies which are no more radical today than was Jefersons pol
icy when he was president. And there is this similarity between
Jefferson and Roosevelt, both did whatever they deemed was best
for the welfare of the people and the nation as long as there was
no law or constitutional provision prohibiting such action. The
conservative "standpatters, " on the other hand, refuse to act I'M
less there is a statute specifically setting forth that they shall do it.
Otherwise they stand pat and do nothing. There is no progress
anywhere. This is the policy of President Taft.
But as Jefferson was radical and progressive in his famous
Louisiana purchase, so was Abraham Lincoln progressive in his
stand on slavery and his emancipation proclamation. In fact, so
radical was he in regard to this that he even advocated the repeal
of the famous bred Scott decision of the United States supreme
court, which was to the effect that the black man had no rights
that the white man should respect. Yet Roosevelt, today is ac
cused of attempting to overthrow the judiciary and to destroy the
government because he advocates the repeal of certain kinds of
decisions by state courts. so radical was Abraham Iincons poll
cies that states seeded from the Union claiming they had a consi
tutional right so to do and a fyeyear war, one of the bloodiest in
history, was the result.
Yes, both Jefferson and Lincoln were progressives and radicals
If they had not been, if they had listened to the old, conservative,
stand pat" argument to the effect that they had no right to do
anything unless there was law or constitutional provision expressly
permitting them to do as they did, this country today would prob
ably consist of only a marrow strip Of territory along the Atlantic
coast, while England would have bought the great Louisiana terri
tory and have added it to Canada, extending her American posses
sions to the Gulf Of Mexico, and negro slavery would probably still
be disgracng civilization and there would be two, perhaps several,
different nations where we now have but one.
William Mckinley was another progressive as we'll as a radical
History was made rapidly during his administration. He assumed
great responsibilities and literally changed the map OF the world
There was no law or precedent for what he did, but he did not fal
ter when the time came. There being nothing to prohibit him, he
did what he deemed was best for the great nation of which he was
the executive. lie not only drove the Spanish flag from the west
en hemisphere, but he annexed for the first time in the history of
this nation, territory beyond the seas and gave us colonial posses
sions to look after. There was nothing in the constitution covering
this point. Neither were there any laws, therefore, when Tart and
other stand patters" would have hesitated and probably have re
fused to act, Mckinley was progressive and radical enough to seize
the opportunitv and the United States became a world power in
every sense OF the word.
Thousands of voters still remember how Mckinley was at
tackled by the conservatives and dictionaries of both parties. He
was accused of ignoring the constitution and of making the Decla
ration of Independence a joke. William J. Bryan based one of his
political campaigns for the presidency on the sole issue of imper
iaism, attacking President Mckinley most numerically for these
progressive and radical policies. But the great majority of the
people then, Is we believe they are now, were progressive. They
sustained these radical, unprecedented acts of Mckinley. They
showed by their ballots that the world moves forward and the great
rank and file of the plain people of America move with it.
All this has an important meaning for every voter in New Jcr
sey tomorrow. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have
their presidential primaries. Both parties are divided into two
camps-one the progressive or radical, and the other the conserva-
tive or reacionary, believing in standing pat on things as they
now are. New Jersey, thanks to the matchless leadership of Wood
row Wilson, has become one Of the most progressive states in the
Union. This presidential primary is one of the fruits of that pro
gresIveness. Tomorrow the voters of both parties are going to
decide whether this state shall remain progressive or whether it
shall return to her reactionary moorings. The lines are distinctly
drawn. In the Republican party we have Roosevelt as the candi
date for the progresaves, and Taft as the representative of the
reactionaries. In the Democratic party we have Wilson as the
progressive candidate and Jim" Smiths "uninsructed' dele
gates to represent the reactionaries.
Every Republican who believes in the principles of Lincoln
and Mckinley will have no hesitation in voting for Roosevelt.