Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-13
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WE'D TO ITS IDOLS.

The futility of attempting to reform the Republican,
party along lines that would be satisfactory to all ee
ments in that party ought to strike those who still ag
tating such an effort. Cummns, Hadley LaFollete and
that class proposing to reorganze and rehabitae
the party Taft Hlles Burton Penrose Barnes and thel
class in control of the party have already announced
that Taft shall be the leader in maintaining the reaction
airy attitude of the party Now how these two ee
ments hope to find ground, trying to make
the party progressive and the other trying to keep re-
dictionary?
Besides Taft and his advisors have the best of it mas
much they have control of the organization in every
state If there election to be held before 1916
the difficulty might be overcome through the enactment
of presidential primary law by the Democratic congress-
which is the real hope of the Cummns
element but there general state and congressional
elections to be held two years from With the
onaes in control in nearly every state how the pro-
gressve element of the party hope to accomplish any
thing? With the exception of Kansas Iowa, South Da
kota Wisconsin and California, the reactonary element
has full and complete control of the Republican organza
ton In of the states there direct primary laws
but in many of them there no such laws and the re-
dictionary machine would absolutely dominate.
The people of Idaho have opportunity to figure out for
themselves just what chance there is for the progressive
element get control of the regular Republican organz
ton This state has the direct primary law but the party
organization is the hands of the reactonares from the
state committee down through the county organization in
nearly every county in the state The Short Line and the
beet sugar trust would again command the $4,000
600 votes that they throw wherever and whenever
they demand to go to the reaconary candidates for
office that would be placed before the primaries and the
Republican party outside of those counties and those
votes doesn't amount to enough to considers it stands
second third fourth in every other county in the state
And even IT the progressive element OF the party
should gain control two years from and nominate pro-
gressve candidates, those $4,000 10000 votes
would be thrown against them to the Democratic cand
dates and the result would be defeat.
1t is just impossible to mix the progressive and the
reaconary elements Of the Republican party into whole
it is to mix oil and water. They simply cannot mix
Their elements antagonistic
The only purpose of the Republican organization now
is to prevent the of progressive principles eve
kept Roosevelt from being elected president any way
President Taft is quoted saying, and believe
keep him from being elected again. he continued speak
ing of his belief that Roosevelt would likely be cand
date for president in 1916
hatepresents the true attitude of the remnant of the
old Republican party 1t has dropped into party Of
negaton and the worst sort of negaton at that nasuch
as its sole ambition is to negative the desire of the
people to rule their government.
They have taken to talking of the constitution "Save
the constitution their cry. But what they
is simply Save the construction which the special in
eress have managed to place upon the constitution
is like the defense made for the supreme of Idaho
the Acknowledgement decision They but enforced the
law it is pleaded Care is taken by such defenders not
to mention the fact that the had first to enact the
law which they used to set up their defense The Re-
publican party is talking of saving the constitution
only for the purpose of Saving the special interests
the wrong they have placed upon that doc
ment.
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE AND THE SHORT LINE
!" IF that road (The Oregon Short Line) was in the