Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-08-20
~ MEAD PUBLISHING co
official Paper Of City ana County
Republican Empire.

Republic Or Empire.
The noise is over. The shouting has
ceased, The tumult has subsidized. The
delegates are going back to their
homes.
The time has now arrived for sober
thought and sober question.
This is the question: Shall the re-
republican party be destroyed to graft
fy the boundless ambition and feverish
egotism of Theodore Roosevelt.
The Journal was founded in 1874,
before the republican party came into
existence. This journal knows how
large a part and how fine apart the re-
publican party has played in the his
tory of this republic.
The journal has recorded all the tri-
umphs of the republican patriotism.
It is the party that saved this Amer
lean republic from inevitable collapse
that would have followed successful
secession; and if the republican party
had done no other good thing in the
fifty-six years Of its existence, it would
deserve to live for that.
1t is the party that freed four mil
lion human being from slavery; and If
the republican party had done no other
thing, it would deserve to live for that.
It is the party of Lincoln, of Grant,
of Sherman, of Blaine, of Mckinley
1t is q party which began with great
moral ideals; and in thelbreasts Of avast
majority of it's adherants those moral
principles are held sacred still.
Shall such party give place to an
organization which represents nothing
but Theodore Roosevelt's egotism.
The Journal is not pleading for re-
publican victory this fall. Such vic
tory does not now seem either possible
or desirable. The democratic party by
its later record, by it's candidate. by
its leaders, has earned success; and
that success it will doubtless have in
November.
But The Journal does not desire to
see all the sanity, al the real Ameri-
canism of the nation rest on the tri-
umph of single political psrty.
When Mckinley heard Of Roosevelt's
nomination for vice president, he ex-
claimed in horror:
my God, gentlemen! there is only q
single life between that man and the
presidency!
The single life failed. Let US not
risk the future on single party, which
also might fail in some great crisis OF
our national fate.
Mr.. Roosevelt complains that the
leaders of both old parties combine
against him; and he finds in that fact
a proof of their wickedness. The his
torian of the future will find in it a
proof of their wisdom and patriotism.
The leaders Of both old parties in the
loyal states combined against secession
in 81.
The leaders of both parties in the
newly liberated colonies combined to
frame the constitution of the United
States.
The leaders of both parties in the En-.
gland of 1888 combined to put an end
to the imbecile despotism of the Stuarts
Those combinations, were justified.
Today, the leaders of both parties in
the United States would be justified If
they combined against the counterfeit
Napoleon who yesterday nominated
himself for third term and who, it
given third term, would surely de-
mand life term.
The democratic party is in no danger.
Mr.. Roosevelt can not harm it. 1t is
the old republican party which he is
seeking to crush; it is on the ruins Of
the proud republican party that he
would build the temple of his power.
Shall he succeed?
The republican party has faults; but
every one of those faults has been car
ried over in exaggerated form into the
new organization of Mr.. Roosevelt.
The republican party has faults; but
it is party of real Americanism.
The republican part has faults, but
it is superior to the hypnotized clique
that was formed to exalt and reflect
the egotism of single man, man
who owns all he has of fame to the re-
publican party.
The republican party has faults; but
it has ever been true to the faith Of
our fathers that here in America should
be founded republic, a true and last
ing republic, in which kings and ty-
rants and despots would be unknown
forever.
Shall this republican party be de-
stroyed to make room for Theodore
Roosevelt's new party?
NO! A thousand times, NO!
Better that Mr.. Roosevelt should go
down to any sort of defeat or humili-
alton, better that he had never been
born, than that the great and useful
party of Abraham Lincoln should be
ruined and wrecked!
Party government has many faults;
but personal government is intolerable.
Mr.. Roosevelt must not be allowed to
destroy the party whose greatest fault
was ministering to bis ambition Chi