The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-12-16
Secretary of State on the Third
Party Conference.
Wants Leaders to Stop and Do
patriotic" Thinking.
PERPETUATE DEir,IOCRAT POWER
LII They Persist in New Party
Organization.
If Both Factions Yield Point
Can ReOrganize G.. o. P.

Because. as he declares, Kansas is
as Progressive as the Progressive
party, Secretary of State Charles Ses-
stons urges that there is little cause or
occasion for a new party in this state
and invites both factions in the Re
publican party to pause and do some
patriotic thinking. Sessions believes
that the Kansas Progressives will
make a grave political mistake Tues
day If they decide to organize a Third
party in this state and that their ac
ton will only tend to perpetuate the
Democrats in power.
After all, Sessions argues, there is
but little occasion for the Republicans
to quarrel in Kansas. Both the Regu-
lars and the Progressives claimed to
be dyed in the wool Republicans in
the recent campaign-but few men ad-
hitting that they were Third party
followers. And so, Sessions contends
that the new Third party would fail to
draw heavily from the Republicans
and that its strength would only be
sufficient to insure added victories for
the Democrats This is the view
which Sessions takes of the present po-
litical situation:
Having in a degree retained the
respect of both elements of the party
and with an avowed intention of quit
ting the political game at the end of
my second term while quitting is good,
/ believe 1 cannot be accused of any
selfish purpose If 1 submit a few re-
marks on the present political situa.
ton.
Anybody has a right to belong to
any political party he desires. And
anybody that wants to may start a
new political party if he can find the
recruits. 1 shall not quarrel with any
man over such matters. His judgment
may be questioned but not his right.
Can Only Aid Democrats.
THE organization of a Progressive
party in Kansas, in my judgment, can
have only one result and that is to per-
petuate the Democratic party in pow
leaders would prefer the Democrats to
Republicans. And perhaps some Re
publicans would prefer Democrats to
Progressives. However 1 am not yet
ready to join any Democratic aid So
ciety and don't believe that the great
body of Republicans are, either.
William Allen White, in his Law
renee speech, said that Wilson will kill
the Democratic party I wish 1 could
take as rosy a view of the matter as
Mr.. White But 1 can't. For half a
century, influential men. both within
and without the Democratic party, have
been trying to kill 1t and have failed.
You can't kill it with an axe. A cyclone
or earthquake cannot Tease it. 1t can
be defeated almost constantly but ami
hilated, never. The Democratic party
thrives on adversely. In 1896 when this
country was busted community; when
the factories were all closed and mil
lions of idle men were tramping the
and byways; when farm pro-
ducts and indeed farm property could
hardly be given away-aI the benefit
cent results of a Democratic national
dministration-when every body it
seemed was denouncing the Democrats,
yet Bryan, that very year, polled
hnv
Cleveland did four years before.
eff the country goes to smash under
Wilson the Democrats will poll more
votes four years from now than they
did this year. Mark my prediction
When the Great Day comes and Gabriel
blows his trumpet, the last creature to
walk up the gang plank will be the
Democratic party and it will do so
grudgingIy. This is no idle boast of a
blind follower of that party of despair
but simply the frank admission of an
antag onist-
Explains ROOseveIt's Strength.
IF the Progressive party leaders be-
lieve that the vote cast for Colonel
Roosevelt in Kansas last month repre-
sents their minimum strength they are
mistaken, in my judgment. There is
as much difference between a Progress
sive Republican and third party Pro-
gressive, as there is between tenn
perance or prohibition Republican and
a third party prohibitionist Thousands
OF Republicans voted for Roosevelt as a
protest against Taft's Canadian Reel
procity policy: other thousands voted
for him as a protest against the meth
DDS used in the Chicago convention.
Many other thousands voted for him
on account of his own personality and
popularity. Ninety per cent of the Re-
publicans who voted for Roosevelt in
sisted with great vehemence during the