Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-12-11


control of the party from the people,
made it the party of reaction, and
gave it into the absolute control of the
bosses.
1.-The men who took part in, proiited
by, or condoned and endorsed the theft
OF the Chicago convention should new
er again be trusted by men who be-
| Iieve in honesty.
I'VE stand for every principle set
forth in our platform. We stand for
the purging of the roll Of American
public life by driving out of politics
the big bosses who thwart the popu-
lar will, who rely on corruption as
political instrument, and who serve
the cause of privilege. But the func-
ton of the new party is not limited to
securing the enactment of the meas
ures advocated in the new party's
platform and the retirement of a few
! bosses. Our purpose is to keep up a
continuous campaign for social and in
dustrial justice and for genuine gov
eminent by the people, and for the
people. Such a campaign cannot be
expected from any party which is
partly, reactionary; and at their best
| both of the old parties are partly, and
they are unusually dominantly. reae-
] tionary.
our function is TO bring about the
needed realignment of political par
ties along national and rational lines.
! Substantially the old parties are but
wings of the same party of reaction
and privilege. There is now no nat
ural definite difference between them.
/ Ultimately all the progressives who
still cling to the two old parties will
have TO come with us in order to eff
feet the needed improvements in po
litical conditions, in the efficiency of
| government and III financial and in
dustrial standards.
The immediate work for our party
/ is TO establish the principles of our
platform by appropriate legislation in
the nation and in the several states.
In the national Legislature progress
Sive senators and congressman should
at once push the various progressive
proposals, not only those affecting Ia
/ Dor but that affecting the trusts
Mr. Roosevelt renewed his proposal
/ to create a commission like the inter-
state commerce commission to super
wise the big Industrial concerns doing
interstate business. He continued
II trust that the progressive sena-
tors and congressman at Washington
will get together and push this and all
other proposals of the progressive
party / hope moreover, that each
group of progressive members elect of
the legislatures of the several states
will meet and plan united action upon
the organization of their respective
NJ
the United States Senate and upon
proposed legislation. The direct pri-
mary plan should be universally APP
piled. We should support legislation
that will carry out our principles re-
CARELESS of what party may introduce
il in the several states.
Farmer financing should now receive
the consideration it deserves. The
greatest field for farmers cooperation
viii be in marketing their product,
which process now costs them and the
consumer so dearly. The promptest
and largest measure of financial aid
would came from mortage banks char
tered, regulated and carefully super
vfsed by the government, operating
on the method of the credit Foncier of
France.
Our people especially our progressive
members, must ever keep in mind that
the progressive party is by its platform
committed to the doctrine that these
measures we advocate are to become
part of the law of the land, provided we
can get the people to stand for them If
legislature, executive or court stands in
the way, then in lawful and orderly fash
ion and along the lines laid down in the
national progressive PLATFORM we in
tend to see that the will of the people
Is carried out; and that judge, legislator
and executive officer alike do their full
part In thus carrying out the will of the
people" No party which denies to the
people the right to secure justice as we
progressives propose. when the courts
interpret the constitution so as to en-
throne injustice. has the right to claim
credit for sincerity in any effort to work
iof industrial and social justice. All
other measures are useless if we permit
BODY which is not responsible to the
people to have the final say as to wheth-
er the people shall or shall not in their
laws do complete social and industrial
justice. The doctrine of the divine right
OF judges to rule the people is every
WHIT as ignoble as the doctrine of the
divine right of kings, and this doctrine
IS now chiefly and powerfully upheld by
Inc legal and financial representatives
of privilege
We also hold with Abraham Lincoln
ana we only are the heirs of LincoIn's
principes-that the people are the mas
tiers OF the constitution. We believe in
the constitution and for that very rea-
son We eontemptuously thrust aside the
EFFORTS of the reactionaries to turn it
mo ietich for the obstruction of JUS
ice. The constitution was created to Sc
cure justice and We refuse to allow il
10 De so perverted as to become a bar
fier between the people and Justice
Every proposal we have made for apply
ing ana adapting the constitution to our
present needs is a proposal to save the
constitution by making 1t more efficient
instrument for securing justice for all
he