The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-09-12

American nation failed to meet the issue with
out faltering and to solve the problems pre-
sented in the right manner.
The nation was born of great crisis, the end
OF the American revolution witnessing its BIRTH
Thirty years later the problem presented was
again settled by war that of -lsl2 resulting in
showing to the world that the new government
in the West born to live and to take its
place among the nations of the earth. That
recognize the significance OF the conflict did
not change the fact, which each year became
more and more evident. In another thirty
years, more or less, this country demonstrate
ed that its territory should be bounded east
and west only by the ocean and that it was
the Western hemisphere. little less than
thirty years later the Gordian knot was again
cut by war and the problem whether the great
republic OF the Americas should work out that
destiny as integer divide delaying the
work until reunion should come at some future
date. was settled The abolition of slavery was
but an incident in the settlement OF the great
question.
In the more than half century since the set
Element OF that question the American people
have faced and solved many problems but
skipping the "greenback' days the free silver
question and the Spanish war all OF which
were of great Importance we come down to
The present presidential campaign. This cam
paign presents for settlement problems of
greater import to the country than have been
met since the War Between the States The
Spanish war was Of importance. not giving
Of the earth. but as forcing the other nations
to recognize the fact With 1t the policy OF
foreign expansion took on new life but that
question has not yet been settled and in all
probability will not be for years to come. when
| il will be settled by abandonment
We face crisis today Nominally there are
three great parties in the field asking for the
opportunity to settle the great question, but
really the American people are divided into
but two camps. For want of better words it
can be. said that it. Is a political war between
the conservatives and radicals or progressives
AN-"SNi
side is the Republican party led by President
Taft and onthe other the Democratic and Pro-
gressiye parties. That the rank of the Pro-
gressive party has the same ideals as Governor
| Wilson and the other leaders of the Democratic
party might we'll be admitted. That the
leader OF the former is himself no sincere
friend Of THE movement and sees not in the
! distance the goal toward which his followers
fam would press does not affect the funda-
mental truth nor change the ideals OF those
which has mistakenly selected him as their
commander.
| The fact remains that the fight Is between
those who have closed their eyes to the i'm
portance of the question to be solved and those
who recognize IT and are fighting for chance
to reach the right solution
| But the fight Is more than this. It Is a cam
paign for right. Governor Wilson stated It
when he asked should the American people
govern themselves or shall they continue II
be governed by an aristocracy OF special privi-
| lege. The duty before the nation today is to
dissolve the partnership between the govern
ment that should be the peoples, but is not
and the few who have grown fat on the pri-
vileges handed out to them by that government
The duty before the American people is to
cast from power the party which has turned
the government over to a band of freebooters
We're all who belive this to be the issue
before the country today to rally around the
leader who honestly wishes to lead the count ry
eut of the wilderness of special privileges into
the promised land Of equal rights for all there
would be no fight 1t would be slaughter
The black flag OF commercial piracy which
has long waved over the dome of the national
capitol at Washington would soon be torn from
its fastenngs and those who have gathered
beneath 1t politically garroted. The division
in the ranks, however. makes it fight between
privilege and misguided progressivism on one
hand and true progressivism on the other and
the result is in ----------
Equal rights for all and special privileges
gogues and political bosses wishing to blind the
people to the real issues and has so often rolled
glibly from the mouths of those whose stock in
trade is lip-service that it has lost its effect,
but this phrase of Thomas Jefferson's expresses
US NO other ram the motif or the progressives
OF TODAY.