Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-25
ROOSEVELT CONDEMNS
OLD PARTY PLATFORMS
Declares Neither Grasps the
Situation That Confronts
the Country.

NEW YORK. July o5.-Theodore Roose-
Welt in the current issue of the Out
look discusses Platform Insincerity.
In the course of his article he says:
Neither the republican nor the demo-
cratic platform shows the slightest grasp
Of the real situation that confronts this
Countrywide fact that we are now face 10
face with a great industrial evolution
which unless frankly accepted as sucn
by the government, will become an indus
trial revolution. Three or four of the Is
sues involved in this movement have
been touched on by the two parties In
their platforms-the right of the people
to have their representatives really repre-
sent them; the right of the people to en-
body their sense of civic justice in their
statute laws even over the objection OF
reactionary courts; the cost of living the
tariff problem, and the trust problem On
all these matters both parties have
spoken loudly. but on no one of them
has either party spoken clearly
Can't Tell Which Is Worse.
1T Is difficult to know whether most to
condemn the republican platform for dar-
Ing to make declarations to which IT'S
own actions and the actions of the admin
istration during the past three years have
frankly given the lie, or the demoerdtl1
platform for unctuously stating that the
pledges il makes are intended to be car
ried out after election and not intended
merely for platform use. There could be
no more fragrant example than that
" hich the Baltimore platform anords OF
the making of promises in such fashion
that they shall seem to be what they are
not, and OF such character that there
could by no possibility be any serious ef-
fort to carry them out under penalty or
nationwide disaster
The bosses of the democratic party
and the bosses of the republican party
alike have closer grip than ever De-
fore on the party machines in the states
and in the nation. This crooked control
of both the old parties by the bene-
ticiaries of political and business privilege
renders IL hopeless TO expect any far
reaching and fundamental service from
either.
Suggests Progressive Platform.
1T is in large part a sequel TO this
crooked control that there has been so
long a record of failure on the part of
both the old parties TO redeem their
platform pledges. I very earnestly hopN
that the progressive party Will bear this
fact in mind when ii comes to building
its platform. Not only should the plat
form be right, but ii should be SO clearly
drawn as to make the intentions of those
who draw it perfectly understood by the
average man. it should deal wisely and
boldly with the new issues confronting
our people: and. finally. it should scrupu-
ously refrain from promising anything
that cannot be performed. and should
clearly show that it intends as a matter
of honorable obligation to carry out every
promise made.
To make a promise which cannot be
carried out or which would hopelessly
damage the country If carried out is
equivalent TO announcing in advance that
not only this promise but all the other
promises in the platform are meant to be
broken. and are for campaign uses only.
No party and no candidate should re-
ceive the support OF the people II the
platform shows on its face the corrupt
insincerity of those moking It,"