The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-07-26
Whv a Third Party in Michigan7

Inc men who met at jackson Satul
day. nearly all Republicans or forme
Republicans, decided to sever all rela
tions with their party and join them
selves in a new organization to be call
ed, probably. the National Progressive
party. Many Of them did rot go ther
with this purpose in view; indeed, the.
intended to fight for come arrangement
whereby they could remain in the Re
publican party and still vote fol
Roosevelt for President. But an agent
Of Roosevelt appeared upon the scene
with an order from the ex-presiden'
himself, that an entire new party
must be formed, party that would
put state, congressional and legislative
as well as local, tickets in the field. In
other words, that they must cut loose
entirely from their present party affilia.
tions. Whereupon these men sunk
their personal convictions, and with
scarcely protest, meekly obeyed the
order from Oyster Bay. In such case,
so far as Michigan is concerned, this
new party is nothing but the personal
party of one man, and should in all
honesty call itself the Roosevelt party.
Why these men should 80 easily sub
NIT to the dictum of an outsider, a per-
son who must have only the most bazy
ideas of political conditions in Michi-
gan, is at this writing unexplainable.
Some of these men must have been ac-
tuated by honest desire to bring about
better political conditions. If they
have any sense left at all they know
they do not have to go outside the Re-
publican party in this state to reach
that result. They know that the rank
and file, the mass of the party is not
reactionary, though every progressive
in the party is by no means follower
of Roosevelt They know that state.
wide primary is to be held next month,
under legal state regulations, whereat
every candidate chosen for every Office
in the state, except a few administra.
tive state officers, may be progressive,
an opponent of reactionism; all that is
necessary is to cast majority of the
votes.
Why these Republicans 80 weakly
gave up the ready-at- hand opportunity
to dominate the Republican party of
Michigan cannot be explained, unless
upon the ground that the movement is
really more concerned in an effort to
smash the Republican party than it is
in the triumph of the principles that
they profess. 1t may be that the Jack
son mblage was dominated by men
who always come to the surface when
of this sort get under way
men who have nothing to lose and
perhaps stand chance of gaining
by political upheavsl, seek.
ers tor notoriety, stormy petrels of
polititics, party cast. outs and undetira-
bles, always very hungry and very
thirsty for Office; but this does not &C.
count for the tame surrender of those
in the meeting who must possess clearer
vision and less selfishness.
AS q tactical move the Roosevelt
men would seem to have committed
blupder-if they hope to carry Michi-
gan-in making the desertion of the
party the supreme test of
fealty in the ex-president. There are
msny discontented Re-
publicans who wish to exercise their
convictions in national politics-who
wish to vote for Roosevelt-who see no
reason why they should smash the Re-
publican party of the state in order to
DO so. They cannot bring themselves
TO turn their coats 30 easily as the Jack
son deserters have.
They will refuse to he driven or or
lered out of the party to satisfy the
ambition of revenge of any one man
Or set of men. They are willing. if not
anxious, to fight on for the control of
'he Republican party, to make it what
t has always Teen and will be again
,he party of sane and sensible progress,
N a country at this very moment the
most prosperous on the face Of the
sarth. Where men of this kind will 60
We do not know, but venture to pre-
lict that most of them will refuse to
follow the Jackson junta.
For the Courier Herald, we may say
hat for more than half century 1t
aud it's ancestry have been Republicans.
Il came into being almost simultsne.
,usly with the party itself. Under diff
'erent names, but still the same news
paper, it has stood for the chief princi-
>les of the Republican party--against
'lsvery, against treason in arms,
against free trade, for free 'homesteads,
or decent pensions to the soldiers who
Ought the battles for the union,
against the sggressioDs of monopoly,
against debased monetary standard,
against sumptuary laws, for the rights
II the individual, against uncontrolled
of capital, for interde-