East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-11-25

The Bull Moose. in national politics.
II asserts the orga-
nization of a new party can only be
said to be successful when II causes
the disruption of both the existing
parties But in a large measure the
new party did disrdupt both old par
ties 1t completely disrupted the re.
publican party and 1t took an enor-
nous slice from the democrats, A
large element OF former democratic
voters supported Roosevelt. That
this is true may be seen from the fact
that despite a perfect landslide of re-
publican votes to Wilson the president,
elect drew but a few more votes all
told than did Bryan four years ago.
There was a heavy slump of under
surface democratic votes to Roosevelt
which was only offset by gains from
disgruntled republicans, Had those
republicans who voted for Wilson
stood by Taft they would have done
him little good since he was every
where the low man but Roosevelt
would have been made a far more
dangerous rival for Wilson than he
proved to be.
What the new party can do in the
future is problematic OF course, but
1t is safe to say that in great many
states the bull moosers will be ascend
ant They can easily hold Washington
and they will have California. They
would have carried California this
time had they not blundered by
throwing the Taft electors off the
ticket. They will have such states as
Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan
How they will fare elsewhere will de-
pend upon how successful the demo-
cratic administration handles the
problems that confront 1t. But If the
democratic party is dislodged in the
near future it will be by the pro-
gressives. 1t is difficult to see how
the republicans can do it because the
only issue then can raise is protec-
ton versus revenue only and on that
question they have the unpopular
side of the argument. The people
are very tired of legislation for
special privilege. For some years past
the G. o. p. has been in power not be-
cause of it's tariff policy but in spite
OF it and it cannot return to power
on the strength of its stand upon that
subject
No one can change the situation by
playing ostrich.
The author who pokes fun at the
people of another race on the stage in
these days should be pre-
The Stage pared to have his work
Foreigner. completely made over
when it undergoes export,
says an editorial in the New York
World. SO strong were the objections
of certain persons of Slavonic blood
in Paris to Bulgarian officers being
held up in ridicule in "The Chocolate
Soldier" that the scene of the play is
to be shifted from the Balkans, and
the Bulgarians are to be transformed
into Persians or Liberians. AS Persia
and Liberia furnish few spectators at
the Paris theatres, there will probably
be an end of the trouble.
To avoid further complication of
the kind some sort of international
understanding ought to exist for the
guidance of theatrical managers. Most
countries enjoy laughing at their own
comic types on the stage. But when
the foreigner is brought on in queer
raiment and with a strange accent
anu " pldy tllS bullOOhb ~ DO-
comes a delicate question. Even
along Broadway nobody can ever be
sure that some Irish American, Ger
man-American, Italian-American or
Hebrew American will not raise
protest if something offends his ra-
cial pride.
For general convenience, in France
the character who figures as a vul-
gar, gilded millionaire might always
be called an American, and in Am
erica the character who stands for the
fortune-hunting villain might always
be described as a Frenchman. In the
same way Germany and England
might agree between themselves upon
the foreign types to be used in Ber-
lin and London for comedy purposes.
In these sensitive days, with the tel
egraph working night and day, no
lover of peace wants diplomatic COM
plications to arise between nations be-
cause of a chance comic opera situ-
alton. Any conscientious playwright
would be willing to sacrifice the best
joke he ever perpetrated to avoid such