Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-06-28
New Party Is Born As Taft Is
Nominated,

anu MI. sherman ren0minated for Vice.
President. Mr.. Roosevelt accepted the
nomination of the new party to be known
as the Progressive Party" which was
temporarily organized on Saturday night
at meeting of the progressive delegates.
The following report of the proceedings
OF the Republican convention is from the
pen OF our fellow-countian. Judson C. Wei
liver, who represented the Washington
Times at Chicago, staunch Roosevelt
journal, and discloses the bitter hatred
that exists between the factions of the old
Republican party;
Almost in the hour in which William
Howard Taft received the Presidential
nomination that had been placed within
his grasp by fraud and theft, new poIit-
ical party was born.
1t was born in protest against plain
thievery and dishonesty. But it represents
more than that. 1t stands for the culmi-
nation of the mighty movement toward
popularization of this Government, that
has been going on ever since Roosevelt
became dominating figure in the national
life, the leader in its conscience movement
the evangel of its new gospel of social
justice, equal rights, and the square deal.
The bigness and erimness of the tragedy
were realized in the cool dawn of the quiet
Sunday morning that broke over the con-
vention city after night filled with ten
sity and excitement. Hundreds of the
delegates and thousands of spectators of
the two conventions left town on the night
trains last night but hundreds of thou
sands OF others remained to talk over the
Taft doings of day that will take a place
in the front of American history. Among
these, the opinion was universal that the
old Republican party. the party that &C.
complished great work, but at last fell
under the domination of bosses and selfish
interests, is doomed; doomed certainly so
far as concerns this campaign, and for all
the future unless it shall return to the
control of the men, the purposes and the
aspirations that guide the movers in the
program of forming new party.
The Regular" Republican convention,
that is, the one called by the national
committee, and in which enough delegates
were stolen to turn an honest Roosevelt
into dishonest Taft majority-adjourne
at 1886 Saturday evening, after nominat-
ing William Howard Taft for President
and James S. Sherman for President.
A very short time afterward, at Orchestra
Hall, the delegates who had been denied
their rightful seats in the gathering, to-
gether with most of the other honestly
elected Roosevelt delegates. assembled to
launch the movement for a party of the
people as against the bosses
The great majority of these delegates
had refused to vote in the first convention.
They had accepted the view of Colonel
Roosevelt. who declared that they ought
not to recognize the right of the fraudu-
lent convention to transact the business
of the party. After fighting through the
five days of the preliminary organization.
in the desperate effort to compel decent
and just decision of some. at least, of the
contests, they had found themselves beaten
at every point.
The steam roller was remorseless. With
out heed or care for fairness. decency or
moral appeal, it pushed straight on its
course of crushing out the claims of the
Roosevelt delegates; it carried the Taft
claimants triumphantly into the seats to
which they were not entitled; and it forced
the program of the ancient regime through
to the letter.
The first convention was conducted &c
the music of dead march. Enthusiasm
was utterly absent. The proceedings were
recognized on both sides of the fighting
line as merely formal: the preliminary to
the real business that must come later
The convention maintained wonderful good
order. considering the intensity of the feel
ing that prevailed as between the opposing
olOCos DuN II was titC Tic
On both sides there was determined pur-
pose to do everything in formally decent
fashion, The Roosevelt delegates. though
they had been outraged. would not give their
enemies the satisfaction of seeing them
walk out of the hall. They remained in
their seats. though most Of them refused
to vote for the platform which was brought
forward by the Taft people. and a still
larger number declined to answer to their
names on the ballot for President.
Soft fell out that President Taft received
only 56l votes for the nomination twenty
one more than the minimum that would
nominate Roosevelt received the votes OF
l07 supporters who were not willing to sit
silent. almost half of them being from ILL
nois. No less than 344 delegates refused
to vote at ALL They would not recognize
the right Of the convention to eject them,
nor would they be forced to vote Il deny
the power of the convention to compel me
to vote" answered one Of these, when his
name was called. and the answer was re-
ceived with cheers.
1t was a rebuke such as had never been
administered to a national convention
ruling faction. There had never been an
occasion demanding such treatment. When
Colonel Roosevelt first called upon his sup
porters to remain silent in their places i
was realized that he was making the most
extreme demand Of them, short Of leaving
the convention. To vote for him would be
perfectly regular and easy, but it would be
recognition Of the regularity Of the con
vention. The protest Of silence was most
effective and yet the most polite that coult
be devised
Before the Roosevelt delegates withdrew
their voice from the proceedings they served
notice of their intention. This notice wal
given by Henry Allen. new national commit
teeman from Kansas. who took the plat
form Immediately following the adoption
of the credentials committees last repor