The Washington times., 1912-09-27
WHAT THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY REP.
RESENTS.

When man like DR.. Frederick Zahn, Of Munich,
talks to demography congress about the social and
economic necessity for such a measure as working
mems insurance, people listen with interest and
convinced When DR.. Zahn presents these social
problems there is no disposition to cav with his
reasoning. When he ponts>to the benefits that Ger
many has derived from this general policy Of con-
serving and insuring the energies Of the nation,
Americans wonder and exclam in admiration Of
these practical resourceful Germans
But let that same set Of questions be brought
before political convention; let these problems be
stated in terms Of constructive legislation, with pro-
vision for dealing with them; let a political party
write into its platform pledge to accomplish these
same things-and then there will be protest from the
conservatives, objection from tine narrow-visoned
and vetoes from those who in every extension Of
governmental usefulness menace of socialism.
1t is one Of the strangest things about American
AFFAIRS that this should be true. Yet il is not difficult
Of explanation, when the factors understood
We are farther developed on the social than on the
political side. DR.. Zahn talks, before demography
congress, to very different audience than that which
is addressed by the chairman of political convention
More's the pity, the people who are interested in
the things Dr. Zahn is telling hem not sufficiently
active in behalf of ransating those very ideas into
terms Of political performance.
DR.. Zahn and his very useful kind might talk the
country into thoroughly intelligent understanding
of workingmens insurance, industrial hygiene con-
servation of energies and resources protection OF
workers against excessive demands, and so on; but
unless there were, in the political side of the
munitys mind, sufficient practical, creative concern
about those propositions to make and enforce laws
on the subjects, nothing would be gained. We have
need to understand that there is no "highbrow-
ing" over these problems unless also we are willing
to get down into the very practical realm of politics
and get action
That is exactly what the Progressive party is do,
ing 1t proposes transmute into political action the
good things that pretty nearly everybody agrees, in
an academic way, we need, but that the old political
mechanism incapable of giving to us. Take this
very question Of workingmen's insurance. 1t was a
hobby with Roosevelt many years ago. He studied it,
invited great specialists to ilumine it for him, sought
means Of adapting the system to our conditions and
institutions The mere, narrow, unseeng politicians
Of the old style smiled grimly at these eccentrictes
Of the Roosevelt mind. The idea of a President
studying such things, and thinking of making laws
about them, was rather amusing; that was all
1t is against this attitude of ignorance and COM
pacency, and in favor Of the Rooseveltian purpose
and desire for service for accomplishment for the
broad view and the social beterment that the polt-
cal revolution Of this year has been inaugurated The
people, getting ahead of the mere politicians, have
decided to get the processes of government into step
and tune with the best social and economic thought
The Progressive party has been launched and COM
mssioned to do this very work. 1t has been neces-
sary because neither of the older parties was willing
or capable of doing what is wanted. DR.. Zahn if he
were an American, anxious to have his big social
ideas formulated into laws, would be Progressive.