East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-11-12
COLONEL ISSUES
HIS STATEMENT
NEW PARTY IS TO STAY
Says Achievement in Election Is I'm
paraIlclcd in History of Country
the Battle Has just Bcgun-Proud
to Have Been in the Fight, He
Declares.

New York, Nov. 12.-Theodore
Roosevelt made a formal statement
last night bearing upon the election
and the future of the progressive
party. In harmony with previous ex
pressions of his own and of his col
leagues, he reiterated that the pro-
gressive party has come to stay and
80 far from being over, the battle
has just begun"
He regards the party's showing in
polling more than four million votes
in the face of numerous obstancles
naturally in the path of new move.
ment as Literally unparalleled in the
history of free government"
The statement follows: 81 con-
gratulate the progressives of the
country: that is, l congratulate those
good men and women who, with sim
cerity of purpose for the common
good, have had the vision to look in
to the coming years and see what the
future demands from us who work in
this present.
What the progressive party has
done since the theft of the republican
organization by the republican bosses
at Chicago last June is literally un-
paralleled in the histoy of free gov
ernment worked under Representative
institutions. Three months have gone
and
women gathered To found the new
progressive party.
without much money, without any
organization. against the wealth of
the country. against every political or
ganiZation of the country, against the
furious opposition of every upholder
of special privilege, whether in bus
mess or in politics. and with the chan
nels Of information to the public
largely choked. the progressive party
has polled between four and four and
one half millions votes; has hopeless
IN beaten one of the old parties both
i'm the electoral college and in the
popular vote: has taken second place
i'm the nation and either first or sec
ond place i'm some 81 out of As states.
NO task in any way approaching
this has ever before been performed
bv any party in our country such
Il feat performed by volunteers
hastily brought together and without
previous cooperation with one an
other. against the trained veterans of
the political arena-these trained vet
Grams including the entire mercenary
forces of politics-should be n source
of pride not only to those who per-
formed the task but to all believers
in good citizenship and in the ca
pacity of Americans for self govern
ment.
During the campaign | said re-
peatedly that this was in no sense or
way one man movement hut a
movement for greater principals, a
movement which has sprung as all
healthy movements in our democratic
! government must spring, from the
heart and conscience of the people
| themselves. This truth must be Kept
steadily before the minds of all of us
! The progressive party has come to
| SlaN. Ill elintE VI lllt blu I'i 'iN' N'''
endeavor to put in execution any oi
| our planks it can count on our hearty
support in so doing, but We Will not
rest contented until the entire plat
form is enacted into law and becomes
part of our political system, nationa
and state.
81 am proud indeed that the grea
good fortune has been mine to figh
shoulder to shoulder with men ant
women. who. in the ranks and in var
ious positions of leadership have wag
cd this great battle for social and in
dustrial Justice So far from BEN!
over the battle has just begun. We
will not rest content until every fea
ture of the progressive program ha
been put into effect and when thu
has been done, unquestionably Their
will have been opened to us new ave
nues along which it will be duty t
work for the moral and economical
l.,