Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-08-08
new PARTY NOW
IN The ARENA
Progressives in National Con.
1 vention at Chicago.
BIG COLISEUM IS CROWDED
Immense Auditorium Packed When
Third Party Movement Is For
malIy Launched.
BIG COLISEUM IS CROWDED

Chicago, Aug. 6.-The National Pro
gressive party took it's place in the
arena of American politics here when
its first national convention assembled
in the Coliseum, where the Republic
an national convention was held seven
weeks ago.
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, sponsor
for the new party, arrived in Chicago
shortly before the convention was
called to order, but did not attend the
first session.
Former Senator Albert ]. Beveridge
of Indiana was elected temporary
chairman of the convention after Sen
ator Dixon had called the assembly to
order and prayer had been offered.
Senator Beverage was greeted with
prolonged cheers, delivered his key
note" speech, bristling with the most
advanced ideas of progressiveism.
The floor of the big convention hall
was crowded and the galleries, slow to
fill at first, had but a few empty seats
when the convention got under way
shortly before l O'clock.
The delegates were most enthusiast
tic, frequently interrupting the pro-
%ceedings with cheers and applause.
What Progressives Stand For.
Ex-senator ~Beveridge's portrayal of
the evils of boss rule and the rem
edies advocated by the Progressives
were cheered vociferously. The speech
set forth at considerable length the
situation in which both the older
Parties are now placed and the meth
eds by which the new national organ
lzation proposes to restore the govern.
1aent of the nation to the people.
1--WE stand for a nobler America.
We stand for an undivided nation.
We stand for a broader liberty, a full
er justice. We stand for social broth
erhOOd as against savage individual
ism. We stand for an intelligent CO.
operation instead of a reckless COM
petition. We stand for mutual help
fulness instead of mutual hatred. We
stand for equal rights as a fact of life
instead of a catchWord of politics.
We stand for the rule of the people
as a practical truth instead of a mean
ingless pretense. We stand for a rep
resentative government that repre-.
resents the people. We battle for
the actual rights Of man..
Negro Delegates Barred.
When Colonel Roosevelt reached
Chicago he put in a stormy two hours
before he succeeded in Strengthening
out the tangle owe the contesting ne
gro delegates from the South. After
he had been welcomed by a crowd of
several thousand persons and had
made a speech on the street in front
of his hotel he went to his head
quarters and took the helm.
The Florida and Mississippi cases
which had not been ruled upon by the
provisional national committee were
placed before him in detail and it de-
veloped that there was a sharp diff
ference of opinion in the Roosevelt
camp. A number of his Northern sup
porters told him frankly that they dis
approved of the policy of barring all
negro delegates from the South.
Colonel Roosevelt stood his ground.
In answer to every objection he said
that he would cling u~nequivocally to
the position he had taken, and that,
although it might cost him votes in
the Northern states, he believed it was
to the best interests of the party to
proceed under white leadership in the
South. He reiterated the statement
made in his letter to Julian Harris of
Atlanta that it was to the white man
in the South that the negro must look
and declared his position was for the
best interests of the negro. 1t was
said that all his associates finally were
won over fully to his point of view.