Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-13
(By Emerson Hough)

Z asked an acquaintance. what can you
get out OF It? 1t has no chance to
win"
You can make no answer to that sort
of man. II you told him the truth he
could not understand it. II you made
him the simplest Of all explanations, he
could not believe 1t. He cannot COM
prehend that q party can do anybody
great good without affording somebody
great graft. II Ephraim be welded to
his idols, let the union of the world
endure. The world moves on just the
same.
The final argument for this new par
W lies in that fact; that the world does
move. Compare the Clark ages with
today and you find that the world has
moved. All civilization IL progress.
The Progressive party is the party of
civilization. Do you want the dark
ages or today for yours? That is your
own concern. The world will move on
ward just the same.
The rewards of a clean way of
thought are something which the old
line standpat man cannot understand.
What are you expecting to get out of
this?" he demands; and he thinks you
crazy when you say that you expect
to get nothing out of 1t. Yet you are
crazed only in the delirium of the hui
man impulse forward. The standpat
man cannot understand that You can
not argue with man who deals in as
sertions only, and whose premises are
those Of the past Let him alone The
world moves just the same.
One of the assertions of the stand
pat man Of either of the old parties IS.
that this third party is Roosevelt and
Roosevelt alone. OF course, that asser-
ton is not true, because the world had
progressed before Roosevelt was born
and will do SO after he is dead. The
motives of this third party go deeper
than any one mans life. They take
hold on great causes and effects. on
real conditions, which are far wider
than any one mans life.
With or Without Roosevelt.
II Theodore Roosevelt fell dead to-
morrow, he could go happy, knowing
that the fight he wages will sometime
be won, knowing that the world moves,
with or without Theodore Roosevelt. 1t
makes no great difference whether Ba-
con or Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare.
The fact, the deed. is the great thing.
1t makes no great difference to civiliza
ton whether Roosevelt or some one
else shall win this great fight; it will
be won sooner or later Theodore
Roosevelt himself is great enough
man to know that.
The standpat man of either old party
cannot understand these things. The
sheer delight of mans decision, the
joy Of fight which is there to be
fought-these are the things which the
standpat man of either old party can
not understand. Why argue with him?
Let Ephraim remain welded to his
idols. Let him continue to demand,
What can this third party get for
you?"
Many years ago as young man 1
lived in a small community in the
Rocky mountains, where we had not
much law beyond that of the six
shooter. 1t was a sweet and seemly
country for a man. No man abused
his neighbor there. There were few
locks on the doors. There was one
great law, which ran to the effect that,
when trouble came, it was a mans
part to strap on his gun, get out in
the middle Of the road and meet his
trouble full face OF course, he might
get killed; but that was much better
than to live with the record of having
hid behind the door. and having
shirked for the sheriff or other form
Of representative or constitutional
government to come and take care of
him.
He Leads, Others Follow.
Theodore Roosevelt was not the sort
to hide behind the door. For that rea-
son, America admires him. For that
reason. he is on the front page. For
that reason. Colonel Bryan, Mr.. John
Maynard Harlan and the very late
Congressman j. Adam Bede, follow
him wherever he makes speeches. why
do they not precede him and why does
he not follow them? The answer is |
fairly obvious. He is leader, and not |
a follower. What sort of man do you
want in the White House at Washing !
ton--a leader or a follower?
Why are you a Progressive? In all
likelihood 1t is in no wise Just to say
that you are a Roosevelt worshiper. |
Perhaps you became Progressive for
the same reason that did, because
you have read the history of America
and American politics. because you
American history. We have had great
issues before today. but none larger!
than those of today. We face the
third war of American Independence
1t is not enough in days like these 20
sit down clutching the clay idols OF
an ancient party in our laps and re-
fusing to lift our eyes. Whether we
do or not, the world moves on.
Now, all the great issues of coun-
try. of this country. are no. decided
inside of old parties. but outside of
them. This is true in spite Of the voci-
ferations of all the Borahs, La Fol-
lettes and Hadleys wLo get cold feet
when the shooting actually begins.
New and great human needs always
have demanded new and great politi-
cal parties. II you do not believe
this. read American history. You will
ind there that great parties have come
up and gown, that they have waxed
Ind that they have waned. That il
why there are Progressives today. and