The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-07-19
Its Coming Predicted.

Its Coming Predicted.
The writer is especially interested in
this move because more than year
ago in the Review of Reviews he pre-
dicted the formation of a national pro
gressive party this year. Colonel RoOse-
welt was not then a candidate, nor did
1t seem probable that he would he.
The injection of his personality into
the situation has changed matters in
some degree, although the principles
remain the same. At the time l wrote
this article it was my belief that the
members of the new progressive party
would come from both of the old par
ties. The nomination of Woodrow VIII
son has In some degree satisfied pro
greSSive Democrats, so that as large
an influx from that party may not be
expected as would have gone over
under other conditions.
These are only minor variations,
however. The great fact is that the
new party has come, and in much the
same way that it has been apparent
to close political students for some
time that 1t must come. However we
look at it, the conclusion is forced
upon us that its effects Will be ire
mendous. Even though they never
succeeded nationally some Of the third
parties have changed political history.
No one man or group of men can or
ganize a new party. Like poets, par
ties are born and not made. They are
born from great impulses of public
opinion. They are the result of mate
rial conditions and of human psychol-
ogy. One Of the mysterious facts
about these new parties or at least of
certain line of them is that one
comes into being about every twenty
years
The Recurrent Reform Wave.
The Republican party was born in
1854 and two years later participated
In its first presidential election. 1t
started as a third party, but rapidly
drove the Wings from the field and be
came one of the two leading parties.
John c. Fremont, its first presidential
candidate, polled something more than
100000 votes, but was defeated by
James buchanan. In their second elec-
ton In 1850 the Republicans succeeded
owing 70 division in the ranks of the
Democracy.
The second great uprising came in
1874, when the national Greenback
party was organized The shibboleth
Of the Greenbackers was a peoples
money, and the party supported other
issues that looked TO the peoples rule.
While 1t never pOlled very large vote
In a presidential canvass, the Green
back party did cast about a million
votes in one election, choosing a num-
Der of governors and members of con
gress. Its identity was lost through
fusing with the Democrats, although
It was sdn a factor up TO 1884.
Eighteen years after the formation
Of the Greenback party the Peoples
party, generally known as the Popu-
list party, came into existence. In
some ways 1t represented the same
spirit as that of the early Republicans
and Greenbackers, which IN a general
way may be described as the rule Of
the people as against special interests.
In its first election, with James b.
Weaver G8 its candidate for president,
the Peoples party polled more than
100000 votes and by 1894 had nearly
100000. In 1896 1t fused with tho
Democrats, but elected large hnnber
OF governors, senators Sand congress
men While II went out Of existence
as party, its principles continued TO