The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-05-08
Will the Republican Party
Come Back?"

James Boyle. former secretary to
Governor Mckinley, and at one time
State librarian for Ohio. has come to the
front with pamphlet which has Just
been issued by the Republican State com
mittee of Ohio. 1t answers in the affirm
alive the question quoted in the above
title. If it were merely his opinion or
impression it would have relatively small
value. But as painstaking student of
affairs, his statistical studies of the uues-
ton develop points which are we'll worth
considering.
Mr.. Boyle shows that, aside from the
personality of Mr. Roosevelt in single
contest, the Republicans are the second
party, and the Progressives the third,
with all that this distinction means for
the future. The Progressives have 1879
members in the legislatures in which
they are represented, while in the same
bodies the Republicans number 1865
members. In Roosevelt's own State of
New York the Progressives have only
five representatives in the Legislature
as against SO Republicans. In Taft's,
Ohio, there are only five Progressives
against 80 Republicans.
Only three State governors class them
selves as Progressives. and two of these
were elected long before the Progressive
party as such was thought of. These
are Johnson of California and Carey of
Wyoming. The only governor elected as
Progressive is Byrne of South Dakota,
and in that State no Republican ran
against him. Byrne is the only State
officer in the entire country elected last
November by the Progressives, with the
exception of Judge Wanamaker of the
Ohio supreme court, who was nominated
on petition as an Independent, al
though it is fair to say that he received
Progressive endorsement and calls him
self by that name. 1t thus appears that
outside of the presidential ballot, in
which Mr.. Roosevelt's personality stood
on one side in marked contrast with Mr..
Taft's undoubted weakness, the new
party has made but trifingly small in
roads on the older organization.
Since the November election this has
been even more evident. Roosevelt
had carried Chicago over Taft by two to
one. In the recent spring election there
the Republicans distanced the Progress
slves by 3 to ratio, even though the
latter maintained very strenuous cam
II.
also showed the same thing. Col.
Roosevelt himself called on the $4,000
men in that city who had voted for him
in November, to rally in support of the
Progressive candidate for mayor. But
only 4200 of them responded, and the
Republicans, in spite of this diversion,
swept the city.
But perhaps more significant still has
hot 10
the State which gave Roosevelt, in
the country, one Of $1,000. This spring
his followers made lively and confident
campaign, flooding the State with ora
tors including Col. Roosevelt himself and
ex-senator Beverage of Indiana But
what happened? Michigan swung back
into the Republican column with its old
time ardor, the entire Republican ticket
being elected, the Democrats coming
second, and the Progressives third.
Mr.. Boyle recalls interestingly the
historic controversy as to the origin of
the Republican party. Not fewer than
seven States have since claimed the
honor of its birth. From this he infers
that there was something of that period
moving in the minds of men in places
widely separated that gave validity to
Mr. Blaine's saying: "Great parties
never come by whereas and a rule, and
are not the product of political labor,
They come from an instinct" Immedi-
ately after its organization the Republi-
can party went to winning victories in
congressional and State elections. The
Progressive party, as already shown,
has done nothing of consequence any
where except in the Roosevelt vote.
From this study it appears that all the
Republicans need is to be up and doing,
strengthening their lines, cementing
their forces, and preparing to exhibit
their old strength. Would that some
great leader among them would issue
this note of command, ''Say unto the
people that they go forward. boston
Herald.