The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-27
1916.

4 Most interesting OIL the CURRENT Po
litical gossip, of course, is that which
has been given life by the Washington
correspondents to the effect that things
are taking a turn which will lead TO
Theodore Roosevelt entering the lists
Il as the candidate for the Republican
presidential nomination of 1915, or
rather as the harmony candidate of the
Republican and Progressive parties.
i Stranger things than that have nap
pened in the political arena but there
will have to be much skillful ironing TO
| bring it about.
There is no doubt but it is the over
wheIming ambition of Colonel Roose-
Welt to attain the presidency again. HIS
desire to go down in history as the
man who has served the nation longest
| in the presidential Office is paramount.
And the present prospects that he can
achieve this end through the Progress
sive party are not particularly bright
Wherever throughout the entire couh-
try test of political strength has peen
made during the past few months, thls
party has exhibited a woeful weakness
in comparison with it's demonstration
of last fall. Nor has the colonel Oh
late, been showing much more thah
tlukewarmness to his political ofsprlns'
He couldn't even find it convenient 10
attend what was recently planned 10
be a monster Progressive rally IN chi
caso He has stated and reiterated
though, that there can be no harmony
between the Progressive and the Ike
publicans unless the latter agree 10
ACCEPT as their own the Progressive
propa ganda in it's entirety. And 1t was
onlv the other day that the Repupn-
cans of New York, in. state convention
assembled, adopted a platform tha'
went on record as opposed to the re-
call of judicial decisions and the recah
of judges. These are among the par
ticularly pet projects of Mr.. Roosevelt
And the Republicans of New York VIII
continue to cut large figure in the
national deliberations of their party
But then, Mr.. Roosevelt has ever been
choice of his privilege of changing MS
mind. Nor has he been reluctant 10
exercise it, as was evidenced Wheh ne
found it convenient to place a speclai
and heretofore hidden Interpretation OH
a previous announcement that he wouiu
never again be a candidate for tho
presidency of the United States
But while the Progressive party is
essentially one man party it is not
entirely so, and just how far many OF
its zealots would follow Colonel Roose-
Welt into a compromise with the Re
publican party where a principle or
two might have to be sacrificed is a
matter for conjecture. 1t was only
the other day that such an erstWhlie
staunch Rooseveltian, as William Allen
White took occasion to announce, that
the colonel was not the whole thing
with the Progressive party and that
if would follow him only as long as he
stuck to it's principles. Then, too, be-
fore the presidential campaign of 1916
there will intervene general state cleo
+ions and a congressional election.
The present outlook is that the Pro-
gressiveS are of mind In many
states to present full state tickets Oh
their own for the consideration OF the
voters, and do the same in the con-
gressional fields. This will have to be
done if the Progressive party is to ne
kept alive at all. And on the other
hand this is sure to widen the breacn
between the Progressives and the Re-
publicans, for it will make rather
easy Shedding for the Democrats. so
the road to any kind of harmony be
tween the Republicans and the Pro-
sressives for the 1916 campaign is not
a smooth and easy one. There are
plenty of rocks in it, and they are big
ones.
This much is certain, though. The
Democratic party will remain in power
as long as the Progressives and the
Republicans continue to kill each other
off. And knowledge of this fact is
likely to be the steam roller that Will
iron out their differences. Principles
are soon forgotten by those who are
keen for a victory.
There is also another important
angle to the situation. Serious OBJ
lection may develop among the Re-
publicans to a compromise with the |
Progressives only on the basis of Col.
Roosevelt being the harmony presl-
dental candidate. 1t will be hard lot
them to forget that he well-nigh de-
stroyed the Republican party in 1872.
HOW UNCLE SAM DOESN'T DO 1T.
England and Germany to notable