The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-13


Sressive now?
Senator Trout1nan said the other
! night that the Progressives have TAX
en- all their principles from the cid
Republican party: He might have
! added that we also took most of the
members from that party alse and
| we've a right, te Keep what we took.
\ we We're in a majority when we
moved cut. SO the furniture was ours.
| If we took the members and the good
| impulses of the party, we left the
national committee. We still boast
| of the deeds of the cid party. We
stu revere its old heroes. Why net?
| Did not the Republicans always re-
we're the memory of Alexander Ham
ilton? Yet he was not a member of
the republican party. The party he
helped to found went down before
crisis, lost step with progress, the
same as the Republican party did at
Chicago through misdirection of its
arrogant leaders. There isn't today
enough left of the Republican party
to reJuvenate any more than there was
enough left of the Wing party to re-
organize at the close of the Fremont
campaign. It is true that its leaders
still get together and talk hopefully
of great national disaster which may
bring US together, but most OF the
members have already got together IN
the Progressive party.
And here we do not have to worry
about the reactionary members. We
are all OF one kind, we are not seek
ing analgamation wit hany other kind.
We are seeking to be useful to good
government and we invite all who be-
HeVe In progressive policies, in hu-
man ideals, whether they have been
Republicans, Democrats or Socialists
to cooperate with US. And we have
cause to be proud of our standing as
a new party. Mr.. Troutman says we
are IL scrap heap We are not that,
but unless I'm much mistaken, we've
a heap more scrap left in us than Mr.
Troutman's fragmentary party has.
while no one now worries about
the Republican party, many are the
distinguished attentions they pay the
Progressive party.
t'Has any other party ever accom-
plished in six months what we have
done?
s'when time shall take its pen in
hand to write our history, it will re-
cite not only the wonderful ninety
days that brought four million under
the banner of the Progressive party,
but as equally marvellous the spon-
taneous organization of the permanent
party, which began the very day after
election and has proceeded to this
hour.
It's a party buiIded on conscience
and it will not lag or waiver SO long
as the welfare of a nation is more
important than the wealth of it. The
principles of our party did not come
from any other political party. The
brotherly principles of ideal govern
ment have been with us since the
upon the plains Of Judea. They have
been behind all the battles which
have been fought for the rights of
man. And always they have had TO
fight against the conservative. There
were those who complained of the
racket when Luther was mailing his
theses to the door of Castle church;
there were those who threw obstacles
in the way of Hampden when he or
ganized his progressives beneath the
oak; there were those who thought
Cromwell too rude when he fought
his king. There We're among our own
ancestors many who grumbled at the
waste of tea in Boston harbor; who
talked about the sanctity of property
in the pro-slavery demonstration just
before the Civil war; and there were
the Websters and the Horace Greeleys
who helped to hurry forward the pas
sion of the period and who, like the
HadIeys of the present day, quit and
plead for moderation when the blaze
got high. This march OF progress
has gone on and wherever it has
planted it's flag thrones have trembled
and government has cast out injus-
tice. This spirit has builded its
greatest citadel in this free land.
Word From Roosevelt.
My Dear Mr.. Sartin:
Now may I, through YOU, send q
word of hearty greeting to the Kansas
Progressives assembled at The Lin
coin Day banquet at Topeka.
This movement of ours has come
to stay. 1t is idle to talk of our ANAL
gamating@ with either OF the old
parties. The machinery of each of
the old parties is in the hands of the
standpatters, the reactionaries. Il
think that thera are literally millions
Of the rank and file of the old par
ties who are sincere Progressives in
their beliefs. The wise thing 10"
them to do is 10 join with US in the
Progressive party If they will come
in with us, we will treat them on an
exact equality, paying no heed to
whether q man is an eX-RepuniiCdn
or an ex-Democrat, provided only