The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-08-28
COL. ROOSEVELT GIVES
BULL M00SERS FRIGHT
Intimates That He Would Accept Re-
publican Nomination In 1916.

scare into the ranks of the Bull Moose
leaders in Congress. He has minated
that he will accept the Republican nom-
inatlon again if the Republicans will
accept his political creed.
To the down the line, true blue new
surrender" third party people this is
almost treason. They cannot believe
that 1.-THE Colonel" meant anything of
the kind. They cannot be convinced
that he would deliberately leave them
high and dry, after all his protestations
against any suggestion of amalgama-
nation. And yet this is Just exactly
what he appears to agree to, provided
the Republicans become as progressive
as he and his followers are. They fear
he is even willing to march to battle
again under the old Republican banner,
regardless of his one-time scorn of any
thing bearing that designation.
All this is causining infinite worry in
the little group of Bull Moose in Wash
ington. The leaders of this miniature
organization do not rebel so much at the
idea of get-together plan as they do
at the suggestion of self-repudiation
They have sworn they will never be as
ISOLATED with anything Republican
again and they doubt if they could
somersault back into the old party
again, even though Colonel Roosevelt
took the springboard first and made a
safe landing.
This alarm has come too at a time
when Murdoch, limbaugh and the
rest of them are preparing to make a
valiant stand in Maryland. Maine and
West Virginia. They are preparing to
put Bull Moose candidates in each of
the districts where Congressman are to
be elected and to,make as brave a show
of fight as they can.
There will be no heart in the coming
test campaign, Bull Moose leaders admit,
unless Colonel Roosevelt makes it plain
again that he will under no circum-
stances return to the old party
whatever may be the conditions or the
terms, or the inducements. That as
surance and that alone will satisfy the
third party people here and restore their
confidence in the future.
The truth is, the belief has prevailed
in Washington for months that the
former President would be candidate
in the primaries for the next pres
idential nomination of the Republican
party. Old party leaders as well as the
middle-of-the road people have enter
tanned that suspicion. Therefore, the
suggestion, and it is only suggestion
from Colonel Roosevelt, that the
parties might possibly get together
again, create:no big surprise here.
If the Republican party has shown
signs of disintegration, following the
disastrous defeat in November; if it had
been evident that the party could not
survive such blow, and that the only
hope Of serious opposition to the Demo-
Gratis laid in the Progressive party, then
Roosevelt would have undoubtedly stood
firmly and forever against amalgation
But it has not happened that way
The old party has maintained its organi-
cation. 1t has stood fast. 1t has formed
the opposition worthy of the name, in
the House and Senate. 1t has shown
itself lively corpse. 1t has challenged
the Democratic tariff bill and the party
currency bill. 1t has prepared to recap
ture the next Senate and reduce the
Democratic majority in the next House.
All this has come to pass in spite of
the fact that Roosevelt polled larger
popular vote than Taft in November
and vastly larger electoral vote. 1t
has followed in spite of the frequent
declarations on the part of the Progress
sives, that they formed the second
party in the Republic and that they
meant to hold that position.
Moreover, Bull Moose have been re-
turning to the old party in droves.
They have done it in Maryland, in Mas
sachusetts, in Illinois and in other States.
There are no signs anywhere of Repub-
lican stampeding to the Bull Moose
party. All the stampeding has been in
the other direction. These conditions,
therefore, make it no wonder to people
here that Roosevelt is in frame of
mind to dicker with the old party. The
third party is an obvious failure and the
only hope for Democratic opposition lies
in reunion of the divided elements of
the Republican organization.