The Washington times., 1913-01-14

! were seen, and sentence or two grabbed here
and there, but the reader did not have complete
understanding of my suggestion. The words
! "amalgamation between the Republican and Pro-
greSSive parties" were enough to throw some of
these fervd writer's into an awful state of protest
Many of them assumed, without really taking the
trouble to find out what said, that my purpose
was to deliver the Progressive party over, body
and SOUL, to the Republicans.
Nothing could be more ridiculous, nothing
could be further from my attitude, and nothing
could be further from what said in my discus
sion. am responsible only for what said, not for
what some hasty and Indifferent reader thinks
said My attitude was made perfectly clear 1t
was then as it is now and as it has been from the
| first.
No man, according to the measure of force
there is in him, could more Strenuously oppose
| any movement that would look toward the Pro
greSSve party going over to the Republican party
than would. have from the first fought ANY,
thing that looked like fusion in any way shape or
manner with the Republican party. have not be-
ilieved in being branch of anything, and do
not believe in it now.
But merging with the Republicans in new
party with good feeling, and on platform that
would be mutually satisfactory, would be quite
another matter. am for this, as am against fus-
ion with the Republican party while each party
maintains an Independent entity.
AT most my suggestion did not 60 beyond the
appointment of national conference, to be made
up of the two parties conference to discuss the
situation and see if the members could get to-
gether on platform that would be mutually salts
factory to the rank and file of the Republicans and
to the rank and file of the Progressives
We, as Progressives, ought to have no con-
Germ about our ability to hold our own against the
Republicans in such conference Icannet fancy
that we should be bowled over by thenf More
over, ! fancy that there would be no Barneses,
Penroses, Gallingers or Cranes in that conference
They would not be in congenial atmosphere, and |
would not be representative of that kind of Re-
publican voter who would wish to join hands |
with the Progressive voters.
Failing to agree on any acceptable plan for
union, there would be no harm DONE Neither /
party would have compromised itself, and the |
lines Of each would be more definitely drawn, the
cleavage more certain, and the reasons for the /
cleavage would be better understood and better
determined. There isn't anything, submit, in
proposal, so mild as this, and going no further
than this, to cause any man to throw double
somersault and fall in fit.
Ny suggestion for the formation of new
party to take over the RepublIcan and Progress
Sive parties, forming from them one strong or
ganization, was made solely as means to an end
and made with a view to DOING THE Pos
SIBLE. SUCH A PLAN HAS POSSIBILITIES.
There is little, if any, chance of getting the
parties together by either going over to the other
as party If both parties stand proudly and Stub
bornly on their own ground they will, as indie i
pendent concerns, believe, have long, cold road
to travel before overtaking the Democrats, with
their vast plurality. This would mean Demo-
cratic domination for perhaps very long time "a
to come. Is this what we want? Would it be q
better to have this Democratic domination and
have the dignity and pride of fighting it out alone
as individual parties, Republicans and Progress
siveS or to unite and be in position to do things?
Some Republicans, and most Progressives,
say: "Let us wait and see what the Democrats do.
They will make such mess of things that the
question of amalganation, of getting together,
will settle itself through their legislative and ad-
ministrative miSmanagement."
am not strong, personally, for waiting
game. am not strong for letting somebody else l.
do our work. When we have work to do, real
work, believe in getting at it and doing it, with
out regard to what the other fellow may do. ].
While have not an over-abundance of faith in
the incoming administration, nevertheless do
not believe it will, or possibly could be so bad as
to dssipate its overwhelming plurality over all .
other parties.