Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-01-25

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union may be affected. Here It 10:
Form a new party. holding party
to take over the Republican and tn
Progressive parties, as a holding con
pany in the business world take
over and amalgamates competin,
! concerns. The Republican and tn
Progressive parties. politically speak
ing, are emphatically competing con
Germs. and in competition with tn,
big Democratic party they are pow
erless. =
The scheme Of a, holding party al
means of getting the two parties
together makes an easy way Of ap
proach, and one from which the sting
of prejudice ON either side is remov
ed. Neither party would 60 over tt
the other. Both would meet or
neutral ground.
OF course, this does not presupposs
that the holding party would continue
merely as holding party, with the
Republican and Progressive parties
still maintained as constituent or
CARNATIONS. With the merging o.
the latter into the holding party, II
would become concrete, closely
amalgamated political organization
quite so much so as either party II
today. AS Independent entities, thu
Republican and Progressive parties
would disappear. o
The scheme Of the holding party
could be worked out in some such
way as this: }
Let the voters OF each party In
the several States call a confer
ence, a Statewide conference, tt
discuss the plan and to appoint del
egates to a national conference
These State gatherings would not be
joint conferences. Each party would
hold its own conference made up Oh
its own men. The national confer
ence. on the other hand, would con
sist Of an equal number Of delegates
from the two parties. %
The work of the national con.
ference would be to get together on
principles and policies, and to select
name for the new holding party.
Such a conference would have a very
important and very far-reaching piece
Of work on It's hands. 1t should have
sufficient time for such an undertak.
ing-weeks, or months, IL need be.
It would not only embrace the prob
lem of harmonizing, but would have
to work out policies and principles
that would be representative Of the
best thought Of the day.
This conference might we'll take on
the scope Of constitutional con-
vention, such, for example, as the re-
cent constitutional convention Of the
State of Ohio. A thorough study by
the conference Of the problems Of
government, both state and national,
would be businesslike way OF ar
irving at a sound basis for amalga-
nation and for fixing upon the poll
cies and principles of the new party.
The old way Of writing political
platform amid the stress and storm
of a national convention, when all IL
excitement, and interest is almost
wholly centered on the nominations.
Is ridiculous. There isn't a serious
note In it; there isn't q bit Of com
mon sense In 1t. s.
Too much time cannot be given to
a piece Of work that means 20 much
to hundred millions Of people, and
that means so much to q party.
Three months should be given to the
work, instead Of a fractional part Of
three days, rs has been the custom.
1t il q very big and tremendously
serious undertaking to write with in
telligence and broad knowledge the
platform Of q big, nationwide poll
teal party. It % an instrument q6|
craftsmanship, business, humanity
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