Valdez daily prospector., 1913-12-19
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1913.
BACK TO THE PARTY.


 gressive wishes to think straight and talk sensibly he must leave his party. There is more sound common sense and political wisdom in MT. Fender gast's statement than in all the rivers of utterance that have flowed from the Progressive source. He finds it impossible to sustain his interest in a party conducted mainly as ven- detta against the Republicans. The policy of nominating straight Pro gressive candidates everywhere, merely to defeat tte Republicans, he regards as stupid and sterile. The maintaining of the Democratic party as the practically undisputed ruling force in this country is not a polltl- ical aim of which he can approve. Nor is it enough to prattle about social justice," sing hymns and march and countermarch upon an i'm aginary field of Armageddon. In short, MT. Prendergast has reached lue COuCluSlOu IAdt lAe io5ASeoA' VI program, as the party is now led, is void of all promise. So he betakes himself to the Republican fold.
 He was welcomed yesterday with an enthusiasm that is significant. His act itself is significant, it is symptom atic of the crumbling of the Progress <l >ff fho hcn nf it's elements into the Republican or ganization. The Republicans of New York are prepared, or are preparing, to meet their returning brethren half way They have a new program themselves, progressive program, not at all in the Rooseveltian sense, but a party plan of action that en- braces sound reforms and better ments that all men of wisdom and open mind approve. Mir. Root set them forth at the conference at the Waldorf-Astoria yesterday, briefly, as embracing workmen's compensation, revision of the Assembly rules. bud
 get system in the state finances, short ballot and direct primaries. If the first four reforms are made eff fective, the importance of the fifth will be diminished Direct primaries are much talked about, they may be adopted; that they will be any as surance of better methods in party practice, that they will put better men into office, or that they will meas urably improve the processes of the state government is doubtful With out the short ballot they will ac- complish little Of the other ends to be worked for there can be no ques- tion. They represent progress, they are progressive, and the pursuit of these policies by the Republicans of New York will leave the Progressives no particular reason for prolonging their existence.
 MT. Prendergast pointed out in his statement that the relative strength of the Republicans and the Progress sives cannot be determined by the vote cast for their presidential can didates last year. Mr. Roosevelt's popularity won for him the votes of many men who are not at all inclin- ed to desert the Republican party permanently, least of all to engage against that party in war of re- venge and extermination. But there are many signs that the Roosevelt craze is itself dying out We do not Armageddon fight can keep up the full fervor of his admiration for MT. Roosevelt in the face of such a state ment as that made by MT. William Barnes in his letter printed in The Times of Tuesday. Mr. Roosevelt has times without number denounced Judge Werner for the opinion in the Ives case which he wrote, yet MT. Barnes says that the Progressive nomination for chief judge of the Court of Appeals was offered to Judge Werner "by Theodore Roosevelt on the morning of the meeting of the Progressive State Committee" and he refused it. This is perfectly direct testimony. The terms of the offer have also been made known, but by testimony less direct. In a champion of social justice and righteousness such conduct seems to us to be un- lawful.-New York Times.