St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-03-19
PROCRESSTVES MEET
(Continued from page u

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will hold a meeting at some later
date for the purpose of organizing
county progressive league. There
was much enthusiasm shown at the
afternoon meeting.
Sen. POindexter at The Colonial
The meeting at The Colonial was
fairly we'll attended. Among the
prominent progressives from out of
town who were present were E. W.
Gibson of Brattleboro and H Nelson
Jackson of Burlington. The speaker
was Senator Miles Poindexter of
Washington who was introduced by
DR.. w. ]. Aldrich and gave an ad-
dress of over an hours duration.
He said he wanted to congratulate
the people of Vermont and the pro-
gressive party on the determination
shown to hold up the political acti-
witty. 1t indicates the virility of this
great political movement. He was
attracted to the state of Vermont be-
cause it is the last stronghold OF the
republican party and the progress
sives want to capture it. He spoke OF
| the importance of each citizens be-
| ing connected with some political
body. The fundamental principle in
the United States is that power rests
with the people and that there is no
power in any department of our gov
eminent except that granted by the
| people themselves. The corallary OF
| this is that the people are respon-
sible for the government that they
have. If they do not exercise their
power, somebody else will seize 1T
and rule. Eternal vigilance is the
price of liberty.
Every man should belong to some
political party, but at times one hes
itates about which party to ally
himself with. There are times when
it is necessary for old parties to dis
appear and citizens to make new po-
| litical alliances. The people no" are
rising in a mass to make over an old
political party. He then spoke OF the
complete control of the government
that the republican party had four
years ago and how the political
bosses and leaders had been re-
creant to their duty and now the
party is rooted out of every branch
of the governemnt. 1t has reaped the
reward of the political crimes of its
leaders and bosses. The organization
has gone into the roll of the Lame
duck He said that he wished the
democrats, who now possessed full
power, success, but he had extreme
doubts whether that party will be
able to break away from its old pre-
cedents and solve the difficult prob
lens that are new. While il vas nee
essary to change the name Of the
political party, the old ideas have
been continued through all these
changes and whatever was OF good
and eternal truth in the republican
party will still survive Ii must
survive if we have good government
as it's principles cannot be destroyed.
The progressive party will vitalize
them and make them of service to
the people.
While the progressive party has
not elected a president we have gain
ed a a great victory. There are a
great many things of which the pro-
gressives have SO awakened the pub
lie feeling that progressive measures
have triumphed. He referred to the
popular election OF United States
senators, the probability Of an in
come tax in the near future and the
direct primaries and preferential
votes for president as accomplish
ments of the progressive party.
There still remains a great struggle
between the rule of the people by
all of the people and the rule of
the people by a class of the people.
The best way to deal with this prob
lem is through the progressive party
or, if they can't succeed, the demo-
cratic party. So far as the republican
party is concerned, cit is in a hell of
fix The survival of the prin-
ciples and policies are the most i'm
portant. Men who four years ago
had more power than kings are now
lost and ground to pieces in the mill
of the gods. There has grown up in
America for the first time in it's
history a tory party. They admit
this in the cloakrooms of Congress,
although they are not so ready to do
it as formerly. These tories claim
that the control of the people must
be left to a class. 1t gives them more
than the equality of opportunity says
they should have. The time has
come when it is class rule. If you
are going to be active members of
a political party, it is time to assert
yourselves against this principle
This party grows great on the ex-
ploitation of the people. He then
read from the Pujo report to show
how the control of the money was
concentrated in the hands of one
firm and said that in bringing about |
this concentration of the control |
every crime known in the criminal |
code has been committed. 1t shows
the concentration of power that has
grown up under the system of politi-
cal bosses, a concentration that must
be destroyed if the people are to rule
themselves. He then read from the
report of Herbert Knox Smith who
shows the monopoly of this country
on the standing timber and said that
here we have a greater power and
greater holdings than is enjoyed by
the aristrocrats of Europe. There
has also developed in America a
large body of people where men are
exploiting the blood and flesh of
women and children for their own
There is a strike going
On in Massachusetts at the present
time bpc9ugQ fho mamie occorf fhof