Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-02-20
Our Washington Letter.


voters away from the polls, Henry
Vollmer, of Davenport, was elected te
fiji the vacancy caused by Congressman
Peppers death, and the first fulfill
ment of the prophecy Of the party lead
ers in Iowa that this is Democratic
year is seen. Meantime the split in
the opposition is growing wider.
Lincoln's birthday oratory gave very
conclusive evidence of this.
For instance Senator Borah, one CT
the progressive wing of the Republic
an party, and prominently mentioned
as the next Republican candidate fol
President, in New York speech sale
q reorganization of the Republican
party by progressive ideas is newt
able. In speech at New Haven at
the same time former President Taft
took exceptions to this view. IF we
want to subscribe to every nostrum
that comes along we might as well join
another party simply to get votes ne
said. Il believe the Republican party
has principles and that it will stick to
these principles. And few political
booms were launched on Lincoln Is
birthday, which was made more or less
of political festival this year by both
Republicans and Bull Moosers, as both
claim to be keeping alive the Lincoln
traditions, though the brands of tradi:
tions each put forth are entirely differ
ent.
Col. Roosevelt was doomed for Gov
ernor of New York at political gath
ering in New York when the progress
ives of that state decided to put full
tickets in the field. James R. Garfield.
4 member of the Roosevelt cabinet,
announced his candidacy for Governor
of Ohio on the progressive ticket, and
Arthur Garford his candidacy for the
United States Senate. Clifford Pinchot
is to be the progressive candidate
against Penrose in Pennsylvania.
Henry J. Allen, who ]ambasted the
Republicans at the last Chicago con-
.vention, has been decided on as the
progressive candidate for Governor Of
Kansas. Charles Sumner Bird, who
ran ahead of the Republican candidate
. ingthe last campaign for Governor OF
Massachusetts, announces that he twill
run again, and so it goes. In low the
progressives are beginning to get riled.
They didn't make as good showing as
they expected to in the second district,
but they are strengthening their organi'
cation for the campaigns this summer
and fall.
There is evidence that some of the
Republicans Of progressive tendencies
are not going over to the progressive
party, but to the Democratic party.
The viewpoint of this faction of the old
Republican party, and it is not incon'
siderable in numbers, is well expressed
in letter published in the Des Monies
Register and Leader from Elias Smith,
of Webster City, who declared that he
was a Republican because his father
was and until he began to investigate
things for himself. His letter says:
Il am one that has been blind to the
inner circle Of the Republican party,
but when they pulled off red handed
steal such as they did in 1912, / began
to delve into politics a little and have
watched their subsequent doings to
find them not Grand Old Party but a
Guilty Old Party, retaining their
initials and not changing their ways.
It is the same old war cry they have
been fooling US with for years, soup
houses 'bread-lines' and 'panics,' but
they don't rally the thinking voter to
: the rescue. The individual sacrifice we
are now called upon to make will not
last long. The money question is prac-
tically settled and business will 60 for
ward in spite of the mighty efforts
made to produce a panic. This very
fact ought to give US courage to stand
by the present administ, alton. Presi-
dent Wilson seems to be man of
back -bone and honest intentions.
Never has there been a time, barring
the Roosevelt administration, when all
the real sensible men in all parties
alike had SO many good words to say
of the President This shows we are
progressing. How dear to the heart is
the name of party, no matter how
rotten it gets at the core. Let every
body Try Guilty Old Party for it is
guilty of so many sins of omission and
commission as to place it beyond hope
of resurrection.
The Democratic national committee
has issued a statement dealing with
the first ten months of the Wilson
administration which shows formi3.
able list of achievements. The nation.
al committee proudly declares that
this record is the most remarkable for
deeds in the entire history of the ma
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