The Delta independent., 1914-06-19
Prosressives Make Statements.

C0e Banquet OF the Denver Progress
sive Club on the night of Monday.
June Sth:
1t would seem unnecessary for in
dividuals to be required to give any
reason for absenting themselves from
a banquet where each person must pay
for his own plate; but evidently some
over-zealous critics in the Progressive
Party have undertaken to call US and
others to account for remaining away
from the banquet of June sth.
We remained away for the sole
reason that we did not desire to at
tend.
We sent no message or emissaries
to this banquet. We asked for the pas
sage of no resolution or platform.
We are perfectly capable, in con-
nection with our fellow Progressives,
of making platform in our own way
and in our own good time.
No individual, either outside or in
side a party organization, can have
the slightest effect upon us as mem
bers of the Progressive Party in bind
ing us to any uncertain line of action
where the public welfare is concerned.
The banquet of that night was for
the purpose of giving a reception to
three prominent Progressives who had
gone east as individuals without any
sort of delegation of power from the
party for the purposes of that trip.
Therefore, their speeches were only
statements of individuals to a club or
ganization and not to any party author
ity
There are some things in the present
condition OF public affairs in this state
about which We think not only the
Progressive party, but every candi-
date for public office should make
unequivocal declaration, and that dec
laration should embody tn disposition
of the person making the declaration
as to action at the present time
Among such things we think the fol-
lowing are entitled to consideration:
There should be no doubt in the pub
lie mind about the attitude of any poll
tical party or any candidate for public
office in this crisis of our government.
affairs.
No government can long exist with
out commanding the confidence and
respect of the people governed and
neither confidence nor respect is pos
sible where the administration of the
Ia u-S nEc
partiality in their enforcement
Whatever ills of government or
weakness of the laws of the state may
exist, must be remedied through law
full channels and by legal methods.
With the initiative. eferendum and
recall in the possession of our people,
there can be no excuse for resorting to
violence or to armed resistance to the
legally constituted authorities of our
state, and those who do so are not loyal
citizens or desirable inhabitants of this
commonwealth
Feeling that these statements are
automatic. therefore, it is our belief
that the Progressive Party. in act as
well as by profession, should now and
at all times stand back of the legal
authorities of the state in the strict
and impartial enforcement of the laws
of the state.
That in this crisis of our state af-
fairs the Progressive Party should
pledge itself to do everything in its
power Immediately to restore order in
the state, to restore state sovereign
ty, and to assert the entire ability of
our own people to manage their own
affairs without the aid of federal
troops.
That the Progressive Party should
condemn unreservedly all persons
(who by incendiary speech or trouble
breeding essays and newspaper arti-
cles, whether such missives are deliv-
cred within or without the borders of
our state, that being contempt upon
the institutions of our state, upon the
or upon the constituted authorities of
our state.
That no person should be accepted
by the Progressive party as a candi-
date for public office who will not
squarely and enthusiastically stand
upon this sort of a platform
The persons whose names are at
tached hereto each and all assisted in
the organization of the Progressive
party.
Some of those who are criticising
us did their best to destroy the Pro-
gressive party in its formative stage.
IRA NJ DeLONG