Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-10-22
NIEARS UPHOLDS PROGRESSIVE
PARTY PRINCIPLES.

the principles of the progressives, not
only republicans, but democrats, So
cialists and prohibitionists. His ut
terances were as follows:
The Progressive Party.
In the winter of 1777-7S at Valley
Forge the patriots army under Wash
ington faced the great army of what
was then the mightiest nation on
earth. There the patriots suffered,
starved and died for the sake of
American independence. This rag
ged, starved army of patriots van
Quished the splendid, well-fed army
of proud England because they were
fighting in righteous cause. 1t was
not numbers, but the cause of hui
manity which finally triumphed.
AS the patriots heard the call at
Valley Forge, so the call goes out
today for those who are battling for
social justice, those who are fighting
the cause of humanity, those who are
struggling to make this world bet
ter place in which to live, to rally to
the standard of the progressive party.
iCi Z 1h dhNOCdtC vi IuC
progressive party | stand here be-
cause | believe that the progressive
party is a party not of the past, but
of today and of the future.
There are many people who believe
that the progressive party is a revolt,
that it was born because of the great
wrong of the Chicago republican con-
vention, that it exists because of the
personality of its illustrious leader,
Theodore Roosevelt. If there is moth
ing behind the progressive movement
but revolt, but a great wrong done
at Chicago, If there is nothing be-
hind the progressive party but the
personality OF its great leader, then
it will pass away. it will go back like
the populist and greenback move
ments into the older political parties
The Chicago republican convention
was not the cause of the progressive
party any more than the Boston tea
party was of the American revolu-
ton. A wrong party, however, is not
a sufficient ground on which to build
new party; personality, however
illustrious, is not sufficient basis
for new party. A party which will;
endure and become permanent fac
tor in the life of nation must an
swer to the economic, social and
moral needs of the people. 1t must
have constructive program to meet
the peoples needs. Wrongs are for
gotten. great personalities pass away,
but the economic, social and moral
needs of the people remain. am
nf thnCn Nvhp halinua that fhn
gressive party sprang from the needs
of our people, was born to meet the
economic, social and moral needs of
this generation of the American peo-
pie.
The progressive party is the con-
crete expression in party form of the
great progressive movement. Its
forerunners were the progressive-re-
publicans and progressive-democrats
who battled in congress and out
against special privileges. They were
the insurgents in congress who fought
and beat the standpat Cannon ma
chine which was running the govern
ment in the interests of the few. And
yet Cannon, the republican candidate
for congress in Illinois, is trying to
So puth w w 1NOll, anu VI
you are eXerting every effort to send
Mr.. Hawley, one of the small cogs
in the Cannon machine, back to
Washington to help fight the battles
of special privilege. What are a few
postoffices, few appropriations for
harbors and public buildings, COM
pared to the great problems of child
labor, of living wage, of economic
and industrial justice, of the rights
of the people against the special priv
ileges of the few!
Out of this insurgent movement in
congress, out of the great fight of
Robert NJ. La Toilette for the people
in Wisconsin,, came the progressive
movement which crystaliZed in the
progressive party. The teaching of
history is that you cannot reform an
old party. The federaist and Wig
parties died because they could not
be reformed from within, although
some of their leaders, even as now
some of the republican leaders,
sought to bring about its reform. You
cannot put new wine into old bottles
without breaking the bottles, neither
can YOU put new movement into AN
old party without dsrupting that
party. So it is that the progressive
movement must find its expression in
the progressive party composed OF
| progressives from all parties.
The progressive party was founded
upon three great fundamental princi-
! pies. The first principle for which
the progressive party stands is a
more vital democracy, government
I more responsive to the needs of the
people. n government truly represent
ative of the will of the people. We
would strengthen the foundations OF
representative government by means
of the initiative, referendum and re-
call. We would strengthen our liber-
ties by making suffrage universal
giving to women equally with men
/ the right to vote We favor national
woman suffrage, whereas the two old
I parties oppose IT, Whatever the re-
publicans and democrats may favor
in Oregon, nationally those two ole
/ parties are opposed to the initiative
referendum and recall and to nationa
woman suffrage. The progressiv,
party everywhere favors these re
forms. We are progressive every
where. and not simply in spots.
The second fundamental principle
for which the progressive part,
stands Is a broader and more helpful
application of the national theory o