Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-18
SEES ROOSEVELT
AS PRESIDENT
Judge Ransom Tells Progress
sives Colonel Will Be Elect
ed in 1916.

Justice William L. Ransom, of the
City Court of New York city, last
night declared former President
Theodore Roosevelt will be reelected
to the presidency in 1916. He made
this declaration in an address before
the members Of the Progressive city
committee at the Progressive head
quarters, 211 Halsey street, last
night. A large number of men and
few women who had assembled to
hear Justice Ransom warmly ap-
plauded his remarks.
Justice Ransom, who was one of
the moving spirits in the organization
and conduct of the Fusion campaign
in New York last fall, directed his re-
marks along Fusion lines, and said
he hoped Progressives in Newark will
take the lead in organizing civic
movement of non-partisan tendencies
but definitely anti-maehine program.
The Progressive party has a
definite and important mission to per-
form in every municipality" declared
the speaker, "a mission no less i'm
portant than its task in the nation
and State. Our task in the city is
one of leadership and organization, of
supplying the whip and spur for the
laggard liberalism of other munici-
pal groups, of making 1t perfectly
clear that the old party machines
cannot have their undisputed way,
for the reason that the Progressive
party-if need be, alone-will chal-
enge and fight TO a finish their claim
of suzeralnty over the city.
"Our function and duty is to supply
the leadership. the enthusiasm, the
Eub nd 1irnptinn
for a non-partisan uprising of good
citizens, irrespective of party, If that
can be brought about; but back of all
that is the no less important function
of giving definite assurances that no
matter what other groups, individuals
or parties may do, there will be an
anti-machine fight in this community
at the coming election, and that, If
need be, that fight will be waged I'M
der the Progressive banner alone, no
matter how much Progressives prefer
that the principle of -partisanship
in municipal affairs be observed in
the organization of this contest for
the emancipation of a city.
1.-THE Progressive party believes sin
cerely in the principle of non-parti-
sanship in municipal government. It
has no desire to project partisan lines
into the municipal campaign; it re-
sents and makes warfare on the
habitual course of both old parties
in treating municipal and county gov
eminent as partisan spoils, to be
fought for on party lines. Until such
time, however, as national party lines
can be entirely obliterated from mu-
nieipal elections the Progressive
party, as such, has a municipal re-
sponsibility. The aegis of our or
ganization is available, If need be, to
every citizen who resents the long
rule of rotten political rings and the
brazen division of municipal spoils by
bosses who conduct opera
bouffe contests for supremacy.
1.-THE very existence of a virile Pro-
gressive organization in Essex Coun-
ty assures that there will be mill
tant marshaling of the hosts of good
government against both old party
machines. The participation of the
Progressive party In this municipal
election assures that there will be n
real fight and a probable victory.
This cooperation of the forces of real
municipal reform may best take place
under the standard of some non
partisan civic organization; but if 1t
does not. then the organization, en-
blem and party status of the Pro-
gressives will, | take 1t, be available
as the vantage point from which the
may be waged.
Voters need not supinely follow the
lead of one or the other of the old
parties. They need not necessarily
incur the expense and labor of or
ganizing a civic movement as the
basis for the reform fight. The Pro-
gressive party has no higher function
than to make it's banner the rallying
point of the pride and aspirations of
an aroused city and to permit its
party standard to be borne and used
by those who seek to overthrow in
the municipality the forces of corrup-
ton and reaction which the Progress
sive party fights also in State and
nation"