Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-26

not to their standpat enemy, but to
the progressive party.
Senator Borah argues that because
the republican national committee has
decided that in future they will not
override State laws and refuse TO
recognize delegates elected in lawful
State primaries, it is safe for progress
sives to return to a den of thieves.
We do not forget that When the
devil was sick, the devil Monk would
be-"
The Kennehec Journal quotes Sena-
tor Norris as saying he is anxious
to see the principles advocated by
real progressives prevail" His place,
then. is in the progressive party.
The republican plea does not ring
true.
During the contest between Taft
ard Bryon, tariff reform" was one
of the great demands. The republic
cans said the tariff needed revising
but they pleaded that the people per-
NIT this to be done lin the house OF
its friends To this the people con-
serted, elected Taft and got the Paine
Aldrich tariff law with revision up
ward instead Of downward; law that
there is only one man in Maine fool
enough to defend.
Today not only the tariff, but the
trusts and many other things sadly
need attention that will be effective
in helping the common people, and the
same men who created the Paine-Al-
drich bill. who reformed 20 Standard
Oil and the Tobacco Trust, who stole
the nomination Of Taft at Chicago
and who would DO It again IL they
deemed il necessary in order to per-
petuate boss rule say: Let us do it,
"Hcw strange and unwise for YOU
progressives to let the democrats in"
But the progressives reply that while
it may be that the democrats are
stealing our material prosperity, you
attempted to steal, and did steal our
political rights. And when you steal
our political rights you rob the people
Of self-government
If the republicans do not want the
democrats in power. the way to pre-
vent 1t lies plain before them Theirs
is the responsibility. II they still pre-
fer democratic rule as they did in the
last national election, they will choose
1t; but rest assured that the progress
sives will net be eatoied or wheedied
back into the hands of the Barnes,
Penrose, Root, Smoot, Guggenheim,
Taft and trickery aggregation.
If the progressive protestation that
fall from republican lips are not those
of political Annanias, If what they
really want is the good of humanity,
and not the reinstatement and rehabil-
iation of a badly broken political ma
chine, let them stand with the progress
sive party for the good of humanity.
The truth is that the power and
purpose of the old machine Is in tenn
porary hiding while such men as
Borah, Cummins and Norris are being
permitted to play the part of stool
pigeons until the game is once more
in the net
viii you walk into my parior, said
the spider to the fly;" but the progress
sive is not anxious to play fly for the
political spider The serpent is
seotched. not killed. He simply waits
in temporary retirement until the game
is more secure.
Borah, Norris and Cummins, all we'll
meaning men,, are doing more harm to
the progressive cause, and more harm
to the cause of progress than any other
men In America.
If they would consent to shed that
old party skin that rattles about them
as they walk and casting aside the
grave-clothes of a dead although once
noble party, Come out into the sunlight
of the new and better day. they would
count in the march of progress and be
help to human kind.
Yours truly,
F. D. CUMMINGS.
Portland Me