The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1914-01-29
Will the Progressive Party
q

|
Survive
Yes! says Peter Clark Macfarlane,
in an article in Golfers, and he ar
rives at his conclusion "by having
gathered collection of grass-roOt
opinions picked up in the course Of
some $4,000 miles of travel during
which the continent was two times
crossed in each direction"
The opinions gathered by Mr.. Mac
farlane are from men of all parties
and many classes-workingm pro-
1 fessional men, business men.
He says that his first discovery was
of the concrete existence of the party
itself THE whole thing had been so
recent, the Progressive movement so
sudden, the incidents of the last cam
paign so surcharged with the dra-
matte and emotional. that it was al
most natural to suppose that few
months after the election reaction
would set in-that the men and wOm-
en- who voted for Roosevelt should
think of themselves as a flying wedge
of protest and once the protest was
over and the lesson administered, they
would settle back into the Republican
ranks, confident that their wishes
were to be regarded in the future
This was almost natural inference and
undoubtedly explains the forwardness
/ of the present Republican party, what
ever it's extent, to say, and in meas
ure believe, that the new party is
trickling back into the old But this
is quite clearly an expectation not JUS
titled"
In his interviews Mr.. Macfarane
talked to the rank and file of the
new party and everywhere it was alb
solutely astonishing to see how clear.
in the line of their thinking, is the
demarcatiOn between the Republican
and the Progressive parties. He says
no doubt some PrOgressives did drift
back to the old ship after the election,
but there are no means of knowing
how many there were. And the sig
nifcant thing is that he does not re-
member meeting personally any one
anywhere who had voted for the Pro-
gressive ticket and who announced
that he was returning to the Republi-
can party, but he did meet by the hun
dreds men and women who declared
themselves to be permanent adherents
of the Progressive party. TO them the
: Progressive party did not exist as a
party of protest but as a party of ad-
vance In joining it they had declared
allegiance to something tangible and
very vital--to espOuse which had been
| for them to enter upon new era OF
political life from which they could
not turn back without betraying at
once themselves and their times.
In his visits he found many Progress
sive gatherings addressing themselves
seriously to the broadcast, the most
scientific, and patriotic consideration
of questions of government to rout
pessimism from the heart and to re-
vive joyous faith in popular govern
ment, and their determination to be.
above all else SO to construct party
machinery and methods of making
and interpreting and enforcing laws
that the government may really be a
government by the people.
"And theirs" he continues, lis gen.
orally a long faith and not short one,
that is, they are not SO much con-
cerned that they shall win the next
election as that they shall stand for
their principle till it triumphs. This is
a state of mind which persons who
talk glibly of consolidating the two
parties fail to take into account. There
is kind of stubbornness manifested
by these people. They are weary OF
being hoodwinked. Some of them are
by no means hopeful of immediate vic
tory. For this reason they are not
going to be easily caught by any hook
baited with compromise, by any argu-
ment for the sacrifice of principle in
order to gain victory. They feel that
too many empty victories have been
won already. They would just as soon
be on the losing side for while till the
opportunity to score a victory that is
real comes to them.
Indeed that sentiment is rather
widespread to-day in the mind of the
man at the bottom, regardless of his
party affiliations. He is just about
through with being pulled around by
the nose. His attitude toward the
turn of events is one of watchful wait
ing. He has not made up his mind
yet, but he is thinking
thinking-and while he waits with a
patience so sublime that it may be
misunderstanding sits flexing the
muscles of the mighty arm of his
wrath.
Certainly in the Progressive party
there is a big element which is going
where it is going. If anybody else
comes along all right; if not, still all
right
}, THAT situation was rather clearly
; exemplified in the recent Congress
sional election in Maine. This was
Blaine's old district. After him it was
Reeds. 1t was one of the most per-
fectly organized districts anywhere in
the Republican machine, and was cam
paigned by distinguished Republicans
of National fame and unquestioned
Progressive leanings. House-to-house
visitations were made up on the Pro
gressives in which the argument was
freely employed that Roosevelt would
be the nominee of the Republican
party in 1916
|
Mr.. Macfarlane refers to instances
in California, in Kansas, in Michigan,
in South Dakota and in many places,
indeed, where Republican attachments
are being got rid of hastily, as of some.