The Washington herald., 1914-06-17
The G. o. ?. an1 de coIonsl.

There are Signs in the political SKY, notably New
Yorkward that the Republicans and the Progressiyes
are on the verge of agreement each to go its own way
Two or three hundred members Of the Progressive
county committee met 10 Manhattan on Monday night
and gave boisterous approval to resolution that no
fusion of any nature whatsoever should be considered
with either of the old political organizations They
expressed their determination to put in the running
candidates of their utainted faith in the State
election, and to "exterminate the dying Republican
party"
While this was going on the New York Repub-
lican Club was listening to addresses by City Con-
troller Prendergast, well-cured Bull Moose, and
George W. Wickersliam, who Attorney General
in the CABINET OF President Taft MIR. Prendergasi
demanded that the Republicans of the State nominate
their candidate for governor and pay no heed to
the cries for amalgamation with the Progressiyes
'When the Republican party is not seeking help,
he said "t is not the time to offer it the particular
brand that is being offered to it now"
Mr. Wickersham looked forward to the struggle for
the Presidency in 1916, reminding his audience that
tCo Roosevelt is President Wilson's best asset" He
added: "We cannot win on negations We must have
a strong affirmative policy and must put forward
man who will not alter his principles according to
the exigencies of his ambition and who will rather
face defeat than sacrifice his convictions"
Returning from Brazil, Col Roosevelt made the
discovery that he is a fnan without party it had
dwndled away into nothingness Since then his every
utterance has indicated that his new plan of cam
pagn is fasten himself to the end of the tail of the
ascending Republican kite, hoping to scramble up
higher in the campaign this year and to reach some
thing approaching leadership before the convention
of 1910 Or as Col Henry Watterson put it the other
day. he is trying to put the Republican label the
Roosevelt bottle.
Here and there the regular Republicans are mani
Testing disposition to the colonel adrift at once
the most outspoken advocates of such course being
Messrs Prendergast and Wickersham. The Republi-
can party has made marvellous recovery in recent
months without Roosevelt, and under the same cir
cmstances the Progressves have gone into what looks
like hopeless decline There is much force therefore
the argument that if the Republican leaders believe
that the old party can get along best without Roose-
welt the proper time to declare ITSELF with the Presi-
dency IN view, is now Delay means opportunity
for the colonel to gain following in the old part,
that may mean its undong again in 1916. Emphatic
action now would give the party time to organize its
battle lines without the colonel while the countrys
voters dissatisfied with Democratic administration
are rejecting and deciding where most of the blame
for it belongs Meanwhile, upon Col Roosevelt would
be imposed the task of Turing away from the Re
publican party for the second time the hero worship
ers the ideasts and the theory chasers whose mega
tive votes put Wilson in the White House Plainly
the colonel chose the easier way when he decided te
try follow them back to the fold But the old party
leaders are evincing dissemination to allow him tc
get away with,t-