Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-09-02

votes to put this doctrine back upon
the statute books of the United
States. We had plenty of votes in
1912 to keep 1t there. President Will
son received a quarter of a million
votes fewer than Mr.. Bryan received
four years before, and Mr.. Bryan was
overwhelmingly defeated.
With nearly a million votes to spare
we lost the election in 1912 The trou
Bile in 1912 was that we Republicans
somehow got the impression that we
| could elect two Presidents at one time.
Some of US voted for President Roose
welt and some of us voted for Presi-
dent Taft, and because We voted for
both we elected neither one.
AS a result of the election of 1912 some
folks have fallen into the error of think
ing that those who voted for President
Roosevelt had left the Republican party
In most instances nothing could be fur
Their from the truth A very large per-
centage of those who voted for President
Roosevelt did so because they were dis
appointed that he did not receive the Re-
publican nomination at Chicago and be-
cause of personal admiration for the man
were willing TO vote for him on any tick
ct. or Independent of any ticket. And
they did this without any thought of per-
manenty leaving the Republican ticket
Elections held in other sections of the
country have clearly demonstrated the
ract that the great mass of Roosevelt
voters have never left the Republican
party but on the contrary have been
do
at every opportunity since the 1912 cleo
ton.
A careful analysis OF the situation can
not fail to convince those who are at
all inclined to hold out against returning
to the Republican party that there Is
only a small remnant of the Roosevelt
voters of 1912 who are now allied With
the Progressive movement as a separate
organization, and that this Progressive
party is itself without hope of success
In the coming election and that the only
purpose it can possibly serve is to assist
IN continuing the Democratic party in
power.
When members of the Progressive par
ty stop to consider that in the election
of 1912. with all the personal popularity
of President Roosevelt thrown into the
movement they elected only nine mem
hers OF Congress out of total of 434 in
the entire United States, the hopelessness
of success under existing conditions
would seem apparent to all. To do abso-
lutte justice to the Progressive party as
it is represented in Congress, perhaps
ought to say that In addition to the nine
members elected as Progressives nine
other members elected on the Republican
ticket affiliate with the Progressive party
In Congress. 1t takes 2lS members to
control the House of Representatives.
For the Progressive party to control the
House it would have to gair 200 MEM
bers at the coming election. The Repuh-
lican party has 126 members in the House
1t ought not to take the voters OF the
country long to make up their minds
which party is most likely TO take con-
troll of the House of Representatives
away from the Democratic party.
In the United States Senate the Pro-
gressive party has only one member and
he was elected as a Republican. The Re-
publican party on the other hand can
control the United States Senate IL we