The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-11-12
ATT THE OLD STAND.

In 1912 more than hall OF the re-
publican party, seeding from the
regular organization, WIS singing
Coward Christian Soldiers!" and
battling for the Lord at Armageddon
This year three-quarters OF the
progressive republicans who followed
Roosevelt in 1912 have returned to
the republican ranks.
The republican party to which
they have returned is not a Tegener-
ated republican party. 1t is the OLD
reactionary republican party which
they repudiated two years ago. 1t is
the republican party Of Penrose and
Cannon and Gallinger and Brande-
gee and Ebenezer J. Hill, whose lead
ership in 1912 was the justification
of the progressive secession. Even IN
Pennsylvania, which Roosevelt carr1-
ed in 1912 and in which he made his
most energetic campaign against re-
publican corruption in 1914, Penrose
is reelected TO the senate by plur-
atty of staggering proportions, and
Penrose owes this victory to voters
who were frenzied and fanatical in
their support of Roosevelt two years
ago.
liz SlGulllCdIl tI1IIS u ILLS SioS-
ton is not that the progressives have
returned to the republican party, but
that they have returned to the same
kind of republican party that they
left in 1912. There is not drop OF
progressive blood in its veins. All
it's triumphs in Tuesdays elections
were triumphs of political reaction.
1t stands today for everything it
stood for in 1912, when the progress
sives repudiated it as the sum total
of iniquity; yet it's gains in this cleo
ton are all due to the return OF the
progressive who voted the republican
ticket Tuesday voted squarely for the
things against which he revolted in
1912.
Was the progressive party ever
really serious? Or was it merely a
political JOY ride which several mil
lion voters took for change OF air?
Certainly there was nothing in
Tuesdays election to indicate that
the principles and spirit of the pro-
gressive platform has ever taken pos
session of the minds and souls of the
rank and file. If progressive prin-
ciples were sound in 1912, they were
sound in 1914; yet most OF the pro-
gressive voters have retraced their
steps to reactionary republicanism,
and, abandoning Mr.. Roosevelt, have
found congenial leadership again in
Boies Penrose and Uncle Joe Can
non.
Except in isolated cases, we find no
evidence of slump in the democrat
ic vote Tuesday The same men who
r
tocratic policies in 1912 supported
the president and his administration
in 1914 Where the democrats have
lost ground is ip the reunion Of re-
publicans and progressives under the
old flag of political and business pi-
racy. 1t is plain now that a large
element of the progressiyes who fol-
lowed Mr.. Roosevelt in 1912 We're ac-
tuated by no consideration of prin-
2ciple. The moral aspects of his cru
SADIE made no inward appeal to them.
They followed him because they fan
cied he had found a better way of
jimmying a party into power than
that employed by the cash register
crowd of the republican old guard.
When they found that Rooseveltism
was rich in exhortation but poor in
spoils, they deserted Mr.. Roosevelt
as lightly as they deserted Mr. Taft
in 1912.
The progressive party is dead past
hope of a resurrection The only
real progressive party in the country
is the democratic party under the
leadership of Woodrow Wilson. If
the country wants progressive gov
eminent, that is the only instrument
of progressive government. If the
country wants to return to the days
of privilege and plutocracy, reunit-
ed republican party is again doing
business at the old stand.-New York
World