The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-09-10

left it were right and we, who staid In
the party, were wrong. 1t was seri-
Gus question, and neither side was to
blame forits choice.
''But things have happened since
1872" said Col. Hale. 1.-THE Republican
party is no longer the stand pat party
that it was. Younger men have forged
to the front and new ideas have come in.
You don't hear SO much of Mr.. Barnes
or Mr.. Penrose now. They have been
fighting for their political lives in their
own States as well as nationally. Mr..
Barnes has lost his fight and is now
ready to quit. Neither of these men are
now recognized as leaders. The real
leaders now are the men from the West
and Middle West like Borah, Cummins.
Bristow, LaFollette-men who q few
years ago were almost read out of the
party for radicalism. Now the Repub-
lican party has caught up with them. 1t
has done more. 1t has caught up with
the Progressives. At the present time
while there are three parties in the field
two of them stand for practically the
same things, the Republicans and the
Progressives. You see the Progressive
party has originated no new proposed
legislation with the exception of the plan
for the recall of judicial decisions. This
recall scheme for some reason or other
was not placed in their platform by the
Progressives of this State. At all times
in the history of this country and indeed
of every country there are floating around
the land lot of untried schemes of gov
eminent. None of these schemes can be
tested until they are actually embodied
in the law. The disposition of the peo-
pie nowadays is to give these schemes
test and this is largely what we mean by
progressiveness. The Republican party,
as is apt to be the case with party long
in power, was at fault in that it did not
want to try new schemes. 1t wanted to
stand pat on the things under which it
had prospered. say it was at fault, be-
cause it is not good for party to stand
still. 1t must change with the times.
Many of the laws put through by the Re-
publican party, good laws at the time
they were passed and passed with the
best of intentions, on account Of the
change in conditions of the country are
not adequate at the present time. The
Roosevelt movement of 1912 brought
this home to the party. The Republican
State platform differs very little from
the Progressive platform. 1t stands for
as many new ideas. 1t is fully as pro-
gressive and it will be carried out to the
full as faithfully by the Republicans as
it would be by the Progressives.
If then the Republican party has come
up to the standard required by the pro-
gressive spirit of this country, as to men
and measures, what is to prevent Col.
Roosevelt's coming back to the Repub-
Iican party? l firmly believe that Theo-
dore Roosevelt will be the next Repub-
lican President of the United States and
l hope am justified in SO believing.
expect to do all in my power to help him
get the Republican nomination and be-
heve that as a Republican candidate, this
State will be with him. But if he is ever
to be President again it will be as Re-
publican. In every election that has been
held in this country, and in every primary
within the last year, it has been conclu-
sively proved that the Republican party
and rejuvenated while the Progressive
party has fallen off correspondingly.
Aid let me say this-it is not the duty
of any man who wants to see Theodore
Roosevelt the next President of the
United States to cast his vote for the
Progressive party in the coming election
and thus help toward the election of the
Democratic ticket. There are many Re-
publicans in this State who want, as | do,
to see Roosevelt our next President,
but there will be mighty sight less OF
them in this State if the State is turned
over to the Democrats on account OF
Roosevelt's friends voting the Progress
sive ticket. l believe the time has come
for every Roosevelt man to come back
where he belongs and where he was at
the time of the State convention of 1917
in the progressive controlling wing OF
the Republican party, and if they do we
shall give the Democrats such a drubblng
this year that they will remember it fol
the rest of their lives.