The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-22
MOSES EPITAPH
WRITTEN BY PINCHOT
Pioneer in Roosevelt Party Says
It Died Of Perkins and
Platitudcs.
DEAD BEYOND REVIVING

"The Progressive programme had son1c-
thing OF eyeryth in 1t. from the care
II babies to the building of birch bark
canoe. Yet II contained little which dealt
with the actual problems Of the United
States In any but the most superficial
manner
SO writes Amos PinchW, "a pioneer In
the Roosevelt movement OF 1912, In an
article In The Masses entitled, The
Failure Of the Progressive Party lie
GAYS that under blind leadership the party
departed from its Ideals and followed a
shallow middle OF the road course, per-
mittod Itself to be used for pro-trust propa-
ganda by George w. Perkins, with the APP
proval Of col. Roosevelt degenerited from
PRINCIPLES to platItudcs. became a personal
faction and died, never 20 be revived
"until q new and more social conception
OF politics dawns upon the party leaders"
In Mr. PinChots opinion new party
has no plac, IN the United states unless
1t represents radicalsm. lie says.
The Progressive party should either
have undertaken to go deeply and intelli-
gently into the causes Of the economic
troubles watch threaten the peace II
society. as the liberal parties in England.
France and Germany have done, or II
should have KEEP; its fingers out OF the pie.
"It did neither 1t coutented itself with
q series Of unobjectionable reforms, sup
rosedly adapted to vote getting from all
quarters. Carrying a wtherod and de-
cidedly suspicious looking Give branch TO
labor and capital, and to democracy and
oligarchy alike. 1t pleaded for universal
approval This plea was rejected.
principIcs Abandoned.
as time went on the rank and file
o. the Progressive party began TO realize
that the line Of march had mysteriOusly
changed. They had supposed the gist VI
the situation In America-the cause OF our
social unrest and agitation--was The con-
centration Of wealth and power in the
hands Of a few people. They had believed
that the advance OF democracy in this
country meant the establishment OF a
1uster distribution Of wealth and power
and that tais was the fundamental con-
sideration upon which the new party was
founded
But within few months from the
party's birth all his was altered. \ new
atmosphere began to pervade its councils
The fight against privilege was abandoned
So far as national headquarters was con-
cerued. In the disputes between the con-
sumner and the trusts. between labor and
the trusts. and between capital and labor
headquarters either kept silent or else
took the side of capital
Thus situation was developed where
the rank and iile and tho more radical
leaders found themselves working in a
direction Numerically opposed to tn,
Dominating influence And this iniuenc,
was the more powerful IN that T., financed
the party from the beginning to the end
TN the meantime an extensive pdmphl.i
propaganda in defence Of the trusts was
organized by headquarters which included
bitter denunciation OF every one inside or
outside of the party who would not .,ln!;
that monopoly was the peoples best
friend
In 1918 Mr.. Roosevelt published hi.
autobiography, containing further and
Aceelncly influential defcnc, Of tn,
monopoly principle in general and OF IN,
Steel Corporation in particular"