The Republican., 1914-06-18
REPUBLICANS CAN DEFEAT
SENATOR JOHN ". SMITH
The Case Presented by an Eastern
Shore Editor.

SohIdluS SIrOIlS eulIoFldl, written Dy
its editor, Mr.. Charles o. Carter, on
The Plain Duty of Maryland Progress
sives. The editorial reads, in part, as
follows:
'Since the return of Theodore Roose-
velt from South America great many
significant remarks alleged to come
from him have been published. Some
of these indicate that he is inclined to
cooperate with the Republicans and,
maybe, aspires to the Republican NOM
lnation for presidency in 1916; others
that he is uncompromisingl for an in
dependent third-party course. We
doubt if Mr.. Roosevelt has vet uttered
any of these statements. Undoubtedly
he has talked politics since he has land
ed, but not with anyone who would be
at all likely to quote him.
"All attempts yet at defining or pre-
dieting Roosevelt's attitude are mere
guesses. But in making gresses it is
well to remember that Roosevelt is the
most superb politician living He is
scarcely more a leader than he is a
follower of the people. He knows the
popular will almost instinctively, but,
added to this, he has innumerable sour
ces of information as to the trend of
public opinion. Where he has not led
the public he has usually followed it.
His followers in Maryland are like
those IN every other state, under ne
cessity of considering two things:
Their relations to the national move
ment to which they are DEVOTED and to
local conditions in which they are most
practically interested.
The Progressives are devoted to a
set of principles. They are welded to
party in the same sense that Dem
ocrats and Republicans are. Wher-
ever these principles have been adopt
ed by the Republicans before, the split
In the party the Republican party is
the progressive party. This is true in
several of the states. For instance,
the California Republican organization
is composed of the Progressive leaders.
The same is true IN several of the
states. For instance. the California
Republican organization is composed of
the Progressive leaders. The same is
true in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa-in
fact, in most of the Western states.
In Wisconsin La Follotte and his fol-
lowers compose the Republican party
Of that state. Senator Albert B. Cum
minis is along with Roosevelt and La
Toilette, one Of the greatest of the
pioneers of progressive thought in
American politics and is in many
respects a more capable man than
either of these. He was nominated
the other sdav bys such a majority
that his reelection sis conceded by all.
His character as a progressive is rec
ognized, Notwithstanding he has re-
mained steadfasfly a Republican. In
Iowa we have situation similar to
that IN Maryland. The Progressives
there recognize the futility of any at
temps at third party victory, and
only those who would prefer a Demo
crat to progressive Republican like
Cummins will pursue the independent.
In Maryland the Republican party
has become the Progressive party in a
very real sense, for it's platform last
year was everything the Bull Moose
could have made it. 1t was, IN fact, the
Bull Moose platform expression of the
party will today more than on the day
it was formulated.
No Progressive in Maryland can take
exception to the Republican platform,
and that the platform this year will be
similarly progressive there is not the
slightest doubt, for the Progressives
already back in the party add much to
the influence of the great number who
never left it. Besides, every leader in
the state, so far as we know, is fully
convinced that anything but progress
i've action in harmony with the will of
the majority would be supreme folly.
Maryland is disgraced by the most
corrupt Democratic organization in any
state in the Union, and this organi-
zation is domineered by John Walter
Smith, by his own grace United States
Senator. The Penrose Republicanism
of Pennsylvania and the Tammany
Democracy of New York are better
known only because they have been
more fully exposed. We do not con-
denim the Smith gang because of it's
Democracy. We would fight Penrose
as hard in Pennsylvania. or Tammany
in New York, as Smith in Maryland.
AS Orlando Harrison said last fall,
before Smith made him candidate for
State Senator, "Smith ought to be de-
feated, and now is the time to do it.
The Republicans and Progressives,
united, can defeat Smith. There is
to be new lineup throughout the
state this fall in the general registration
OF voters, and an honestly made list of
voters will result IN several thousand