The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1915-01-15
PARTY LEADERS
QUIT BULL MOOSE

have deserted, indicate the finish of
the progressive party. A few days
ago when the Illinois legislature met
Mr.. Mccormick entered the republi-
can caucus and stated that he was
back to the fold and g:ad to be back.
Leaders in every state and every To-
cality are drifting away, the majority
going back to the old party. On the
eisintergration of the party the Ana
conda Standard says:
Colonel Roosevelt's recent asser-
tion that he was through with his
"lynatic friends," meaning those poll
tic,ans who persisted in their efforts
to keep alive the bull moose party,
brought quick results, the most sig
nihcant of which was the formal ap-
peal issued by Representative Hine-
baagh of Illinois, chairman of the bull
moose congressional organization
committee, advising all progressives
to return to the republican party and
make common cause with the republi-
cans in overthrowing the democracy.
While Colonel Roosevelt has not
publicly renounced the third party and
has not publicly urged others of that
party to get back into the republican
fold, the Standards Washington cor
respondent notes that he has been
very busy since the November elec-
tion comforting with progressive re-
puolicans who declined to follow him
in 1912, as well as other progressives
who did follow him, and it was we'll
understood that the sentiments voiced
by Heinbaugh are the views of Como
nel Roosevelt.
The Heinbaugh statement, coupled
with the private statements made re-
reatly by Colonel Roosevelt, indicate
that the progressive party leaders
have at last awakened to the fact that
if the republican party will reorganize
it can be and will be dominated by
men of progressive ideas, and will not
again be controlled by men of the old
stand-pat type. This much was evil
dent to many progressive republicans
in 1912, and it was men who knew the
real situation within the republican
party who advised against the bolt in
Chicago. But Colonel Roosevelt at
that time would not listen to advice;
he could not curb his temper, but in
sisted upon forming a third party,
which accomplished nothing more nor
less than the insurance of democratic
success.
The colonel, with many other pro-
gressives who stood by the third party
in 1914, like the thousands who have
already returned to the republican
fold, now acknowledge that the main
tenance of the progressive party can
do nothing more than insure further
democratic success. ''The continu-
ance of the progressive party as
distince organization" said Mr.. Hen
baugh, 'could have but one result in
the 1916 campaign, and that would be
to greatly increase the chances, if not
to insure the reelection of President
Wilson and the democratic party"
The statement issued by Mr.. Hen
baugh has given rise to much COM
ment among senators and congress-
men interested in the reorganization
of the republican party, and the gen.
eral opinion that that statement was
issued only after Mr.. Hienbaugh had
conferred with many other progress
sives, and after he had been in COM
nlunication with Mr.. Roosevelt, has
created the impression that a move
n1ent is now we'll under way to wipe
out the progressive party, as such,
and to carry back to the republican
ranks most of those who held out in
the campaign recently closed.
That some of the Roosevelt sup
porters in 1912 will hold back and at
tempt to keep alive the progressive
party. may be assumed. George w.
Perkins, Clifford Pinchot and Alfred
Beveridge,. for instance, make pre-
tense Ut wanting to keep the third
party alive. Those men realize that
when the progressive party us wiped
out they will be nothing more than
privates in the rear ranks of the re-
publican party. They have nothing
to gain, personally, by returning to
the republican party. Perkins can
never hope to be accepted as repub-
lican leader, notwithstanding his
wealth and his disposition to spend it;
Pinchot has no hope of ever being
elected to the senate as a republican,
and Beveridge knows that Indiana re-