The Washington herald., 1915-08-03
A Winsted Tale from Mount Pleasant

Admirers OF the Hon. Victor Murdock, of
Kansas chairman of the Progressive National
Committee will be slow to believe that he has
turned nature fakir, though suspicion has been
directed toward him because OF announcement
he has just made at Mount Pleasant, Iowa Just
why he selects Mount Pleasant as a rival for the
fame of Wnsted Conn, docs not matter. The
thing Of moment is Mr.. Murdock's announcement
that he has discovered, not only in the Middle
West, but in the East whole herds of rampant
Bull Moose, of the T. R. brand, species believed
to be practically extinct
Here is Mr.. Murdock's announcement of his
discovery in terms of real craftsmanship:
Il have just completed three-month personal
canvass of the situation with the Progressives in
the Central West and on the Pacific Coast and
after making it | am ready to say hatfootedly
that VIC Progresslves are going into the 1916 fight
as party and to win. Moreover, a meeting of
representative Progrcssivcs held this month in
New York City reported the same conditions in
the East that | have found in the West, and they
are lining up for the next battle This also is the
sentiment OF the Progressive National Committee.
We will hold our national convention early and
nominate ticket.
This revelation as to the situation, even so
far as it relates to the West is startingly at va
rance with the reports of other authorities hith-
crto accepted as reliable, while Mr.. Murdock's
description of conditions in the East sounds like
story from the war zone that has escaped the
censor. 1t may be possible, of course, that since
his retirement to the reposefu secusion of
Wichita Mr.. Murdock has been out Of touch with
tho real aspirations of the Eastern Progressives,
and that even during his personal canvass" Of
the West he encountered only those of the faith
iu who rerained from telling him the truth and
blighting his youthful hopes and enthusiasm Or
must believe that the maneuyers of the East
crn Moose, apparently with the aim of getting
gracefully back into the G. O. F., are really be-
ing executed with the purpose of deceving the
enemy. and that Mr.. Murdock in his impetuous
haste to announce the 1916 program to the world
has let the cat out OF the bag?
And then there is the studied silence of the
Colonel. Did he delegate Mr.. Murdock to send
out the rallying call to the 1916 battle from
Mount Pleasant, Iowa. which sets forth: "Thc
Progrcssivcs will reiterate and re-emphasize their
Chicago platform of 1912. That platform remains
the most nearly perfect utterance of the prin-
ciples of the Abraham Lincoln Of modern times -
Or has Mr. Murdock assumed the heavy task
and responsibilities of carrying forward without
! the Colonel the movement born of ambition and
jealousy at Chicago, and is the mantle of the
Abraham Lincoln of modern times" to fall upon
other shoulders? The Colonel has denounced
more bitterly than Mr.. Murdock the rule of the
Democracy, and if he has logically decided to
refrain from giving it aid and comfort in 1916
it may be that he will be able to scuttle the hulk
OF his organization and prevent the intrepid Kan
san from sailing into action aboard it. At any
rate, that Mr.. Murdoch has spoken, the
country has the right to expect to hear promptly
from Oyster Bay. We want to know whether
the horses are warming up for the race or whether
there has been runaway at Mount Pleasant