South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-15
BULL MOOSE "COME-BACKERS'
ARE SOMETHING LIKE REPUB-
LICAN "CALAMITY" MYTHS.


pears 10 permeate the political news
that our republican contemporary
gathers from the state capital That
It is somewhat doped, goes quite with
out saying II has had us reading for
months. glowing reports from Indian
apOlis as 10 how the progressives are
all coming back" in fact. have al
ready "come back" that it is all over
but the shouting. and what is pub
Hshed from indianapolis we are pre-
sumed 70 accept IA a vision OF the
whole state. No mention whatever is
made. however, OF the big progress
i've banquet given to George w. Per-
kins. national chairman. Tuesday
night and we are supposed to be
sweetly oblivious TO the fact that there
was one.
But now comes the fatal admission
on the part OF the Indianapolis News,
also epublican. that something OF the
sort did happen. Being an Indian
apolis paper IL, Of course. had 70 print
the indianapolis happenings, and
though rather distasteful. stick some
where near TO the truth. You can
pretty well depend upon it that the
News discounted the strength OF the
meeting much as possible, yet 1t ad-
mfts that il is no longer sensible to
assert that the bull moosers are not
considerably alive, numerous, deter
mined TO hght IN the next campaign,
and that they are party to be reck-
oned with.
Local progressives can safely take
this admission into seasonable &C
count. Those who stood by the party
in 1914, we have always insisted, could
be counted upon as real progressives,
and not of the "come back" order.
They left the republican party from
principle, and they will stay away for
the same reason. South Bend is
pretty we'll aware OF the lack OF any
local rush in the return Of bull moos-
ers TO the &. o. p. since 1914, not
withstanding the frequent reports OF
il read in Indianapolis and other state
papers, and now from what comes
from indianapolis, as published there
in the home town for the people di-
rectly interested TO read, we are en-
abled 10 guess that the reports, by
alleged telegraph, telling Of the mad
anxiety to come back" down there.
has been very perceptibly exaggerated
also.
The progressive come back rush
to the republican party has seemingly
been very much like the republican
calamity dope used in the last cam
paign. In every city. town and ham
let in the country, the republican pa
pers were full OF stories of the hard
times In other cities. The home town
was always "an exception, reasonable
prosperous" but sure 10 go 10 the --
bow vows. in the absence of imme-
date retdrn OF the republican party
TO power. Then the other town. al
ways som eHvhere beyond convenient
reach. was pointed 20 as the horrible
example. while in that town the re-
publican papers were printing the
same sort OF stories about the home
exception, reasonably prosperous -
and pointing 10 the horrible exam
pie" somewhere else. A better or
gained campaign Of political hum
buggery could scarcely have been in
vented. Never was a more desperate
effort made, and with partial sue
cess. to play the people for fools
The real progressive will not be
hurnbugged back into the republican
party by such methods If ne is q
progressive he cannot turn back The
man who left the republican party
in 1912. merely becaus ne thought
there was a better show for Office in
the newly forming progressive party,
oughs 10 so back. lie ought never
10 have left. II he left because the
progressive party adopted a platform
consistent with mis- ideals. to return 10
the republican party would be as in
consistent as Inconsistency could make
IT. PerhaSs he may not feel that the
democratic party is progressive
enough for him. but very apparently,
II the leaders quoted from Indianap-
OILS can be taken seriously. he can
nave a party home without associat-
ing himself with either OF the old
parties
when the Indianapolis News admits
that the progressive party still lives
and Is a factor 10 be reckoned with
next year, no progressive need fear
lonesome-even II his party is not
holding barbeCues. and INDUCING such
semi-bribery methods. 10 rebuild It's
shattered fences
THANKS THE PRESS GETS.