Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-13
COMMON SENSE

being with battlecry on its lips, the
expression OF a deepseated hostility to
fraud. to corruption, to civic selfishness,
20 Toryism. to Bourbonism and all the
other cankerous "isms" which at one
time or another have fastened them
selves, in parasitic fashion. on the coun-
try and sought to suck from its veins
the Initiative. strength and virlllty which
have always distinguished the endeavors
Of free people and through which they
wrought the miracle which is America
At that time. the fall OF 1914. in the
blindness OF partisanship, It was being
+, contended that the great economic prin-
cipie OF Protection. under which the
nation had thriven. should be tied to
the political fortunes of Boies Penrose
MIA should by their ballots announce to
the nation, almost everywhere pro-
gressive, that Republicanism and Pen
roseism were one and the same thing,
20 stand together or to fall together. and
that the Republican party should make
its fight for rehabilitation In 1916 with
the Penrose halter about its neck or not
make the fight at all. There were Bour-
bon elements blind to the auguries of the
day. They could see no further than
their noses The catastrophe of 1912 had
taught them nothing. They refused to
learn; they declined to be told, and they
drove like madmen to the inevitable ruin
that the victory they then achieved alb
soIutely assured.
In that campaign. although iteeeourse
was obviously unpopular in Philadelphia.
the EVENING LEDGER many times during
the fight, expressed the sentiment and
specifically declared that:
The election of Mr.. Penrose. who
does not and cannot disavow his lead
ership of the hungry and thirsty ele-
ments which compose his machine,
would hamstring Republican efforts in
every doubtful county in the Union
Which Is better, Repub-
lican majority In the Senate without
Mr.. Penrose or a Republican minority
with him2 Manufacturers may as well
make up their minds that It is one or
the other
More citizens voted against Penrose
than for him, but the opposition being
divided he was seated by an enormous
plurality. The West said nothing. 1t
heard the news and waited, waited TO see
Pennsylvania send Penrose to represent
and speak for her at Chicago, at a critical
period in the nations history. in a con.
vention characterized by William Allen
White as "a compromise between a
directors meeting and a memorial serv.
ice. In the West there was
definite feeling that the whole campaign
procession was fake" And again: "The
South and West, even though they have
little in common, have that little strongly
IN mind. And that little is distrust OF the
property-minded political leadership Of
the East and the North"
Mr. White may be wrong. The West
and other outlying districts may also be
In error in their conception OF the kind
OF government for which Penrose stands,
but the big fact we have to face Is this:
Those outlying districts have enough
votes TO control the Government, and
they are either going TO be met half way
IN their aspirations by the great indus
trial sections or they are going TO ig-
more those sections altogether and write
their own purposes definitely into the
public policy of the United States.
TIME tragedy OF II all is that the leader.
= ship which defeated him was one for
which Mr.. Hughes could never have had
. liking He never represented Pen
roseism. or Barnesism. or any other ism"
s&espt prosrsssivism. honesty and EN-
ciency. But like the old man OF the sea
tkey oluns 10 him and he could not club
thom clear. Here was a man from crown
~ neck cleanminded and from neck TO
~ last vertebra creature OF steel. but
~ Prosressiyes could not see him ex.
cppt through the blur of the reactionaries
s Mo stood about hin and dimmed the
unjesty Of his stature. Under Hughes
<h>ro would have been q new Republican
1or<y, inspired BY high purpose and again
eol1erins the mandates OF Lincoln. but
Wen could not believe IT, II only
a.. f. = !. I. -. VI. -. i