The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-12

sincerely that it should not be made
until the Republicans had nominated,
hope with Colonel Reosevelt-that
either the Republican convention
would nominate Roosevelt. or that the
Republican convention would noml-
nate Hughes who would make sucn a
radical statement as would satisfy the
colonel and the conservative group OF
the Progressive party. that third party
action is unwise-
Had to Recognize Perkins.
The position in which the radicals
found themselves badly, was THIS MI
Perkins had paid his good money Tor
the party and in him rested the title
of the party. 1t was natural tnat
Colonel Roosevelt should recognize
that title. And when Mr. Perkins
spoke in the party councils 1t was only
natural that his judgment should pre-
vail From the standpoint of Colonel
Roosevelt's personal fortunes, his
judgment was good: from the stand
point of defeating President wilson,
Mr. Perkins's Judgment was sound
From the standpoint of inn Mediate fu-
ture of the Progressive party. I'M
doubtedly Mr.. Perkins, judgment was
about as bad as could be- AND OF
course his justification is that he was
not working primarily Tor the ITO
htion, and he has put too much good
time good energy and good hard
money into the Progressive cause to
gainsay his sincerity.
AS Radicals Saw 1t.
But to him the party was not what
it was to the radical group-tne cnlo
of the dreamsi They saw in the Pro-
gressive party the organization or a
definitely radical party, which should
draw into it the radical thought OF the
American middle class citizens-the
men of vision and ideals. the tremen-
| $oT AM
the child of the forces that washed
ashore at Plymouth Rock and James
town with the pioneers of liberty three
hundred years ago. This radical party
as these radicals saw it was to work
not for victory in any election as its
first aim
Its first aim was to present intelli-
gently and in their most attractive
form the advanced ideas of the worlds
soundest political thinkers for the con-
looking to the final acceptance of
those ideas. and their adoption in the
American institutions Oftlmes ma
| jorities, temporary victories, were
mere counters in the passing games.
Their net results were to be figured
in public opinion, not in the ballot
box
They belonged-did these radicals
to these practical men, these grirnly
practical men who have small use for
| any particular election as a. gauge OF
sentiment, as a test of strength, or as
| a finality in anything-men who be-
| lieve that when the people desire q.
thing sufficiently they will get it. And
| this radical group was conSecrdted. to
the cause of making the people desire
| the right things with all their might
and main.
Some of this Mr.. Perkins could IN
! derstand-but not all of it He came
a long way with the radicals but not
all the way. And when the time came
| for him to decide what he regarded
as practical question in practical
way, he decided it and the radicals
who had only an equity in the Progress
sive party, and no fee simple title to
it, had to acquiesce. So we have the
| picture of the dear tender hearted Col
onel, cutting off the tail of the dog
an inch at a time, to save the feelings
| of the dog. The Colonel is blameless;
he is doing all that he can do. And
| when the next inch of the dogs tail
comes off, it will be taken off in all
gentleness and with all consideration
for the good of the dog.
Will They Go Alone?
! And then-what of the radicals? At
| present they are all dressed up in their
fighting clothes, with no where to go.
| They have low opinion of the Demo-
| Gratis. They are not of the proletariat
to work with the Socialists The class
feeling of the working class does not
move them. Some may go to Mr.. Will
son, others may follow Mr.. Hughes
| Tonight they seem determined to go it
alone. If they do go it alone, it will
require a marvellous lot of energy and
more money than they can at the
moment command to make the cam
| paign as it should be made Yet they
are crusaders
And the ravens NAV food t1oy,
And whatever happens they have real
| lied for a time a vision that is pro-
phetic- Some day the forces of rad
icalism will gather and will hold to-
gether. Some day the wave of prog
ress that GIBBS and flows will wash far
inland and remain. But tonight, the
radicals stand on a lonely and rather
dreary shore looking at the ebb tide