The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-14

X ldSb WCCA uAA0 Auo AAOW OOAAAO VI ' President Wilson in the follow
 TO FELLOW MEMBERS OF MA T1oNAL PROGRESSIVE PARTY:
 AZ Progressives we would naturally I prefer to support our own candidate ,S for President but the betrayal or the
 party by those who deserted our cause and who have to all intents and pur- poses already joined the Republican 'fparty, made it clear to the lndlanap-
 olis conference that it was impossible, 4 at this late date. to name Progress F Fbfve presidential candidate.
 N Accordingly it appears necessary for EProgressives to support either the he- \ publican presidential candidate or ERrea1dent Wilson, the Democranc znominee for reelection. Tn making fny own selection as between these 1.-two candidates, I act individually as Eh member of the National Progressive sbafty, in which I intend to again en- GtoHi this fall. Although former Re- <bublican I have no desire or intention Ebf afi1liatinE with either the Repubfi- Brah Or the Democratic party. If the &ueed existed for the Progressive party
 fn 1912 believe that need is all, the
 more pronounced at this time, now
 that we are about to get rid of the Republicans who joined our party, a's opportnhists. without any appreciation of its aims and purposes Loyal Pro- Gressives will choose the candidate < who best typifies the true spirit of Y Frogressiveism whose election will tend to strengthen the Progressive
 party rather than destroy it, and who It the same time will best serve the 4 interests of the. nation and advance \ the public welfare.
 Viewing the situation from this
 Btandpoint, I mention the following
 as some of the many reasons which, M n Progressive, lind make 1t desir- z able for me to vote for the reelection
 Of President Wilson, while urging all other real Progerssives to also support < his candidacy:
 1. As delegate to the Chicago
 Progressive convention am convinced no Republican would have had the , slightest chance of securing the Pro-
 gressfve nomination. Charles E.. | Hughes could not have secured 25 votes in the convention out of the thousand or mere delegates present.
 That fact has fr9Auently been admit ted. Tn the absence Of a Progressive r nominee. and knowing the general , ceeling of tho delegates, believe Pres ident Wilson would more likely have
 bean the candidate of the convention than a Republican.
 2. Knowledge of the conditional 4 telegraphic declination from the can d1date nominated. was withheld from 2 the delegates for more than an hour < and . half by Chairman Robins. who Lad1ourned the convention immediately ~ after the telegram was finally read
 while the delegates were dazed and be- 2 fore the convention could give voice to any expression of it's will in the 4 event the declination of its nominee x WAS made final. The declination was not taken seriously at first, because of .i various happenings in the convention
 during the preceding days and be-
 cause the intervening hour and a half
 was employed by the chairman main- X ly in raising thousands of dollars by X subscription to conduct the Presiden- \ tia1 campaign which practically every ' delegate expected would be vigorously
 waged for its candidate. Now that
 1r. Robins has publicly announced his intention to vote for the Republican < nominee. the previously incomprehen-
 Glb1e conduct of the chairman during { the last hours of the convention, may ! be explained on the theory that the
 chairman was cognizant of the plans
 which culminated in the grossesty be-
 frayal of party membership known to political history.
 3. The Republican candidate las
 the support of the 'interests' who
 desire the defeat of President Wilson
 because he has not proven subservicnt { to their wishes. That candidate ,al-
 though not the free choice of the Re-
 publican delegates was forced upon
 them by the Republican bosses at the
 dictation of the Interests The Re-
 publican delegates were carefully
 hand picked" to do the will of the
 party bosses The Progressive dele-
 gates were of different calibre and i what could not be accomplished ci- { rectiy in the convention was indirect iy attempted subsequently, in the na-
 tonal committee by the use of proxies
 voted by paid employees, the votes of
 committeeman in violation of the 4 wishes of the Progrcssives they mis-
 represented. etc. The details con-
 corning the methods employed will be-
 come better known as the campaign < progresses.
 NHtI 4s 4u0 SleCLlOn OL tue RcpuDIlc2n
 candidate would tend more than any,
 thing else to terminate the existence
 Of the National Progressive party and
 put an end to the program for social and industrial justice and various oth- t or human welfare blanks of the 1912
 platform. Loyal Progressives look
 ing to the advancement of the Pro- gressive party and it's principles should find little comfort in voting for ~ the candidate of the Republican party
 which rid!culed and derided the Pro-
 3ressive party and it's 1912 platform.
 Again Progressive vote for the Re-
 publican candidate is an endorsement
 os the conspiracy which deprived sev-
 eral million voters of the right and
 opportunity to vote for candidate of 4 their own. Decent citizenship ire
 apecttvo of party, should rebuke at the
 polls the treachery which made pes-
 sthle the selling out" of any political
 party. The scheme ib one watch < strikes at the foundations of the Re-
 Ynblic and which. if it succeeded. W WOuld make worthless our snu,st
 vAunted democratic form of govern
 ment-
 &. Prior to the convention we heard
 much of the issue of Ametcanism. Mhnre n really no such issue because