The Washington herald., 1916-05-14
,Progressives' Bluff Fails.

The executive committee OF the Progressive
National Committee held all-day meeting in
New York on Wednesday, and at its conclusion
one OF the men who took part in the dcbera-
tions, and who probably is destined to be branded
as traitor, in describing the proceedings con-
hded to a reporter that "the moment the name of
a Republican candidate was sprung they went for
him with Az unless of course, the candidate
mentioned was T. R. A lengthy pronunciamento
issued after the meeting, shows how gracefully
the Progressive leaders have adapted themselves
to all OF the recent pronunciamentos of Col.
Roosevelt setting forth new principles that dc
nand for their carrying out Col. Roosevelt and
none other in the White House
A reading of the formal statement. with its
ominous threats OF what will happen if the G.
o. p convention fails to satisfy the Moose de-
mands, IS convincing evidence that the Pro-
grcSslvc party has no other object in existence
than the furtherancc Of the ambitions of COL
Roosevelt The bluff that it is carrying on in
the hope OF winning Col. Rooscvelt's nomination
from the Republicans by intimidation is apparent
IN every paragraph, and the conclusion is fairly
forced that if the bluff fails the Progressives
game is up and their interest in the campaign
viii be confined to the side lines. And since the
bluff is palpabc it would seem that it is now
too much to expect the G.. O. p leaders to lay
down the winning hand
The formal statement announces that reports
from Progressive organizations throughout the
country show that the American people have be-
come impatient Of leaders who hold that COM
tort, prosperity, and material welfare arc above
honor, Sclf-sacrihCc and patriotism; that we need
Il reawakening of elder Amcricanism, Of
Lur belief in those things that our country and
our flag stand for; that our people are seeking
leadership Of the highest order and most cour-
agcous character, leadership that will draft to
itself for the countrys benefit the unschsh and
patriotic service of our abest citizens Our peo-
pie arc demanding that principles and policies
shall be proclaimed and carried out by man
who has the wisdom to formulate them and the
manhood to uphold them"
Everybody knows, Of course that there is
only one man in the whole country in the least
abIE to meet this situation which the Progress
>lves have discovered and made an issue o. And
there would be good chance of his being nomi-
mated only there is an element in the Repub-
hcan party leadership which seems to be giving
more thought and attention to what that party
Is against and whom it is against than to what
II IS for and whom it is for"' In other words.
they arc permitting their minds to wander occa-
>lonally from Roosevelt and the new issues that
he and his followers have manufactured for use
this year, in place Of those worn out in 1912
Ihoy will have to learn to concentrate their
minds, however, because if they don't "the re-
Sponslblllty for the result will not rest on the
PROGRESSIVE convention, but will rest on other
shoulders than ours"
There is the whole bluff The Republicans
must nominate Roosevelt Uhc axes arc out for
any other candidate) or the Progressivcs will
PLACE him at the head OF third ticket and make
certain the reelection Of President Wilson,, whose
Pohclcs so COL Roosevelt has said a hundred
tunes, arc rapidly destroying the nation Coll
Roosevelt must be chosen as the warrior TO de-
Htroy tins enemy OF the nation, or else he will
join forces with him to destroy the nation That
Is what the Republicans asked to fear Do!
COL Roosevelt, George W. Perkins and their
followers really imagine that they can scare the
g. O.. ?. into submission with any such fantasv2I
Nobody else docs. Do they believe that Coli
Roosevelt at the head of third ticket could be
elected Not unless they have quite taken leave
OF their senses.
The plain truth is that the Progressive bluff
has tailed already. The Republican convention
VIII nominate the man who the delegates believe
can gather the most votes, and he will necessarily
DC a safe man and not extremist an Ameri-I
can ard not a pacihst, statesman and not
soldier. Does the Colonel think he fits the
specifications, and can he make the convention
think so: In that event he has a chance In
any event it is a reasonable conclusion that Col
Roosevelt will not seek oblivion for himself bv
placing obstacles in the way Of the election of
Justice Hughes, Mr.. Root, Mr. Burton, Mr. Fair
banks, Mr.. Cummins or Mr. Weeks should anv
one OF them be nominated by the Republican,