The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-10-18
.PROGRESS|yES FOR
HUGHES PERKINS
Progressive Leader and
Friend of Roosevelt
Writes Hot Letter.

'Speclal Dispatcn 10 Wcst SirEtntan)
NEW YORK, Oct. 1S.-The Progress.
sives Of the country are supporting
Hughes and not Wilson, for the presi.
dency. because they are for real &C.
complishments. not fine phrases. So
says George W. Perkins, chairman OF
the Executive committee of the Pro.
gressive National committee, and close
friend Of Colonel Roosevelt, in an open
letter to President Wilson made pub.
lie here today.
when the good name and welfare
OF people are at stake" wrote Mr..
Perkins. everything else must be put
aside" The letter in full follows:
THE morning papers again record
the pouring out at Shadow Lawn yes.
terday Of abuse Of those Of us who
for several years have been fighting
for real, not make.believe, progress in
this country
1.-THE audacity OF some Of the state.
ments made yesterday is past belief.
Those Of US who have been fighting in
this progressive movement for several
years cannot be satisfied with beau.
tifully, round phrases or with the pass.
age Of new law every fifteen minutes.
which Is so worded that 1t becomes
impotent fifteen minutes after It is
passed. The Wilson laws. from be.
ginning to end. are largely patterned
after your famous "Seven Sisters"
laws in New Jersey, which you passed
under the whip one day. At that time
you assured the people that thos laws
were the cure all for the trust prob.
lem. but you know, and every other
man in the country at all familiar with
the situation knows that those laws
have not change the corporation ques.
ton one fota Those laws have not
been worth the paper they were writ
ten on, and the same is the case with
most OF the laws with high-sounding
titles passed during your presidential
term
For instance, you have referred Of.
ten to your great accomplishment in
passing the Clayton bill and b be
numerous benefits the country his re.
ceived therefrom; yet Seator Reed.
Of Missouri. one Of your staunch sup.
porters and Democratic member Of
a half dozen or more senatorial com.
mittees, in speaking Of this bill as
1t was about to be passed. said: When
the Clayton bill was first written It
was a raging lion with a mouthful of
teeth: 1t has degenerated into tabby.
cat. with soft gums, plaintive nef and
anaemic appearance 1t is a sort OF
legislative aplogy to the trusts, de.
livered hat In hand. accompanied by
assurances and no discourtesy Is In.
tended
This Is an absolutely accurate de.
scrfption Of the Clayton bill by one
OF your own associates and can, with
equal truth. be applied to most OF your
other legislation. We Progressives
who are supporting Mr.. Hugres are
supporting him because, as Governor
OF New York, his acts equared with
his promises. and verbal statements.
and we are opposing you because
yours do not. We are for fine phrases;
we are for real accomplishments. Your
motto seems to be, a problem post.
poned is problem solved. The re.
suit Is that not since this nation was
founded have our people accumulated
SO many liabilities as they have un.
der your three and onehalf years Of
mismanagement. You have not set.
tod definitely. once and for all, a
single great question that has pre-
scented itself. In each and every case
You have taken one step forward, two
steps backward, hestitated and then
sidestepped. The result Is a situa.
tion OF the gravest possible concern
to the welfare Of our country, and we
Progressives who are opposing you
are doing 1t with motives Of the high.
est patriotism. without regard to par.
ty Affiliations. past. present or fu.
ture, for when the good name and wei.
fare OF people are at stake, every.
thing else must be put aside"