Arizona republican., 1916-07-17
Colonel Parker's Call to Progressives

The call of Colonel John NJ. Parker for pro gressve national convention be held at Chicago on August D. we believe will not evoke wide response. Though the call provides nomination of cand- dates for president and vice president, and though Colonel Parker is already the vice presidential cand- date, his self denial in offering surrender that position is sufficient proof of genuine self sacrificing spirit.
 We do decry the motives of Colonel Parker. He progressive who desired the political and social reforms advocated by progressivsm both in the nation and in the Colonel Parker, like many other progressives particularly desired reform in the by the creation of party into which and women of all parties could come demand relief from the abuses of government by strongly entrenched dominant party.
 It is possible that with the momentum national progressive campaign under the leadership of four years ago and with the aid of the and directed the party then the progressive ticket would carry of the That would be pos sble in the south where dissatisfaction among the democrats exists. But to the nation. it has been unmistakably evident by the developments within the last years and especially by the devel opments of the last few months. that the people relying upon one of the old parties the prob blems which new conditions have imposed. On this point Colonel Roosevelt in his letter of June 26 the progressive national committee said:
 Yet it has become entirely evident that the people under existing conditions not prepared to accept a party
 It is impossible for progressives to abandon our convictions. But faced with the fact that things actually the progressive national organiza tion longer offers the whereby make these convictions effective in national life Under such circumstances, our duty is do the best and sulk because of leadership is rejected That ourselves continue to believe that the course advocated in the highest interest of the Ameri people is aside from the question. It is unpatri refuse do the best possible merely because the people have put in position to do what regarded the best. It remains for good humoredly and with common sense, face the stua- tion and endeavor of it the best that it be made yield from the standpoint of the interests of the nation as whole
 There questions with which the people at time the organization of the progressive party had deal-the questions of preparedness and Americansm. The republican platform took these questions boldly and pledged the party and the candi dates their solution They have become the shadowng issues obscurng, but looming larger, than other issues. The republican platform also expressed essential progressive aspirations It a promise of those reforms which the progressive party organized and the party had not been organized for partys sake but for these reforms it consistently cooperate with the republican party for obtaining them. It could not consistently do otherwise.
 Now as to the effect of the national movement proposed by Colonel Parker. It could enlist the sup port only a handful of the leaders responsible for the marvellous achievement of the progressive party in 1912 and it could draw it only part of the democratic element of the progressive party and very negligible part of the republican element. It would thus withhold from the democratic party a considerable accession and would detract only slightly the support which would to the republican party from the progressives.