The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-14

- in support of the reelection of ing statement:-
 all parties profess agreement with all | that is best in Americanism and ce-- tainly the Wilson administration can not be rightfully charged with favor ing any foreign government to .he | injury of our own country. But have
 we the right to expect loyalty to the traditional American institutions and to Americanism in it's true spirit if the few have the power to. transform our government into an autocracy treacherously deprivirg large per centage of the people of a voice in the
 government by confining the elector- ate to Q choice between two candidates
 neither of whom entirely typifles what many citizens stand for.
 6. In President Wilson Progressives have a candidate not only uncontroll- ed by the "bosses'' of his own party but one who has been an advocate of various Progressive measures through out his entire administration. The things for which the Progressive party stand have certainly been more aided during the past three years by the Democratic party under the leader ship of President Wilson than could have been expected from the Repabli- can party under any of its stand pat leaders who to this day still control it's policies.
 z. The administration, of President Wilson has had more real problems to solve under more difficult conditions than any administration since fhe days of Lincoln. Who Is in pc &inn to truthfully say they couAA savs been better solved as thsy arose, Ws have been kept out of war wli0e at the same time our rights as tsa.ion have been preserved with every req sonable display of firmness co.Jiot- ent with conditions handed down from previous Republican administra- Ftions Experience is a great teacher and, giving credence to that trI!sm. four years more of President wt'saa should reasonably be expected ts yield an even better administrator in the interests of the nation and ss the American public.
 8. After awaiting with interest tho much heralded speech of acceptance of the Republican candidate its pe- rusal produced a feeling of disap- pointment and dissatisfaction not only among Progressives but among nom bers of his own party. Anyone can criticise on the theory that ''hirdsignt is better than foresight" bus ths "hindsight'' in this case has not beea productive of suggested remedies which might have been adopted, at the time the problems demanding se- lution arose, with any assurance tl1xt they would have better or more ss.- lisfactorily met the conditions. Tn. speech of acceptance ignored for rsa- sons of political strategy an issue much discussed in the pre-convent1on campaign, and while many voters be- lieve the candidate stands certain way on this issue his friends are whispering that his vews are exactly the opposite.
 9. So far as the interests of the nation for the next four years are com cerned, with reference to our relations with foreign governments, 1t can hard | ly be questioned that reasonable men
 have a right to expect more from President Wilson with his past experi- ence than from the inexperienced Re-
 
 retirement for six years or more has not been such as to keep him prop erly in touch with the problems re- quiring solution. His availability as I the Republican presidential nominee was due principally to his silence re- specting the vital problems as they
 arose during the past years But that silence is no reason for his election
 based upon any promises which he
 may now make or upon any-after the event-statements of what he would have done in the past.
 10. Various individuals who now happen to be members of the Progress sive party and who favor supporting the Republican candidate have pri- vately announced their intention of re- joining the Republican party and of tenrolling hereafter as Republicans. While no Progressive objects to the Ereturn of these men to the Republican organization, it certainly is not honest for them to support the Republican candidates while pretending to be Pro- gressives. Much less is it evidence of the square deal" (much preached by our late leader for the past few years) when men of this kind seize the party machinery and while actually active Republicans, work under cover as Progressives, in the interests of the
 Republican party to the detriment of the Progressive party and of the loyal Progressives. The American spirit of flair play'' will not knowingly permit this wholesale attempt to steal a poli- tical party by such dishonest methods.
 The Indianapolis conference indi- cates persuasively that the National Progressive party contains a loyal membership which will not permit of its dissolution. In fact the desertion of its false leaders will tend to strengthen the party and it's mem bership and bring to it's ranks many new members from other parties who did net care to become affiliated with the party while it contained some of the leaders who never were true Pro- gressives and who will shortly be no longer connected with it.
 Loyal Progressives are earnestly urged to enroll as such this fall so that they maye take part in the party conferences which are to be held after January 1. As the best ayaila- ble means of maintaining the party they are also urged to vote for the re- election of President Wilson and to support the candidates of the Pro-
 gressive party in their respective stateg.
 JOHN ROBERT TAYLOR.