South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-07-18
Leader of Moose
hNew York Pays
President Tribute

John ]. OConnell, chairman Of the
New York county progressive com
mittee. has issued a statement indi-
eating that there are progressives in
New York who Will not be deliver
ed" 10 the republicans through the
medium OF Col. Roosevelt.
In his statement Chairman O'Con-
nell sharply attacks Col Roosevelt
and warmly defends Pres't Wilson.
After stating that the colonel is in
tent upon completing the ruin OF
the progressive party by driving it's
members. II he can. into the repub-
llcan party he rakes up the finan-
cial panic of 1907 against the colonel
and refers TO the Wilson currency
legislation in an apparent attempt 70
create contrast not 10 the advantage
OF Col. Roosevelt, TO whose 'evi-
dent hatred of our president" MI
O'ConneI makes reference in the
opening paragraph of his statement
Resent Relief Measure
Some of the colonel's critics have
been so unkind as TO say that. per-
haps. the enactment OF that law
(the Federal Reser e act) was the
cause of the extreme virulence dis
played against Mr.. Wilson by some
Of the coloneIs advisers" says Mr..
O'Connel.
Mr. O'Connen says among other
things:
The impression one gets of Col.
Roosevelt's letter 10 the progressive
Z
genuousness, its sophistry, then its
labored attempt at justification. and,
finally, the very evident hatred of
our president.
And he totally fails 10 meet the
real cause OF anguish of the progress
sives who we're delegates and alter
mates to the convention, namely,
that they have now come to the be-
lief that the colonel never intended
10 accept their nomination alone:
that they were being used as a club
to force the republican convention
10 nominate him, and that if the
club was ineffective it could go into
the woodpile for all the colonel
cared.
Would Keep Up Work.
IF our crusade for the last four
years has forced the other parties
TO enact many of our most important
principles into law. why not continue
our organization and our crusade so
that the remainder of our principles
may De enacted into law?
There are many progressives who
believe that since the defeat of 1912
the colonel has been anxious 10 get
the progressive party off his should
ers, and they would instance his at
tempts 10 influence the nomination
of Mr.. Whitman for mayor in 1913,
his attempts 10 ST. oport Mr.. Whit
an for governor early in 1914. and
his subsequent attempt 10 hand US
Mr.. Human of Binghamton. Indeed,
the events of convention week at
Chicago, coupled with those earlier
facts. lend some plausibiIity TO the
charges.
II do not believe the country will
go TO political or other damnation If
Mr. Wilson should be reelected.
This nation has many times shown
its ability 10 recuperate from even
worse things than those of which
the colonel accuses Mr.. Wilson Be-
sides which. if the colonel will take
the pains TO examine the record, he
will find that Mr. Wilson has 10 his
credit in the four years of his admin
istration pretty nearly as much pro-
gressive legislation as the colonel has
TO his seven years.
T. RS Sins of Omission.
-.
coloners incumb ency of the office.
nothing was done toward reforming
the archaic banking and currency
cystem under which we lived Mr.
Wilson has 10 his credit the enact
ment of a law which gives us the
kind of banking and currency we
require and which will make il i'm
possible to have a recurrence OF a
financial panic like that Of 1907.
Some Of the coloneI's critics have
been so unkind as to say that, per-
haps. the enactment of that law was
the cause OF the extreme virulence
displayed against Mr. Wilson by
some Of the coloneTs advisers.
The progressive party will live
Its ideas are right and are indestruc-
tible. II is now in straits, but its
loyal adherents have learned the les
son that the fathers of the nation
were more than prophetic when they
said that this should be a govern
ment of laws and not Of man. A
party founded on hero worship alone
has no excuse for enduring: and out
Of our present travail will surely
come an enduring party founded not
on the within OF any one man or
group OF men, but on the undying
and unalterable principles Of equal
justice. social and industrial. TO all.
and the right Of human life and lib
erty against the rule Of the dollar