West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1916-07-13
What of the Progressi,esi

II Is the opinion OF John j. OCon-
nell chairman OF the Progressive com.
mittce OF New York county. as ex-
pressed elsewhere in this issue OF the
World, that the doom OF the third par.
~ was fixed at the Gary dinner on De.
cemhcr 20 last. Mr. Roosevelt was
present. Among others were gentle.
men said TO represent twelve thou
sand millions OF dollars.
Mr.. O'Conneu Is further OF the he.
lief that the SOL object of the men
who led and Il jccd the third party
movement I'm 10 was revenge upon
Mr. Taft for instituting proceedings
against the steel Trust. These men
he SAYS, have now returned to stand
pat RepUhliCanism. partly because ot
hostility to President Wilson and part.
IS because they hope. through his de.
eat. To rip" the progressive lcgisla
,ion enacted during his administra.
zion.
Whether these conclusions are true
or untrue. they show how nimsy are
the hopes OF harmony between the
Old Guard and true Procrcsslvcs
Something more than problem in ad
dition i7 needed To bring about "A union
of the t.ll9.501 voters who supported
MIR Roosevelt I'm 1912 and the 3.ASI. $50
who favored MIR Taft Mr.. Roosc-
velt has issued his orders and Mr..
hughes has extended his welcome. hut
these pleasing formaliucs do not
touch tho roots of things.
Standing like stone wall In the
way of the fusion here promised are
many monumental facts one of
these is that great majority of the
Progressives OF 1912 were honest.
They wanted progress. They insist
ed upon dcliverancc from plutocracy
and privilege. Another is that they
were Intelligent and capable of de-
termining for themselves whether
their wishes were needed by those i'm
authority. Sull another is the knowl-
edge of deeds that since March 4.
1913, have been indelibly written into
the political and social history of the
Republic.
Our Cannons, Smoots, Cranes and
Pcnroses are growing i'm age. and
they have no successors. or the young
men who have gained their majority
since 1912 not many are reactionaries.
The Banking and Currency law, which
liberated American finance and credit.
the Clayton law. which decreed that
labor is not a commodity. and the law
establishing the Federal Trade com
mission, which substitutes inquiry
and counsel for hasty and possibly
partisan prosecutions, have never
made stand-patter
tariff law divested of greed and
graft, laws regulating injunctions and
prohibiting inter-lockng directorates,
laws perfected and enforced for the
leyying OF income and corporation
taxes and for the direct election of
United States Senators, laws regulat-
H
ties. extending the parcel post, pro-
viding for the arbitration of labor dis
Dutes, establishing rural credits and
upholding the sanctity of treaties at
Panama have not caused single Pro-
gressive TO look backward.
The lobby driven from Washington.
the old subsidy crowd everywhere
routed and ashamed to avow its real
purposes. alien conspiracies defeated.
foreign complications worked out
honorably and pcaceably, and Mr..
irandies a member OF the Supreme
Court i'm the face Of the nercest oppo-
siiion by corporation influences not
ono Of these things has added re-
oTuit TO the Old Guard which at one
time or another has fought them all.
and today hates them all.
Except for their personal reputa-
lions f. matters little whether the
leaders Of the Progressive party ar
ranged for its dissolution At the Gary
dinner or elsewhere The rank and
Gie OF the organization has not been
and cannot be made 10 bend the knee
10 Toryism against which they have
been in open revolt for years Pro
r's3 is not now. as ~ was I'm 1912.
dream and hope Progress is a
fact accomplished. victory won.
Those who were honestly I'm favor Of