The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-06-21
kNELL or THE THIRD PARTY.

The passing of the progressive party
may as well be announced now as
later
When Col. Roosevelt made his con
ditional declination of the progressive
nomination there's was no real doubt
in his mind ,as to what he must do.
He knew that the logic of his personal
politics forbade him to run, In leav.
ing the question partly open for a
few days he was letting down gently
some Of his most enthusiastic support.
ers. Since the cooling Of the conven.
ton excitement many progressive
leaders have been falling behind
Hughes in cheerful mood. No serious
pressure will be brought upon Roose-
ve1t to induce him to run. II effort is
made to fill the vacancy and use the
third party as Van auxiliary to the
democratic party it will not amount
to much. The public does not support
. party that it cannot respect, and it
cannot respect a party without prac.
teal program of its own.
The passing of the third party will
occasion little regret. The regret will
be confined to relatively small
group Of idealists who joined the new
movement in 1912, hoping that the
leadership Of so practical politician
as Mr.. Roosevelt might make it an
influential factor in politics. These
recruits took Mr.. Roosevelt at his
word when he said neither of the old
parties could be trusted to promote
the cause Of social and industrial jus.
tfce. They looked to him to fulfill his
lcl< 80 - MOI Ut doUnfa1
to that purpose. They we're willing
that 1t should operate as minority
party as long as might be necessary.
Most Of the 100000 voters who
marked their ballots for Roosevelt in
1912 we're republicans who wanted tol
rebuke the leaders of their own party
Many were independents who do not
belong properly in any party-menl
who are not greatly bothered about
issue but who vote for the most at.
tractive men, Add to these the large
array Of Roosevelt fans and al
few disgruntled local leaders from
both Of the old parties and the large
Roosevelt following of 1912 Is ac.
counted for The sincere progressives
the men who wanted to affiliated
with q new party devoted to moral re.
form and social uplift- probably con.
stituted only q small fraction of the
whole aggregation. s.
Most or the insurgent republicans
got what they wanted when the regu.
lar republican candidate for president
was defeated They went back to the
old party by tens Of thousands at
every election since 1912-Would have
gone whatever Roosevelt tried to do
with his third party. After 1912 thei
independents who acted with the pro,
gressive party in that year felt that
they owned no more loyal support to
1t than the old parties. They resumed
their old right to act with whichever
party presented the most attractive|
candidate and platform. There were
left available for the founding of the
new party a rather inharm0nious COM
bination of we'll meaning reformers
and practical politicians who had
worked themselves out of jobs with
the old parties. This material could
be manipulated into minority party
of fairly respectable proportions by
energetic leadership and effective or
ganization such as could be supplied
by the Roosevelt group of national
leaders. 1t is quite unlikely now that
they will consider the game worth the
candle.
There is no reason to believe Roose-
welt ever had any settled plan for
bdiiding new party. He was misled
by his extraordinary primary triumphs
in 1912 into believing that he could be
elected in three cornered party con
fiict that year. When he failed in this
he had no further use for the progress
i've party. He has since displayed only
perfunctory interest in it. When per
turbed international affairs gave him
a slim chance to bid again for the lead
ership of the republican party he eager
ly grasped at that straw, regardless
Of HIS obligations to the third party
The personal opportunity again having
passed, he is "out of politics" II
would seem that the sincere reform.
ers who followed Roosevelt into the
new party might not be long in finding
consolation for the loss of that sort
Of leadership. Sioux City Journal
WAR ORDERS HIT HOME
w