The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-07-06
KILLING A GREAT PARTY.

Speaking of weasel words that eat
each other and words that are not
translated into deeds and words
that dull the moral sense of the peo-
ple,' where shall we find more OF
them than in the letter in which
Theodore Roosevelt undertakes to
surrender his party TO the Old Guard?
Every syllable here uttered in JUS
tification Of the progressive move
ment bellies his argument in favor OF
dissolution of that organization and
his support of Mr.. Hughes. The very
men who ruled the republican party
in 1912, when Mr.. Roosevelt de-
nounced it as 'boss-ridden and priVi-
legged controlled" are its masters to-
day, with the same aims and the
same methods, and they are all ap-
plauding him.
1t is not possible to read this ca
pitulation without loss Of respect for
the author. 1t is the final act in
what must be regarded as the de-
liberate betrayal of a party and a
cause. 1t shows that SO far as Mr..
Roosevelt is concerned he had four
years ago no inspiration higher than
the meanest of revenges upon Mr..
Taft, and that he has no impulse to-
day but envy and hatred of Mr. Will
son. His abuse of democrats now is
no harsher than his abuse of repub-
licans then.
The progressive party has been put
to the base end OF serving a dlsap-
pointed mans personal grudges. Its
recent convention was permitted to
name a candidate who never intend
ed to run except as the nominee OF
the regulars. and it was forced to adj
jOurn without naming candidate OF
its own who would run. 1t was stupi-
fled with untruths and promises, trap
ped in its own household and deliver
ed to it's enemies, according to pro-
gram. By a vote of two to one last
evening it's national committee rati-
fled the perfidy.
Aside from proof of his political
faithlessness and his malice toward
the president, Mr.. RooseVelts letter
is blank except for his mania for
war. Having abandoned every 'prin-
ciple" on which he made his assault
upon Mr.. Taft, he offers nothing now
in his assault upon Mr. Wilson but
the impudent assumption that Mr..
Hughes would be War-making presi-
dent. Whether Mr.. Hughes agrees
to this classification or not, it GER
tainly is implied in the denunciatlon
of Mr.. Wilson as weak and vacil-
lating" for keeping the peace under
crushing difficulties and the praise of
Mr.. Hughes as a man of 'vigor and
force" who would have acted differ
entity
On this point the candidate is en-
%;flokJ IN ho hoard hi Golf In
fairness he must not be held respon
sible for the rawlings of defeated am
bition unless he shall make them his
own. Should it appear that as the
price of Oyster Bay favor Mr..
Hughes has accepted Mr. Roosevelt $
idea that war with Germany, war
with Turkey, war with Mexico, war
with Japan, war with anybody and
everybody, is the only way in which
this nation can find its soul, sever
al millions of Americans Will insist
upon knowing the exact terms OF a
very compromising agreement.
Political parties sometimes dis
solve or make alliances of their own
motion, but even so, the decision OF
their representative binds nobody
who is unwilling. a political party
that is wrecked by false lights and
false leaders losses all power OF CO.
hesion and is reduced to its original
elements. Probably there never was
greater delusion than the belief
that Mr.. Roosevelt in retirement or
a rump committee sitting in secret
could deliver the true progresslves OF
the country to hidebound party OF
privilege and greed from which they
long ago separated for cause. No
matter what Mr.. Roosevelt says or
discredited committee does, the
quarrels begun yesterday in Chicago
will be settled only at the polls in
November, where democrats and pro-
gressives will meet republican reac-
tionaries as in former days, all with
out sguise.-New York World.