Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1920-10-08
REVOLT OF THE PROGRESS
SIVES.
Evening Dispatch.)


Evening Dispatch.)
The appeal which group of fifteer
foremost leaders in the organization
of the late Progressive Party hav,
made to the rank and file of the mer
and women who followed Theodore
Roosevelt for support of Governor
Cox in this campaign, is a matter OIL
profound political significance. MOI
will it be disregarded by those voters
who twce within the past eight years
showed their independence and theil
repugnance of the stand-patism which
has stamped itself upon every policy
and program of the Republican
Party.
When in 1912 Colonel Roosevelt
abandoned that party to its fate, he
led out of it more than 100000 mer
who believed with him that the old
organization was firmly the hands
of reactionary leadership and was
dedicated absolutely to the promo
ton of special privilege and to the
enrichment of private Interests at
the expense of the great mass of the
American people. Four years later
Mr.. Roosevelt sought to lead these
men back into the ranks of the Re-
publican Party, but not even his
assurance that it had been purged
was accepted. Many thousands went
back eagerly, of course, but enough
refused to make possible the re-
election of President Wilson. /.
In the present situation the sin
cerely progressive vote of the nation
has choice to make between Re-
publican candidate infinitely less
commendable than was Charles E.
Hughes, and Democratic candi-
date who not only has made the most
progressive governor the great State
of Ohio has ever had, but candi-
date who is heir to all the progress
sive policies and ideals of Woodrow
Wilson.
1t is no wonder, therefore, that
such men as Franris j. Heney, Judge
Ben B. Lindsey, George c.. Rublee,
Matthew Hale, John M. Parker and
Elias D. Salisbury, who with Balm
bridge Colby and a few others, were
the brains of the movement headed
by Colonel Roosevelt, should counsel
their associates to repudiate the
ultra reactionary group now in abso-
lutte command of the Republican
Party and absolute masters of the
Republican candidate for the Presi-
dency. These men would not be true
to their deepest political CONNECTIONS
or to the memory Of the man whose
standard they upheld if they did
anything else.
And it must be stated that they
have proven themselves faithful to
those convictions. Every man of the
fifteen who issued the appeal in be-
half of Governor Cox was originally
n Republican and every one of them,
it may be assumed, would cheerfully
have returned to the old reserva-
ton if it were dominated by the pro-
gressive thought of the nation. But
they know that not one progressive
impulse has ever resided in the heart
of the men who made Harding their
candidate and who will make him
their servant if he is elected.
They say as much in the plea they
have made in behalf of Governor Cox.
They declare that the Republican
Party is controlled without question
or challenge by body "of obstinate
bigots, extending the autocratic pre-
cedents of 1912 and 1916 and demon
strating the utmost regard for the
will of party voters" They remind
the progressive voters that Senator
Harding, the candidate, is "the most
Golorless, pliable reactionary of that
unimpressive group" and "as the fit
instrument to serve their private
purposes, the most useful tool for
assuring their personal control of
the government.