Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1921-05-06
WHY 1 ANA STAND PAT


Progressive" that ne Is IN fact mere
Iy parlding fhe Label on the outside q
the cOntainer used BY the progress
ives" IN 1912, the contents Of which IN
toxlcated 10 large number Of Ameri
can citizens that their Misguided &C
lions became responsible for eigh
years Of the most woeful history u
The entire story Of civilization.
Mr. White most clearly demon
erratcd the essential difference be.
tween the Progressive" and IN,
"standpat" viewpoints.
Il have but one lamp b. which my
feet arc guided and that Is the lamp
of experience" exclaimed Patrick
Henry. who. In that sentence. laid the
foundation upon which every "Standpat
stands. The Progressive on the other
hand. Ignores all past experience OF
himself or others. Mr. White IN his
article ignores the experiences OF the
past eight years Of human woe. his
own experiences and that Of his Eel.
low Progressive" He comes forth
with the same pleasant sugar coated
idcailstic theories OF system OF hu-
man activities based upon an imagin-
amy condition OF human perfection as
he and his fellows used in 1912. He
tempted application OF these theories
IN governmental affairs wherein this
form OF "idealism" wrecked the civill-
zation Of Europe and gave the United
States such a shocking glimpse Of the
inevitable results OF following these
progressive idenlists" that the people
almost 20 a mass repudiated the effort
and voted 10 return 20 the foundation
as expressed by Patrick Henry.
Mr. White and his followers occupy
ing the high positions In current
American life they do. are the ones
most directly responsible for the dis
astrous outbreaks OF extreme radical
ism which IL today grasping at the
throat OF civilization TO strange its
life away /
They toy with the playful cubs OF
the great man eating tiger OF radical
ism. They playfully ignore tho certain
criminal activities and powerfully de. /
struciive forces Of the full grown tiger ,
by showing us what a cute, harmless /
and playful creature the tiger kitten !
is They exciaim In a chorus How 4
could you be NO cruel as TO think there
could possibly he any harm In this
beautiful cute and playful animai?"
Then they call around them all the
professional pacifists. the sob flenda,
the faddists. the weaklings. the shrewd
criminals who see not only the poss-
bilities In the tiger kitten but also see
the possibilities and probabilities OF
their getting control OF the big beast
after Il has been nursed into It's full
growth by the respectable people who
have adopted Il as their prize pet
These are the Lenines the Trotzlies,
the Haywoods, the Gompers. the Kizer
bills. the Alexander Howits and such
eminently respectable people as the
Woodrow Wilson's. who. consciously or
unconsciously play into the hands OF
these more outspoken leaders who do
not attempt 20 conceal their criminal
intentions against society.
The "Standpat" tries to plan his fu-
ture By hasing Il upon the pus; cxper-
ionce OF himself and others. He tries
10 interpret the experiences OF those
who have been successful in the past
and 70 discard experiences which led to
disastrous results. He makes mistakes.
No man or set OF men. or generation OF I
men can infsllibly interpret past ex. I
periences In such a manner as 20 guide d
them unerringly against mistakes. {
Mr.. White r. especially critical OF @
The tools and machinery used in this
country for recording public thought
and determining public action. Poll
iical conventions such as nominate our
'andidates for National State and :.
County officials are anRthama In the e
iostrils OF the Progressive Tiger cub"
The "Standpat" does not claim these ,.
ools are perfect but they are the best (.
ret devised BY man. based upon the s
Fisest human judgment Of past ex-
,eriences. He sees the evils connected z
sish them but also sees that these (.
wills are not due 20 the system. so I.
much as they are 10 the evil tendcn- z
les Of men who use them. :
The Progressive" ignores the in !:
1erent evil tendencies Of humanity /.
nd 30 condemns the System" or the !.
oois BY which men do the work Be
.iuse an evil man commits murder by (.
ising razor on his victim does not !.
rgle that all men WIN use razors
~ inurderers. Or that an razors (.
h0uld be destroyed The Progress I.
w. argues that AL cur political social
nd commercial machinery should be /.
estroyed because o few evil men have
SD II for harmful purposes. To carry (.
B its legitimate conclusions Mr. Whites :.
rgument would require that because :.
0me doctor has performed q criminal
peratlon. therefore al doctors should :
e abolished; because some criminal J.
uto driver commits murder with his !:
n. therefore al auto carr should be :
polished
In the various attempts 70 put into !:
ractice the progressive ideas Of Mr. :.
rhfte. many forms Of substitutes for Z.
nix used tools for securing better rs
1lts politically, socially. economically /.
nancially. initiative and referendum, 2
,vernment control and operation. CO.
,erative bargaining and 50 on thru :.
] almost interminabie list. Almost 2
tfhout exception these new tools have Z
en erasped by the same element q :
IL minded men who gave c1use for 2
., demand to discard the Old tools, ::
d 50 manipulated as 70 produce sTE ::
suits a hundred fold more vie than =
ey were able to produce under the Z,
! systems. That is why The stand z,
r. prefers using his energies 10 per e
4 the old to-5ls and restrict as far z.