Evening star., 1925-07-07
Third PARTY TALK
| DENIED BY NORRIS
Has Not Assumed Progress
sive Leadership" and win
Not Enter New Group.

Senator Norris of Nebraska, a mem
Der of the So-called Progressive bloc
of the Senate, has made public cor
respondence exchanged between him
self and proponents of a new Pro
gressive party. showing that he has
no intention of entering a third po'
litical party and declaring he has not
assumed" the Progressive leadership
made vacant by the death of Senator
Robert NJ La Toilette of Wisconsin.
He said, however, he would continue
to work for Progressive measures.
Senator Norris received a letter
from the Progressive Political League,
Inc, of New York, under date of June
"A, in which the league representa-
tives congratulated him upon having
assumed the leadership of the Pro-
Sfessive party and volunteering to
send a committee to see him and to
work with him. The letter was signed
by Warren Shaw Fisher.
In his reply. to Mr.. Fisher Senator
Norris said:
81 have received quite a large mum.
Der of other letters similar to yours
from other sections of the country, in
which the writer's make the same
statement that is made in your let
ter-that is, that l have assumed
the leadership of the Progressive
party. 1 do not understand how this
idea became so prevalent over the
country. l have not had access to
the daily press and do not know what
has been said about it in the papers.
In the first place, l would consider
it improper for me to assume the
leadership of any party or faction.
AS you perhaps know, 1 was not in
favor of the organization of a third
party and did not join in the move
menb
Party Ties Light.
Party ties rest very lightly upon
me, and, as l have said, my idea is
that one of the greatest evils of
government is that so many people
tie themselves up to party, when,
as a matter of fact, it seems to me,
they ought to be independent of all
parties. Under existing conditions
] presume parties are necessary, but
1t is a mistake to regard a party as
anything but an instrumentality of
government. There is nothing and
ought to be nothing sacred about 1t,
and men and women ought not hesi-
tate to refuse to support party nomi-
nees whenever they believe the men
nominated, if elected, would not make
good public officials.
Il expect to work in the future, as
I have in the past, for those things
in Government that l believe to be
right, and l will support them. regard
less of whether they originate with
Democrats, Republicans, Progressives
or men bearing any other party label.
] have seen so much evil come to the
Government and to the people because
of the blind adherence to party and
party leadership and the foolishness OF
standing by the party" regardless OF
what 1t represents or who leads 1t,
that I have reached the conclusion
we ought to eliminate party whenever
we can, and have advocated, for in
stance, in State matters, the election
of everybody in the State, from gov
ernor down, on a non-partisan ballot.
If l had my way, would extend the
idea to members OF the House and
Senate in the National Legislature.
II shall be glad to work in unison
with any one, regardless of his party
affiliations, If he believes in the same
progressive principles of Government
that advocate, but 1 do not want to
be associated with any political party
as it's leader"