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AUGUST 16, 1912
The Commoner.
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- The National Progressive Party at Chicago
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NOMINEES OF THE CONVENTION
President Theodore Roosevelt, N. V.
Vico President Hiram W. Johnson, Cnl.
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The "national progressive party" was called
to order at Chicago at 12 o'clock, Monday,
August 5th. Former Senator Albert J.
Beveridge of Indiana acted as temporary
chairman. The convention was largely at
tended. On the second day Theodoro Roosevelt de
livered his speech.
A telegram' was received from Colonel W. R.
Nelson, owner of the Kansas City Star, as fol
lows: "Lord, how I wish I wero with you.
What a great day, the launching of a party of
imagination, hope and prospects. Wo can afford
to give the other fellows their memories and
disappointments., The past has no interests fpr
us. The future is our fruit. Give Colonel
Roosevelt my love. I have never missed a
chance to place a bet on him. and have never
lost when there -was a square deal. The Lord
is surely with us. He has given us the men as
well as the opportunity. I can, not help but feel
what a narrow escape we had, in the June con
vention. Roosevelt might haye been nomi
nated there. My congratulations to everybody,
and. regret that I can not be with you."
Wild applause followed the reading and the
entire audience rose and sang "America" under
the leadership of a musical director- especially
engaged. ;,
Many of the leaders joined lustily in the song,
James R. Garfield of Ohio bein,g one of the most
earnest in the cheers.
m Great enthusiasm was shown when Colonel
Roosevelt entered the convention.
The conventioin adopted thekreport of the cre
dentials committee unseating, both white and
negro delegates from Florida, and unseating the
negro dologates from Mississippi. In one of the
speeches Colonel Roosevelt upheld this action,
saying that' they intended to avoid the mistakes
the republican party had made. He made it
clear that the new party in the south was to be
a "white man's party."
Jane Addams has announced that she will co
operate with the new party.
A United Press report says: Jane Addams of
Hull house, upon invitation frqm Chairman
Beveridge, pushed her way through the crowd
and was assisted to the platform, Roosevelt ad
vancing clear 6 the front of the stage to greet
his most prominent supporter among the women
or the country.
Miss Addams bowed and exhibited her con
fusion as the crowd let out a special whoop of
approval in her honor. Tho band struck up "On
ward, Christian Soldier," as Miss Addams was
escorted to a seat directly behind Roosevelt.
A fully uniformed boy scout took position in
the rear of the speakers' platform with two
American flags in his hands. Roosevelt saluted
the colors and then turned again toward the
crowd as though to speak.
But just then a very old lady, Miss' Kate E.
Sutherland, aged seventy-four, of Los Angeles,
the woman who had sent the handkerchief to
Roosevelt, came forward and, with the assis
tance of a policeman and two newspaper men,
was helped to the platform. Roosevelt greeted
her with a characteristic handshake and the
crowd cut loose again.
After thirty minutes of cheering, Beveridge
tried to quiet the crowd down with a few raps of
his gavel, but only succeeded in stirring up more
noise.
Meyer Lissner, of California, carried the big
bear pole of California up on to the stage and
then came a regular procession of women, all
of whom were greeted with a typical handshake,
which added to the enthusiasm.
It was both the delegates and the gallery that
were doing the cheering and eyery time that
Beveridge tried to get order he wau driven back.
to his seat by a perfect wave of cheering.
Throughout the entire demonstration the cheer
ing was continuous and devoid of the spasmodic
outbursts that always mark the "planted"
demonstration.
For thirty-five minutes not a delegate resumed
hia seat and lor the, most part the audience con
tinued to stand and cheer.
So far as the delegates, at least, were con
cerned, the demonstration was genuine.
An extremely prepossessing woman, with a
small Teddy bear" in her arms, pushed for
ward and shook hands and thoro was a lingering
suspicion among some of tho dologates that tho
colonel did not drop her hand quite as quickly
as he hud some of his male supporters who had
preceded his fair follower.
Senator Funk, of Illinois, mounted tho plat
form, amid cheering, and literally "threw his
hat into the ringf" He had an old felt sombrero
which he sailed far out into tho auditorium.
After the cheering had lasted forty-fivo minutes,
Colonel Chauncey Dewey, sergoant-at-arms, and
tho police began a determined effort to quiet
the audience, only to bo met by the long drawn
out chant, "We want Teddy."
Mrs. Davis, the Chicago woman who started
tho Roosevelt-Hadley demonstration at tho re
publican convention, was escorted to tho front
of the balcony railing behind tho stage by Meyer
Lissner and the California totem pole. She
waved a bandana and Roosevelt responded by
giving her the "railroad high sign" with his
bandana. Mrs. Davis responded and, oscorted
by Senator Dixon, came over to tho speaker's
stand and received a Roosevelt handshake that
was not only cordial but delightfully lingering.
Mrs. Roosevelt was finally discovered by tho
delegates sitting in a box just to tho right of
the stuffed bull moose head that decorated tho
side balcony rail. She was cheered to tho echo
as the colonel gallantly threw a kiss to her,
while the delegates gave her the Chautauqua
saluto with their bandanas. Mrs. Roosevelt
finally aroBe and bowed a graceful acknowledge
ment of the ovation..
At 1:40, after tho 'demonstration had been on
for fifty-two minutes, the delegates and visitors
resumed their seats and a semblance of order
was restored -which gave way a moment later
to a wave of hand clapping which swept tho
entire coliseum.
At 1:43 order was restored and then Bever
idge asked for quiet so that a picture could be
taken.
Mr. Roosevelt's speech' on the second day laid
down the plan of battle to be waged by the na
tional progressive party. He discussed those
principles under twelve subdivisions, namely:
"The Helplessness of tho Old Parties," "Tho
Right or the People to Rule," "The Courts and
the Pedple," "Constructive Control of the
Trusts," "Rights of the Wage Worker," "Tho
Farmer," "The Tariff," "Tho High Cost or Liv
ing," "Currency," "Conservation," "Alaska and
International Affairs."
"The old parties," ho declared, "are husks,
with no real soul within either, divided on ar
tificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled,
each a jumble of incongruous elements,
and neither daring to speak out wisely and fear
lessly what should be said on the vital issues
of the day.
"This new movement is a movement of truth,
sincerity, and wisdom, a movement which pro
poses to put at the service of all our people tho
collective power of the people, through their
governmental agencies, alike in the nation and
in the several states. We propose boldly to face
the real and great questions of the day, and not
skillfully to evade them as do the old parties.
We propose to raise aloft a standard to which
all honest men can repair, and under which all
can fight, no matter what their past political
differences, if they are content to face the fu
ture and no longer to dwell among the dead
Issues of tbojmst.
"We propose to put forth a platform which
shall not be a platform of the ordinary and in
sincere kind, but shall be a contract with the
people; and, if the people accept this contract
by putting us In power, we shall hold ourselves
under honorable obligation to fulfill every
promise it contains as loyally as If it were actu
ally enforceable under the penalties of the law.
"The prime need today is to face the fact
that we are now in the midst of a great economic
evolution. There is urgent necessity of apply
ing both common sense and highest ethical
standard to this movement for better economic
conditions among the mass of our people if we
are to make It one of healthy evolution and not
one of revolution. It is, from the standpoint of
our country, wicked as well as foolish longer
to refuse to face the real issues of the day.
Only by so facing them can we go forward; and
to do this we must break up the old party
organizations and obliterate the old clevage
lines on the dead Issues Inherited from fifty
years ago. Our fight la a fundamental fight
against both of tho old corrupt party machines,
for both are under the dominion of the plunder
league of the professional politicians who aro
controlled and sustained by the groat benefici
aries of privilege and roactlon.
"How close is tho alliance botweon tho two
machines Is shown by tho attitude of that por
tion of those northeastern newspapers, Includ
ing the majority of the great dallies In all the
northeastern citiesBoston, Buffalo, Spring
field, Hartford, Philadelphia, and, abovo all.
Now Yorkwhich are controlled by or repre
sentative of the intorests which, in popular
phrase, are conveniently grouped together as
the Wall street Interests Tho largo majority of
these papers supported Judge Parker for tho
presidency In 1D04; almost unanimously they
supported Mr. Taft for tho republican nomina
tion this year; tho largo majority aro now sup
porting Professor Wilson for the election.
"Some of them still prnfor Mr. Taft to Mr.
Wilson, but all make either Mr. Taft or Mr.
Wilson tholr first choice; and ono of tho
ludicrous foatures of tho campaign Is that those
papers supporting Professor Wilson show tho
moBt jealous partisanship for Mr. Taft when
ever thoy think his interests are Jeopardized by
the progressive movomont that, for Instances
any electors will obey tho will of tho majority
of the republican voters at the primaries, and
vote for mo Instead of obeying tho will of tho
Messrs. Barnes-Ponrose-Guggenhclm combina
tion by voting for Mr. Taft. No hotter proof
can be given than this of the fact that tho
fundamental concern of tho privileged Interests
is to beat tho now party. Some of them would
rather beat it with Mr. Wilson; others would
rather boat it with Mr. Taft; but the dlffercnco
between Mr. Wilson and Mr. Taft they con
sider as trivial, as a mere matter of personal
preference. Their real fight is for either, as
against the progressives. Thoy represent tho
allied reactionaries of the country and thoy aro
against tho now party because to their unerring
vision it is evident that the real danger to privi
lege comes from the new party, and from tho
now party alono.
"The men who presided over the Baltimore
and the Chicago conventions, and the great
bosses who controlled the two conventions, Mr.
Root and Mr. Parker, Mr. Barnes and Mr.
Murphy, Mr. Penrose and Mr. Taggart, Mr.
Guggenheim and Mr. Sullivan, differ from ono
another of course on certain points. But these
are the differences which one corporation lawyer
has with another corporation lawyer when act?
ing for different corporations. Thoy come to
gether at once as against a common enemy when
the dominion of both Is threatened by the su
premacy of tho people of the United States, now
aroused to tho need of a national alignment on
tho vital economic issuos of this generation.
"Neither tho republican nor the democratic
platform contains the slightest promise of ap
proaching tho great problems of today either
with understanding or good faith; and yet never
was there greator need in this nation than now
of understanding, and of action taken in good
faith, on the part of the men and the organiza
tions, shaping our governmental policy. Moreover,-
our needs are such that there should be
coherent action among those responsible for tho
conduct of national affairs and those responsible
for tho conduct of state affairs; because our aim
should bo the same in both state and nation;
that is,- to use tho government as an efficient
agency for tho practical betterment of social
and economic conditions throughout this land.
There are other important things to bo done,
but this Is the most important thing. It is pre
posterous to leave sych a movement In the hands
of men who have broken their promises as havo
the present heads of tho republican organization
(not of tho republican voters, for they in no
shape represent the rank and file of republican
voters.) These men by their deeds give the
He to their words. There Is no health in them,
and they can not bo trusted. But tho demo
cratic party is just as little to be trusted. Tho
Underwood-Fitzgerald combination in the house
of representatives has shown that it can not
safely be trusted to maintain tho Intorests of
this country abroad or to represent the interests
of tho plain people at home. Tho control of tho
various state bosses in tho state organizations
has been strengthened by tho action at Balti
more, and scant Indeed would be the use of ex
changing the whips of Messrs. Barnes, Penroso
and Guggenheim for the scorpions of Messrs.
Murphy.Taggart and Sullivan. Finally, the demo
cratic platform not only shows an utter failure
to understand cither present conditions or the
means of making these conditions better, but
also a reckless willingness to try to attract vari
ous sections of the electorate by making mu
(Continued on Pago 9.)
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