"Hie Commoner
JUNE, 1916
wi
13
V'i
but as none of them Intimated a willingness to
make any concessions themselves in the matter
of the candidate they seem to tako It for grant
ed that the regular republicans will do the for
giving and forgetting and accept "Mr. Roosevelt
in a spirit of charity and toleration. They re
mind one of the reconciliation proposed by &
Scotchman to a fellow member of his church:
"Wo should get together and forget our differ
ences, and, as I can not change, you must."
One interesting feature of the meeting was
that all seemed to understand that they have
no easy task before them. They spoke of Pres
ident Wilson's strength, and of the necessity of
nominating the strongest man. The standpat
faction is not less complimentary to the Presi
dent; it admits his strength and makes the same
appeal to the delegates to nominate the strong
est man that can be found. They do not con
cede Mr. Roosevelt's strength; on the contrary,
the reason which they put forth for opposing
him is that he could not be elected. They pro
fess to regard him as the weakest candidate
among the aspirants named.
The air is full of rumors as to what Colonel
Roosevelt intends to do. Men who speak as if
they knew his plans, tell of his willingness to
accept a nomination from the progressives re
gardless of what the republican convention does,
but these rumors are as authoritatively denied.
Another report in circulation today was that the
progressives would nominato him, and that he
would withdraw later after securing from the
republican nominee such pledges as would sat
isfy his views.
The speech made by Justice Hughes in Wash
ington caused a little flurry, but since the sec
retary of the justice has declared that it had no
political significance, an opinion in which the
progressive leaders heartily concurred, the ex
citement has subsided.
A new party has entered the arena here. A
woman's party has been organized, but it is al
ready showing symptoms of mannishness. Its
announced purpose is to compel the other par
ties to take a position in favor of equal suffrage.
But, it must not be supposed that it represents
a unanimous sentiment among the women ad
vocates of suffrage. The women are proving
their claims to political consideration by mani
festing a spirit of independence quite equal to
that exhibited by men. Dr. Anna Howard Shaw,
ex-president of the National American Woman
Suffrage Association, dissents entirely from
those who desire to organize the women into a
separate party, She says, "It is foolish for the
women's party to come hero and say to the men
that we women have great political power, that
we hold the balance of power, etc. It isn't
true. "What we must do is to co-operate with
men, not fight them."
The various suffrage organizations agree in
the desire to secure equal suffrage throughout
the United States, but they differ as to the best
method of securing it.
SENATOR HARDING liABORS UNDER DIS
ADVANTAGE IN, OPENING SPEECH
Chicago, June 7. Senator Harding's speech
as temporary chairman was all that conditions
and circumstances would permit. The great
Webster said V'eloquence exists in the man, in
the subject and in the occasion." Eloquence
had only one-third of a chance today. It had
the man. Senator Harding is an orator. The
committee could not have selected a better man
to open such a convention as this. Ho is both
pleasing and imposing in appearance. He has
an excellent voice and a splendid delivery, and
he represents in his views and hopes that ele
ment of the party which is dominant in the con
vention. His speech possessed strength and
humor and his thoughts wero expressed in
Phrases that will be repeated by thoso who lack
bin skill in rhetoric.
The speech satisfied the audience; for it was
just such an audience as would like that sort
of a speech. He was greeted with enthusiasm
on his appearance, his principal points were ap
plauded enthusiastically, and his conclusion
brought forth another outburst of enthusiasm.
He may feel that he acquitted himself with
credit, and the convention can find gratification
in the fact that it got what it wanted in the way
of a speech.
But the subject and the occasion were lack-
i'ii Tl10 subect was a restoration f the re
publican party to power, and there is no inspira
fon in such a subject to bring forth an epoch-
making speech. Tho republican party was put
out of power because It had been guilty of high
crimes and misdemeanors. It had convortcd
popular government into a predatory oligarchy;
it had betrayed tho people and given them over
to spoliation at tho hands of tho special Inter
ests. Favor- seeking corporations had been per
mitted to take control of tho Instrumentalities
of government and employ them for private en
richment. Tho injustice finally becamo so rank and tho
swollen fortunes" so conspicuous that a largo
portion of tho republican party rovoltcd. More
than half of tho republicans had tho independ
ence to leave the organization and, by bolting,
they expressed their determination to rid tho
party of corporate domination, even it wore
necessary to pass through a national defeat In
order to make tho party free.
As a result of tho division in tho republican
ranks, the democratic party came into power,
and proceeded to put into law a reform program
without parallel In the history of tho country.
In addition to facing domestic problems of great
importance; in addition to having to deal with
abuses that had grown in size, until a remedy
was impossible without more or less of Indus
trial disturbance, in addition to these homo
embarrassments, the democratic administration
inherited from tho republican administration a
Mexican situation, and was soon afterward con
fronted with a world war without parallel in
history.
Senator Handing's subject was tho attitude of
the republican party toward tho administration
that rescued the nation from republican misrule
and kept the country at peace amid distracting
turmoil on all sides. How could a partisan
speaker satisfy a partisan convention without
offending a universal sense of justice? Tho
task was an impossible one.
The delegates had gathered to plan for tho
country's return to bondage to the interests,
and Senator Harding would have disappointed
the delegates if he had conceded to the demo
cratic administration any merit whatever. lie
did not disappoint them. On the contrary, he
lived up to the highest requirements of partis
anship and extolled the republican record as
flawless and pictured tho democratic record as
a menace to prosperity, at liome and peace
abroad.
His declarations on the subject of prepared
ness were sufficiently emphatic to arouse all
the fears that have been assiduously cultivated
by the manufacturers of munitions, and yet were
not definite enough to inform tho taxpayers of
the burdens which the jingoes have in store for
them.
It was not, however until he reached tho tariff
question that he let out all the sails. He is a
believer in protection for protection's sake and
ho knows that protection is the issue od which
the standpat republicans and the progressives
are most nearly in agreement. They rival each
other in devotion to tho theory that a tax is a
blessing when collected through tho custom
house.
If, the subject was a chilling one for impas
sioned eloquence, tho occasion was no more en
couraging. The delegates are not here to out
line any constructive work; they have learned
- nothing from the experience through which they
have passed.
They base their hopes of success upon a re
union of the two elements of the party and feel
confident that this reunion can be effected with
out commending any of the reforms accomplished
by the democratic party or pledging tho repub
lican party to any remedial legislation. "Let
us forget our differences," is tho republican slo
gan. But will the public forget the riot of priv
ilege? This is the program as outlined, if it Is
stripped of its drapery and plainly stated.
If the platform to be written and the ticket
to be selected are in keeping with the keynote
the chief Issues before tho country will be
whether tho reforms which have been secured
by twenty years agitation are to be lost by the
restoration to authority of those who by the
misuse of power aroused the voters to revolt.
No wonder those who are interested in the suc
cess of this program seek, to divert attention
from economic issues to so-called preparedness.
The distinguishing featuro of the progressive
convention today was the demonstration in fa
vor of Roosevelt. It was loud, earnest, and
nrolonged, but it has not shaken the confidence
if the regular republicans. They aro still in
control and so far as they express themselves
have no doubt of their ability to prevent a
stampede In favor of the ex-president. All in
dications point to the selection of someone
agrccablo to tho standpat elemont, with Hughe
as tho leading possibility. W. J. B,
REPUBLICAN AND PROGRESSIVE CONVEN
TIONS COMPARED
Chicago, Juno 8. Tho two conventions In
session In Chicago aro vastly different bodies, as
anyono discovers who attends thom. The dele
gates to both conventions call themsolvee re
publicans; thoy speak in tho samo spirit of
reverence of tho history and tradtyipns of the
party, and thoy look forward witlfc 'equal hope
and faith to tho republican party of tho future,
but they aro as differont in tho spirit which
animates thom today as If tho delegates lived
in differont worlds and had nothing In tho past
or futuro to link them together.
Tho rogular republican convention Is a cut
and dried affair. Everything movoB liko clock
work, and a stately dignity prevails excopt whon
tho convention Is enlivened by a joko. Then
tho delegates laugh just onough to show that
thoy aro human, and then thoy fall back into
tho mannor of men In a treadmill.
Tho progressive convention is neither cut nor
dried; it is a spontaneous body and most of
tho delegates feol liko Henry Allen of Wichita
expressed himself; ho said ho felt liko a man in
a powder mill with matches in his pocket. If
any hotheads were sent to tho regular republican
convention, all tho warmth has been refriger
ated out of them. But there is heat enough
and to spare at tho auditorium. Thero isn't ice
enough in Chicago to keep their tompcraturo
normal.
At the republican convention, tho committee
on credentials reported on tho contests, and tho
report was adopted without discussion. How
different from four years ago! But tho situa
tion is different. Thon, a largo portion of tho
convention was personally interested in tho
contests, and tho final complexion of tho ma
jority depended on tho action of tho convention.
Tho commltteo gavo temporary seats to a Tatt
majority, and that temporary majority proceed
ed to make itself a permanent majority and
then it completed tho work for which it came
into tho political world. This year thero were
few contests, and It did not matter which way
thoy wero decided. Tho real contesting delega
tions are several blocks away, where, with a
friendly credentials commltteo to pass upon
their claims, all have been seated.
But what an ill-fated omen to havo tho re
publican party's claims to the nation's confi
dence presented by ex-Senator Depew and ox
Speaker Cannon! If tho convention had delib
erated four years It could not havo found two
men more responsible for the revolt of 1912, or
more irritating to tho progressives. Mr. Depew
was one of tho most conspicuous representatives
of tho predatory group which finally becamo so
repulsive to the republican party that four
million republicans preferred defeat rather than
submit longer to its dictatorship. He was tho
man who led the last fight in the senate against
the direct election of United States senators.
There is not a single reform accomplished by the
people during the last twenty years which has
had the honor of his support. What a campaign
the republicans make when they put him
up to represent stand-pat republicanism as It Is
to re-appear before the public! "Laugh and
forget our sins and your sorrows" might well
have been tho text of this distinguished humor
ist who so ably represented the New York Cen
tral In tho United Statea senate, a-
And Uncle Joe! In spfte of his lovable per
sonal qualities he succeeded in making repub
licanism synonymous with Cannonism, and this
contributed as much as any other one thing to
the revolt which cost the republican party more
than half of its votes in 1012. There is only
one thing that they can do which will aggra
vate the progressives more than the prominence
given to the Messrs., Depew and Cannpn, viz.:
to make them a conference committee to confer
with the progressives on plans for the reuniting
of tho two parties. ,
Senator Borah followed Depew andA Cannon
and presented what might be called a violent
contrast. He was clear, forcible, and earnest.
Ho spoke as one conscious of the difference be
tween republicanism as it was in tho U5Jnn.lxig
and republicanism in Its fallen state. He man
ifested an interest in having tbo party 5 respond
to the advanced thought of today, but ho neu
tralized the effect of his effort by his attack up
on tho administration's Mexican pol'cjf. The
American people do not favor intervention in
Mexico, and ft is, not likely that tho republican
cnnvo"Hrn will challenge juderment on .jh's sub
m