Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 251, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1916 — DEMOCRATS WORK FOR PROGRESSIVE VOTE [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRATS WORK FOR PROGRESSIVE VOTE

Claim That Most of Progressive Party Platform Has Been Adopted and Ask Their Support.

Democratic campaign speakers throughout the country are claiming that they are deserving of the votes of the members of the progressive party inasmuch as they have adopted the principal planks from the progressive party platform. These same speakers state that they believe in the principles of the progressive party, blit the need of that party continuing has vanished since the present administration has enacted into a law all of the essential planks of the. progressive platform. Arguing that the democratic party has adopted planks which the progressive party advocated, they therefore state that the progressives should support Woodrow Wilson for president. It is not hard to see through the. above argument. It is only a concerted effort oh the part of the democrats throughout the country to again cause dissension in the ranks of the republicans, knowing the only way they can attain their desires is by going against a party divided’ against itself, as was -fee case 1912, when the republican party was so split up that .-it L ’was imposl- - for Wjlsau,MJ&se,_'with a .solid democratic vote behind him. However, the year of 1916 is not going to be a repitition of 1912 and Woodfbw Wilson will have a much harder time in again being placed in the White House chair, as the head odf the great United States of America. The republican party is reunited and pulling together, which can mean only one possible thing—the defeat of Wilson in November. It is true that there may be a few progressives- who will still refuse to vote the republican ticket, but they will be just a mere handful in comparison with 1912, and even some of these who still refuse to vote the republican ticket will remain away from the polls rather than vote for Woodrow Wilson.

The statement that the democrats have adopted the platform of the progressive party is simply another instance of-trying to get the combined vote of that.party. Hasn’t the republican party also adopted parts of the progressive platform? If no;, why did they come back to the republican party if their desires wer<| not accomplished? Why is Theodore Roosevelt supporting the republican nominee? No one -ean -accuse—this former president of being a quitter. The progressives desired that parts of the republican platform be -changed and when this was not granted they formed a party of their own. Why then would they after only one campaign"cbme"back to the G. O. PT if they were not satisfied and had not thought they had served their purpose? This flimsy pretext of the democrats that they are in sympathy with the progressives and that they are adopting their principles is too thin. No one in the country is working harder for the election of Hughes than Theodore Roosevelt, former leader of the progressives. The election of Hughes will satisfy the progressives as well as -the republicans, and this clAhn of the democrats is only an eleventh' hour flirtation that they are carrying on with the progressives in hopes that they can get enough of them to flop to their side to again defeat the republicans. No, no, Woody, you are going to find the going rougher than in 1912.