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Show The Modern Progressive Program HPERSELY translated the speech of the Pro- gresslves at this time would read about as. follows: "You see that In 1912 It was necessary that our party should be -born. Colonel Roosevelt had. been without an office for almost four years. It was just at a time, too, when he felt more certain cer-tain than ever that he needed an office and that the highest office possible was what he wanted. "He went into conference with himself and was the chief speaker in that private convention-As convention-As reported that speech was as follows: 'See here, Theodore, you seem to be losing caste. You have been out of the limelight ever since you. made that blunder of trying to run the politics, of New York your way or bust, and got busted. Now there is a growing number of men who do-not do-not care if you are kept out of sight indefinitely. This must be changed. Perkins has the money; he never earned it, and I would just as soon help him spend it as not. I will turn reformer. I will go out and tell the Republicans what they need in such a way that the cry will be started that they need me. I will offer to sacrifice mine own ease and comfort if they really need me, and will get up such a hurrah that they will be mighty apt to nominate me. If I fail I will bolt and sulk and punish them by electing Wilson. True, to do this I will have to break my plighted word, be- L?t tray my best friend and betray the party to which I owe everything, but I would rather be damned than be forgotten. I really feel as though I should be president for life'." T-hnk-wan for.r jowa ago, nmi-ljr, He riUil all that he promised himself to do for himself. Now he is standing in the background, but his chosem friends have received instructions and they have assumed this position: "To the Republican Party: Gentlemen It was, we admit, a scurvy trick that we played you four years ago. We defeated your candidate and elected a man whom we knew had never done anything to commend himself as a statesman or never had supplied the proof that he possessed -tho necessary attributes to make a wise' president. presi-dent. We are sorry for that, and we and our great leaders are crazy to get back to the only place that offers us honors and emoluments. Now hear our terms: If you -will subordinate your principles and convictions and place in nomination nomina-tion our two great leaders, Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Johnson, we will permit bygones to be bygones and let you vote for them. If you decline this generous offer, why there will 'be nothing else left us except to go out next year and raise hades iji- again and re-elect President Wilson." |