Progressive Party

PROGRESSIVE PARTY. The title Progressive party has been taken twice in the United States by third-party movements, first in the presidential campaign of 1912 and again in The Progressive party movement of 1912 was heralded by the "insurgent" outbreak among Republican members of Congress in 191o, which succeeded in reducing considerably the powers of the speaker of the House of Representatives. Opposition to the ad ministration of Taft, then President, took concrete form early in 1911 when the National Progressive Republican League was or ganised under the leadership of Senator R. M. La Follette of Wis consin. During the following year, however, Theodore Roosevelt placed himself at the head of the Progressive movement. Alleging unfair tactics on the part of the "Old Guard," his followers left the Republican national convention held in Chicago (June 1912), and Roosevelt was nominated for the presidency by a Progressive national convention also held in Chicago early in August of the same year. As a result the Republican party was hopelessly split, Roosevelt receiving a popular vote exceeding that of Taft by more than 600,000. Woodrow Wilson, Democratic candidate, was successful, obtaining the electoral vote of all except eight states.

In 1916 harmony was restored in the Republican party. Roose

welt declined a second Progressive nomination and supported the Republican ticket. During the World War partisanship was in abeyance, but upon its termination the old rift soon reappeared. The administration of Harding encountered increasing agrarian dissatisfaction, and this was true also of the first portion of the Coolidge administration. In 1924 the contingent from Wisconsin and neighbouring states, after sitting in the Republican convention at Cleveland, held a Conference for Progressive political action, made up chiefly of farmer, labour and socialist delegates. Senator

R. M. La Follette was nominated for the presidency, and later Senator B. K. Wheeler of Montana for the vice-presidency. The platform promised a complete house cleaning in the executive de partments, public control of national resources, public ownership of railways, tariff and tax reduction, agricultural relief, labour legislation, public referendums on peace and war, direct nomina tion and election of the president, extension of the initiative and referendum to the Federal Government, election of Federal judges and a constitutional amendment providing that Congress may by re-enacting a statute make it override a judicial veto. Republican strategy during the campaign of 1924 consisted largely in de nouncing the alleged ultra-radicalism of the La Follette platform, particularly the planks concerning the judiciary, meanwhile for the most part ignoring Democratic attacks. This strategy was com pletely successful, Coolidge receiving an enormous majority both of the popular vote and in the electoral college. La Follette car ried only his own state, but polled almost a sixth of the popular vote. No effort was made to continue the organization after the campaign. (See UNITED STATES : History.) See B. P. DeWitt, The Progressive Movement (1915) ; F. E. Haynes, Third Party Movements Since the Civil War (Iowa, 1916) ; F. E. Haynes, Social Politics in the United States (Boston, 1924) ; E. E. Robinson, Evolution of American Political Parties (1924) ; E. M. Sait, American Politics and Elections (1927) ; and H. R. Bruce, American Parties and Politics (1927). (R. C. B.)