The speech by Theodore Roosevelt at Columbus, Ohio, at the Constitution Day celebration, was openly and naturally the program speech of the Progressive Republican party. Roosevelt declared himself in favor of "initiative and referundum", which is nothing more or less than a whitewashed form of the "recall of judges", which President Taft, his successor, opposes in every form.

The policies of Roosevelt and Taft regarding trusts and their control are as opposite as the poles, in spite of the fact that Roosevelt named Taft as his successor and as the one to carry to fulfillment the ideals he had started to put over.

Roosevelt also advocated legislation to give more benefits to the workingman, such as job security, shorter hours, and higher wages. This, of course, was 2directed toward the large number of foreigners who work for the trusts and are at the mercy of them. Of course, this was not an appeal for this foreign vote.

This speech by Roosevelt has definitely split the Republican party into two very hostile camps. La Follette, because of ill health, is entirely out of the running, leaving the party without a single dependable leader. The vacillating hero of San Juan Hill is now, to all intents and purposes, the Progressive leader. Opposing him we have President Taft, highly endorsed by Roosevelt as his successor, and politically a greater man than Roosevelt. The Republican fight now is a civil one narrowed down to the two great friends of four years ago--Roosevelt versus Taft, and either faction will go Democratic rather than vote for an opponent within the party.

The present situation make the prospect of a Democratic victory the most promising in many years.