the fact that Taft had
developed no power of popular leadership comparable to that of his
friend and predecessor. It gave the Progressives hope that Roosevelt,
debarred from the Presidency by his pledge and by the unwritten
third-term tradition, would aid them in forcing the Republican party to
nominate a Progressive in 1912.

The concrete principles of the Progressive group embraced a series of
policies looking toward the destruction of ring-controlled politics.
They demanded and generally concurred in the initiative and referendum,
the direct primary, and the direct election of delegates to national
conventions, and the direct election of United States Senators. Many of
them believed in a new doctrine, the recall, which was to be applied to
administrative officials, to judges, and even to judicial decisions.
Woman suffrage was commonly acceptable to them.

The cause of woman suffrage had made great progress since Idaho became,
in 1896, the fourth suffrage State. A modified form of suffrage in local
or school elections had been allowed in many States. A new period of
agitation for unrestricted woman suffrage had begun in England about
1906, and had been given advertisement by the deliberate violations of
law and order by the militant suffragettes. The agitation, though not
the excess, had spread to the United States. In 1910, Washington, and in
1911, California, had become woman suffrage States. By 1914, the total
was raised to twelve by the addition of Arizona, Kansas, Oregon,
Illinois,[2] Nevada, and Montana.

In the winter of 1911-12, the prospect of Republican success in the next
national campaign was slight. The Democrats had gained the House in
1910, and they, with the aid of Progressive Republican votes, had passed
and sent up to the President several tariff bills, reducing the rates,
schedule by schedule. Everyone of these had been vetoed, each veto
tending to convince the Progressives that Taft was conservative, if not
stand-pat in his sentiments. The Progressive Republicans were pledged to
work against the renomination of Taft, and were unlikely to support him
vigorously, if renominated. Many regular Republicans believed he could
not be reelected. The section of the party that desired a Progressive
President became larger than the group that believed in LaFollette, and
demands that Roosevelt return were heard from many sources.

[Footnote 2: In Illinois the right was somewhat restricted, yet included
the