Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-02-12
TIE NEW POLITICAL FACTOR.

THE NEW POLITICAL FACTOR.
The victory of the farmers alliance in
Kansas is an event of tar-reaching i'm
pOrtance. Kansas has been to the re
publican party what South Carolins
has been to the democatic. In the de
feat of Hampton and ingalls, the ex
tremes have met, and that on what will
be new basis for national politics.
That the farmers alliance can never
tain. That the democratic party is in
no danger of disruption in 1892 il
equally certain. The alliance has
entered politics with sufficient strengh
to force realignment of the states,
and that it will succeed in this is hard
ly doubtful.
Its advent has alarmed the northeast
and has exasperated the radical faction
which now controls the republican
party; but it came at the right time and
it has great work to do in national
pOlitics-a work the accomplishment OF
which all genuine democrats desire
but which the democratic party has
thus far been unable to accomplish
The civil war alignment of the states
has become in process of time highly
artificial one, but all the arts of parti-
Fan politics have been used to perpet-
uate it. The whole force of the ALI
ance movement bears against this
state alignment and will almost surely
break it.
This must come and come soon, if
the country is to be either free or pros
porous. We need new parties far less
than we need new alignment of the
states. The democratic party is based
on principles which promise it a lasting
existence. The republican party, hav-
ing no principles except that of taking
power from the people and giving it to
one or another set of rulers. is liable to
disOrganizatiOn and to reformation
from time to time; but such party
under some name or other will always
exist. in every government. In the
United States it is now radical and
dangerous, because it is governed by a
single class in single section. 1t
represents the cOwardice and greed, as
when attacked it menaces the country
with the desperation of usury bearing
money. A realignment of the states
will either force it to reorganiZe under
another name or, what is more likely,
Go be openly the party of plutocracy
and to abandon its attitude Of section
alism. --.e-.- -.
The farmers movement has strong
etendency to force this by forcing the
western states into position where it
will be absolutely necessary for both
parties to consult them in every presi-
Dental election. Tue determination
shown by the farmers in both South
Carolina and Kansas demonstrate that
they can be neither controlled nor
divided by the ordinary tricks of pol
itics. Sooner or later by the necessities
VI Cucll CAiSCCICC do RL Va SohiLoCiO
and by influence of the objects they
seek to accomplish, they will throw
their weight to one side or the other
for democracy or for republicanism;
for the party of popular freedom or fol
the party of ''strong government over
Che people. But the mere wire pullers
of politics cannot control them. They
represent a tendency, and by it alone
will they te controlled until it either
spends it's force or carries the move
ment to it's logical conclusion. Thai
this tendency makes for the good of tht
a,country the Republic has never doubt
ed. 1t promises to force the complete
abandonment of that basis of section
alism on which politicians on both side:
have made their calculations for 81
years. And as nothing would do more
than that to make the country both free
and prosperous, so nothing could dt
more to make democracy controlling
force.-St. Louis Republic.