The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-13
A PERTINENT QUESTION.
Do Present Conditions Demand a
New Party?

Congressman james Gum contributes
the following able article to- q recent
number of New Occasions:
New Occasions has recently devoted
great deal of space TO Il discussion of the
advisability of creating new party. In
common with many others who have en-
barkeG in the reform movement, desire
to express my views at this time on this
question. Never before has party fealty
been regarded so lightly rs now. Voters
fly from Que political combination to
another on the slightest preteXt The
different parties are so often blended into
each other that voters may with pro-
prety make use of the we'll worn expires
sion, "Where are we at?' The Democrats
in the Chicago platform travel towards
Populism. the silver Republicans toward
the Democrats. While there is a great
gulf between these great. political organi
zatons, the mass of the voters are gravi
tating towards each other, and this spirit
is manifested in their platforms and i'll
| the facility with which voters shift from
one party to the other. The people are
| dissatisfied with existing conditions, and
/ as soon as they can be convinced that any
party will bring them relief or holds out
fair hope of relief, they will go to it in
| overwhelming numbers. In this discus
sion the question presented is two-fold:
! first, is 1t advisable to form new party:
and next, is this the proper time to ini-
| tate the movement? Taking up this pro-
position in the order in which it is STAGED.
! let us see what are the materials ont of
which it is proposed to endow I'll new
political organization.
Without going into details there are
three powerful elements lin the political
field that must be relied on to furnish the
| nf ortv In inf IF
numbers silver Democrats stand first.
They have in their ranks Il number of
able men and millions of devoted adher-
ents. They have perfect organization
in every State and Territory. They are
devotedly attached to the name of Demo.
crat, and love to trace their origin from
the Sage of Monticello. AS party they
have had their days of triumph and of
humiliation, and we now see them rert
in twain, with one branch in close sym
pathy with the Republicans.
The Chicago platform saved the Demo
cratic party from destruction. Had they
gone into the last campaign, on one,of their
old Janus-faced platforms, they. would
have. almost disappeared from the polit-
ical arena. There are a munger Of patri-
otto men in the Democratic party who are
making an honest effot to put themselves
and their political associates in line with
other leaders Of thought in the early days
of Democracy. A hard battle is yet to
be fought inside of the Democratic party.
| Can the masses hold the vantage gained
at Chicago? If they can the Democratic
party may he the centre around which
the reform will rally. The faction known
rs the gold wing of the Democracy is not
numerous, but it is all powerful: it rep
resents the moneyed element. Active,
4 at,nr stnts u, "A - L
| pose to give up control or retire from
power. If it should obtain the direction
| of affairs the work of organizing IL new
party would obtain II marked impetus.
! As the Democratic party is now consti-
| tuted, and with the mighty struggle
| going on in it's rank s, no considerable num-
her OF its adherents will abandon their
structure until IL definite result is reached.
| Then If the policy outlined at Chicago
! becomes fixed as the definite course the
party will pursue. the single standard
men will seek alliances elsewhere. If, on
| the other hand, the enunciations of the
| indianapolis convention should prevail.
| there will he serious defections from the
ranks of the old party The point wish
! 10 make is this The time is not ripe for
radical change in the political situation
! so far rs the Democrats are concerned.
! Next, let us turn &c the silv err Republi-
cans.
y new cfforS in the political arena, with
an uncertain following, but holding
within its ranks a number of bright,
brainy men. Their organization is far
from complete; in fact, in most of the
States they have none. Yet the silver Re-
puhlicans are capable of. doing. much
good. They can do better work and more
effective work where they are and as sill
yer Republicans than in any other way
They should build up and complete their
organization in every State in which they
have following, and in those in which
they have no pronounced adhercnts they
should do Il little missionary work To
some people there is II great deal in IA
name There are millions of Democrats
and Republicans who will stay with their
party because their father. or their
grandfathcrs belonged to it.. How many
times is one confronted with, ''I will stay
with the Grand Old Republicans party, =
or the Dear Old Democratic party" The
question of whether these parties are pur-
suing wise course cuts no figure Right
orwronG the speaker proposes to stay with
them. This is where the silver Republi-
can does good work he draws voters away
from the old hide-bound organization and
puts them in another Republican organi.
zation The man who wants to cling to
name mis- feelings are not lacerated--
though he parts from every principle that
characterizes Rcpublicanism. Once he
breaks away from the narrow platform
on which he stood so long and takes
broader view of the political telh, he is in
a fair way to embark in reform move
ment. The man who fights the money