The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-04
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4. 1900.
a STi;iKING ARTICLE ON AMEHI-
Gan PARTIES.

In the November number of the Atlantic
Monthly there is the best article on the
springs and motives that have created
and kspt alive the TWO great parties n
America. that we have Sc n among ali the
articles that have been written this year
from the potnt Of view, both Of the
puhlicis; and politician describing the
by those bodies of men who are rsspec-
lively called Democrat and Republican.
This article to which we aliude is called
"a Defense of American Parties and IS
by Mr. VIM. Garrett Brown. who was
born in Alabama, and who now lives in
Cambridge, Mass. Mr.. Brown has given
n large part Of his life to the study OF the
history of American politics, and this
article is written with a luminous insight
into the fundam Ttal character Of the
two great parties that makes st difficult
for Us to quote from it with justice. The
article is TOO long to reproduce, but we
hope TO be able to give the general out
line OF MIR. Browns summary.
In the first place, Mr. Brown points out
that thare was very littl difference fun
dame1ltaly between the American parties.
If there is an intellig.b- difference,
says Mr.. Brown, then is it an affair of
principles. of interest or of sentiment.
Is 1t based on classes, or on contrary
theories of gov rnment- or on original
sin? ''s Er-- n in de Tocquev-lle's day, the
United States were to such a country as
France almost as the Roman Enpire. was
H. 4 of r,ya
was the most homogeneous and CEN.
. tralized great pow i in Europe. while In
America the remotness in space and IN
character of the Southwestern pioneers
from In New Englanders was scarcely
less notable than the reIno.eness o. the
Griten and the Gaul from the impressive
Roman. The truuphal entry into Wash
tngton of the T Tnesseeans and Western
pennsy.yanials shouting for Jackson and
the d iscomfortllre Of Adams sedate sup
porters may very well have suggested one
of tn acuteSt of de Tocqueville'S dis
tinc;ions-the dist notion namely between
parties which stand merely for contrary
views and policies and parties which Ike
separat nations are in perpetual an
tagorrsm over conflicting interests.
This comparison, as Mr.. Brown says,
was v!ndicated by the fact that after the
war the Democratic party was aligned
against the Republican party on class
issne namely the opposition between the
races of white and black in The so1th.
Nj Brown then traces the swiftly
changing question of the paramount issue.
He says. After the second election Of
President Cleveland, chiefly on the issue
of tariff reform. who could foresee that
four yecrs later many If the forces that
bore him into power would De arrayed
behind the EXTREMIST advocate of high
protective tariff on the issue of gold and
silver? Who dreamed that after the eX-
citing campaign of 1896 we would be to-
day debating the best way to deal with
two dependent islands IN the Atlantic and
a thousand in the Pacific? Even
the most steadfasi a6herents of a general
principle cannot apply it with infailible
accuracy 10 new conditions so swiftly
brought about, to new questions 50 sud
denly ihrus. before the voters. But
maintain that fair minded eSamina-
ton OF the rl asecf aspect OF orr twn great
parties. leads 70 the conclusion that shey
still represens with reasonable consistency
the two great ideals of government. the
Two great sets OF interest. and the two
great types OF character which. in modern
self-sorerning communities, have usually
lain at the base OF party systems One
. SSa4o'r saeou st.iu Stiit SistNuS III
she main for an effective government.
The other foc free government One Is
the party OF ideas and ideals, the party
OF liberty. the other is the party Of prac-
sieal achievement. the party OF authority
and order
The Republican party. in the view of
she writer Of this article. is essentially
tho party Of business men who are carry
ing Gu. q d!stinc. and clear cut PROPOSE
ton IN the matter of government much as
a body OF stockholders meet 10 earn diyi-
bends for their corporations. The RepubM-
can party has always been willing to fol-
low the Constitution when the constitu-
tion was in eecord With its ideas. but
when the Constitution and expectancy
parted company. the Republicans have in-
sarsnsiy chosen npportunism and expedi-
I ercy 6 their guiding star. And. Gays
ar. Brown. ..thc history Of reconstruc-
fion Is good Instance Of the inadeanacy
-nnv4,,nfsz, Ia fl,a III CHEST Fort nf r-nv..