The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-07-16
MIR. PARKER'S POSITION
AGAINST MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
 ATTRACTS WIDE ATTENTION.
He Will Have Much Conservative Democratic Strength at His Back A Look Into the Future
 of Democratic Politics.

New York. July 15.--(special)- While there has been in the newspapers comparatively little discussion of Judge Parker's recent stand against municipal
 ownership 1t has attracted the atten- ton of politicians all over the country. Some of them seem to be surprised that the last Presidential candidate of the
 Democracy should calmly and premed- itatedly attack a theory which has [ presumably gained formidable weight in the great Democratic cities of the North The Democratic organization in New York has for long time in- serted municipal ownership blanks in its city platforms, the practice having been initiated in the first Henry George
 campaign. The Chicago Democracy
 has lately carried that city on the
 municipal ownership issue. Cleveland
 has developed the policy under the
 the Northern Democratic cities of the
 second and third classes the drift
 toward municipal ownership has been
 pronounced. These Democratic cities
 nearly always control the delegations
 of their respective States in national
 conventions. There Is not therefore,
 any surface indication in Judge Par
 ker's attitude on this question of an
 intent to cultivate radical sentiment.
 whatever may be the Judges relations
 toward the Presidential nomination of
 his party In 1908. Nobody should. in
 fact. be surprised at the Judges atti-
 tude. It Is logical and consistent. and exhibits only the unchanged purpose
 of the Judge to participate in politics as conservative leader, if he parti
 cipates at all.
 ion of the Judges most intimate friends. I'e is credited with particu
 larly strong resolution to make his in-
 fuence felt in future Democratic na- tional affairs. Some of his most pow erful Eastern friends, like D. Cady Her rick. David E. Hill and William F. Shee- han expect him to control In 1908 the national delegates from New York. the New England States and Pennsylvania, as he did in 1904. Old-line party men of the Eas tdo not worry at all about municipal ownership as a stimulant to radicalism. They have a notion that the coming experience of Mayor Dunne in Chicago will be fatal to the pater- nalistic propaganda in this country They have seen, they believe, conserva- tive Democracy at its lowest ebb. and they confidently expect that 1t will in 1908 be a stronger both in the party organization and at the polls than 1t was in 1904 These are Judge Parkers views. He has perfect faith that the future platforms of the party will be the partys platforms in the Tilden and Cleveland epochs and that its candi- dates will be men of the Tilden or Cleveland stamp. It is his belief now, a 1t was in 1904. that President Roose- velts policy of centralization will divide the Republican party its radical section predominating under the Presi dents guidance, and its conservative section joining forces with a predomi- nant conservative Democracy. If that is to be the development of party situa- tions during the next three years Judge Parkers friends will make the best uses of 1t to promote his renomination, and he will accept.
 Judge Parkers party opponents are, as in 1904, of two cIasse, those con servatives who believe he Is too colsely affiliated with great corporations. and those radicals who follow William J. Bryan. The first class has many ac- sessions since 1904. The Belmont con- servatives have become an indepen- dent element. August Belmont stands Democratic trust promoters, in politics as well as in finance. He was prob ably the principal contributor to the Democratic campaign fund last year. He devoted more time -nd energy than any other man to Parker's campaign for the nomination, and after the Judges nomination tried to bring the discordant element of the party to- gether on the old-line Democratic base At national headquarters Trust Democrats successfully opposed plans initiated by Belmont to enlist the in terest of radical and labor Democrats, to make the tariff a leading issue. to. differentiate the party policy from Re publicanism Since the election. ap- pearances go to show that Belmont and his friends do not intend to be overrdden any longer by the essen- tally Republican influences in the Democratic organization, and that those essentially Republican influen- ces are grouped more closely around Parker than ever before. Parkers present posture of indifference to Democratic opinion outside the fac tion led by Thomas F. Ryan, D. B. Hill, William F. Sheenan and James H. Eckels has opened the way for division in the conservative ranks which will introduce new elements in to the next national campaign. On the surface 1t seems to have tremen- dously multiplied the obstacles in the way of Parker's leadership and placed Belmont on the popular side of party issues.
 Belmont is in closer touch with DemOCratlC leaueTS or the south ana West than the New York politicians imagine He is considered by them to be the only one of the important East ern Democrats who showed in the last campaign q proper appreciation of To- cal conditions in the South and West. There Is a growing belief that he will be the man to execute in the East the plans of Southern and Western Democrats to lay down the safe mid dle course for the next campaign. Last year he held the balance of power in the New York State organization, be- fore 1t became officially committed to Parker's candidacy Those New York Democrats who do not belong to the Parker group believe he will again hold the balance of power in 1905. Some of them who are in his confi- dence say that his influence, whatever 1t may be. will be exerted in favor of a Southern or Western man for Pres ident as the south and West, working in alliance, shall agree. The South and West will no doubt be invited again to cooperate with the Parker Democrats, but Belmont Is not likely to participate iii the request. He Is more likely, to advise the adoption of a strong and liberal platform, and to cooperate energetically with those Democrats everywhere whom the Par ker policy would for factional reasons exclude.
 N. O. Tanning.