Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-01-17

ume in 1873 and in 1896, and why
these movements subsidized a few
years later. y
The following extracts from an
interview with the former U. S.
Senator Washburn, published in
last Sundays Minneapolis Jour-
nal, are significant. A new party
alignment is necessary, and we
will not be surprised to see it
come in time for a formidable
showing in the next national cam
paign. Senator Washburn's
statement is significant only
as showing that the old party
politicians are recognizing the
precarious position now held by
the two old parties in trying to
maintain their present relations.
We quote, as follows:
"Without division of thought and
opinion there can be no live parties.
This is exactly the situation, I might
say, today. The bulk of the republic-
an party and the majority of the demo-
cratic party feel the same. In each
party there is a coterie of leaders on
the opposite side from the masses of
those parties. j..
1.-THE majority of republicans, espe-
cially in this part of the country, are
strongly in favor of tariff revision
and reciprocity as against the policy
of stand.pat. The mass of the demo-
cractic party, believe, favor revision
and reciprocity -
'The same division in the party ex-
lists over the question of corporation
and trust regulation, and again the
republican majority believes in regu-
lation of these present day dragons
thinks in common with large part of
the democratic party. It is also a
peculiar fact that as a general rule
those who favor tariff reforms and
reciprocity are also believers in trust
and corporation regulation, including
railroads and the much exploited rate
question.
''It is also a peculiar fact that as a
rule the leaders of these parties, espe-
cially in the republican party, are op
posed to the popular opinion. The
tariff standpatter is an opponent of
regulation. The leaders of the demo-
cractic party are inclined to be more
radical in their reform and tariff
measures than are the masses of the
party.
with continuation of the present
trend of popular thought it would not
be surprising if we should see merg-
ing OF parties or rather of the masses
of the parties, with a resulting realign-
ment of organizations. 1tmight mean
the formation of new republican and
a new democratic party, or it might
bring about the formation of a new
party of another name, one of the
present parties falling out of exist
ence. Again, a third party entirely
new and composed of like thinkers
from other parties may spring into
existence from the dissatisfaction ex-
listing in both parties. The political
middle of the middle ffties, when the
democractic and whig parties became
involved, and which resulted in the
new division into the democratic and
republican parties, was not unlike
what we may see in the politics of to-
morrow.
"What will become of the opposing
element of the party or in fact of both
parties is another complication. II
the national republican policy is ad-
justed to one of tariff reform and trust
and corporation regulation, it will
draw it's adherents from both the re-
publican and democratic parties.
What will become of the standpatters
and friends of the interests of the
two parties is hard to say. Because
they are not in sympathy with the new
republicanism is not equivalent to
saying that they will be democratic.
There must of necessity be two parties
as long as there is division OF
opinion. The new party of regulation
and reform may not be called republic
an, and the party of opposition may
not be called democrats. If the two
old parties are maintained, one stand
patter,' the other free trader the
new thought may be the slogan of a
new third party. Here we are con-
fronted again by the peculiar situation
that has crept into national politics
today" :.
incidentally we might remark
that it will take a remedy more
definite and of more promising
effectiveness than REGULATION"
and tariff\' 'tinkering' to satisfy
the rapidly increasing number
Of our citizens who have lost faith
1