The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-11

political realHnment is going on hcru.
There SIS great slanting crack across
the face OF both the old parties. 1t
isn't a new crack: on the contrary. 1t
! very old, but It is spreading Just now
ind 30 rapidly that the outlines Of four
political divisions are discernablc: Re
rublican and Democratic. Conservative,
and Qet us say Liberal. The Demo-
cratic leaders seem not to see the cleay-
are very willingly but the President
goes and SO does Senator Aldrich.
Neither of these two men could trace
the line In language for me. Mr.. Aid
rich had names for the two sides; 1t
was he that first used the word Con-
derivatives for those who stood with
him in both the old parties, and he wav-
I'd away all others as Radicals" He
esid that the division was not one OF
principle, but he couldn't or wouldn't
describe what 1t was. And neither
could the President. Yet these two men
are the leaders,. at present, Of what
may turn out to be two new American
larties.
And we need two new political parties
One isn't enough. When Governor FOLK,
Of Missouri. was Circuit Attorney of st.
Louis. he called on the President and
they spent an evening together. After
ii Mr.. Folk said:
isn't IL too bad that two men who
agree as the President and do on all
moral questions, should be In different
partiesi
When this remark was repeated to
the President, he answered, quick as n
fash: mo. IT isn't bad. It's good that
there should be men in both parties who
agree on all moral questions"
The President was wiser than Mr..
n, I,,t NOT 10 ft,-nl
ties should stand for right things. but
they don't In a representative democ-
Iacy both parties should represent the
Iublc good. But our parties don't. They
might, and they should differ as to the
policy To pursue to serve hest the COM
mon interest. But our parties don't
diner at all. They both stand to-day for
special interests and graft, and we are
coming to realize-we. the voters-that
we haven't any parties at all. nothing
but organizations that have us.
What is the difference between the
Republican organization that exploited
Philadelphia and the Democratic organi-
cation that sold out st. Louis? Or be-
tween Tammany Hall in New York and
the so-called Republican party of Gin
cinnati? There wasn't any difference.
They were alike in the character OF
their leadership. the purposes of their
organization and the methods OF their
s,ealings. ] have never been South, but
IN the North and West and East, the
only correct classification is between the
outs and the ins. All reformed majority
parties-no matter what their names
whether Republican or Democratic. look
alike, act alike ana talk alike.
And. curiously enough. the minority
parties all resemble one another The
minority Republican party of ST. Louis
was replica OF the Democratic minority
organization OF Philadelphia; it wasn't
quite so miserable. because the ST. Louis
Republicans got some Federal graft from
their national party. The Philadelphia
Democrats lived only on the crumbs
dropped from the table of the majority
party. And that's the way our min
ori,y parties live. on the majority party.
They are kept by the boss grafters,
to keep us divided and catch us If we
run away.
That there is this tacit agreement be-
tween the two parties we all know WELL
but we can see It best in a State like
New York. where one party controls the
city, the other the State. All business"
that is done at Albany is handled by n
combination OF Tammany Democrats and
upstate Republicans. the majority
groups. kno.2 of but one State where
the people. sick Of their" majority
party, have had a minority party fit to
30 to. That State is Ohio. In Missouri.
Wisconsin and now in New Jersey, Penn
sylvania and Illinois. reformers have had
to seize, clean up and set about the re-
organization OF the rotten old majority
party, whichever 1t was.
After visiting few such States and
cities one becomes party blind. When
came down here I couldn't tell the
difference between Democrat and a
Republican,. and 1t hurt my pride to have
statesmen tell me about their parties.
The candid thieves who run our States
and cities had ceased long ago to try
to work off that sort OF buncombe on
me, and thought that all talk of par
ties was for the 'peepul," not for me
and the railroads and the boodlers, who
change parties as we change cars to
follow the majority from State to State
But still they would talk parties. and
the Speaker Mr.. Cannon. was especially
annoying. He sat me down In a big
chair, gave me cigar, stuck another
in his own mouth, and then he stood
up over me and delivered a regular
stump speech. He called 1t an inter-
view. but it was the sort OF Grafton he
delivers to his constituents out In ILL
nois. All about "the" party. "the great
party which has made this great coun-
try what 1t is-great.'' Since he Is a
humorist, thought at first that he was
"Joking. but he seemed very serious
and put 1t down to habit till by and by
1t dawned on me that he was trying to
deceive himseir as we'll as me. I half
believe he half-beIleves the G. o. p.
brings UP good crops. But he said one
thing that is true: This Is govern
ment by parties"
It Is AS left the room, John Sharp
Williams. the minority leader, entered.
They work together, these two, for gov
Srnment by parties. We have bi-parti
Ban system here. as we'll as in the cities
Ind States. The pension bill graft goes
to Democrats. as we'll as Republicans:
no party difference there. If there's a
river and harbor bill. the Democrats get
their 'divyy." They don't get so much
as "the" party gets. but+-therea no DIFF
ference in pork, which. mind you, is
treated as graft" So with the other
pork barrel, the public buildings bill.
To1aAo peeda right now a IVed ern T. b,,,Y,, d