The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-11
NEW POLITICAL PARTIES1
The Old Organizations Stand for the Same One Thing Crack Spreading Across the Front of Both of ThemTh Cleavage Following the Lines
 Broken in Cities and States Where Reform Going tToo Far

Knox lost his temper. The fight wae on. Further attempts were made to- ward reconciliation and the Presi- dent listened to them But if he won't lead, others will. It certainly looks as if the fight would go on to the end. the fight that is waging in so many parts of the country. The apparent is- sue here is an accident; railroad rate regulation may not be central or essen- tial; but neither is three-cent fare cen trai or essential. The particular issue does not matter, however: anything will do that brings the people (by ''peo- pie" I mean all men. not alone the down trodden") in just conflict (not with the rich" butt with the Inter- ests which corruptly rule this coun~ try,
 What do they represent" That is the question we have always to ask. and when the fight was thrown out of the White House into the Interstate Commerce Committee of the Senate. ffiortatreD1E:-v.sbel lwj'iy;rotectvswhr the answers came fast. Elkins. Ald~ rich, Kean. Foraker, Crane, Republi- cans, were for an amendment to ap- peal rate making to the courts for delay, and two Democrats, McLaurin and Foster, leaned that way. No old party line there. Deliver and Clapp and Cullom, Republicans. and Tillman, Carmack and Newlands, Democrats. were opposed to any emasculation. No old pary line there. But there were new party lines, and Senator Aldrich indicated them. When 1t appeared that the bill must be reported out with a whole skin, he said that this (the Re- publican President's) bill, was Demo- cratic bill; and it is; 1t is in "our' in- tersst, wherefore. Aldrich said: 'Tet Democrat lead it through the Sen ate," and he named Senator Tillman. and the Republicans voted the lader- ship to this Dmocrat.
 This incident was regarded as high ly picturesque because Tillman is no friend of the President. But 1t may turn out to be more than picturesque. Tillman is Democrat, but Theodore Roosevelt is a Democrat. The Presi- dent isn't an intellectual Democrat. else he could not have advocated a ship subsidy bill. But instinctively that man. is' for that government which Lincoln said should not perish from the earth. Aldrich Is not, nor Kean, nor Foraker. They are "con- servatives;" MT. A1drich says so. They stand for Business; Mir. Aldrich says so. These men honestly believe that anything that helps business is good; no matter how much 1t may hurt our national character SIS a people or the institutions of our government, if it helps business, that Thing must be right. And there are many men in the Senate and In the House and fp the Cabinet and tn the country at large, who are for prosperity at any cost" But also there are 6 few men in the Senate and In the Cabinet, and in the House, and in the country at large there are many inen who hold that whatever hurts our manhood and our government. no matter how much it may help business, Is bad. These men think that the corruption of legislatures and courts is wrong, even if it Is nec- essary And these two groups of thinkers are lining up to fight in the nation Rs they are in the cities and States. and 1t Is just possible that the fight over the rate bill with Tillman, Democrat. and Roosevelt or some oth- CT Republican, leading one side and Aldrich and his Democrats on the other, may split both the parties wide open and show the State and city fight CTS who the ne wnational leaders are of their new national parties.
 Lincoln Steffens.