The Washington herald., 1910-06-19
FORECASTING OUR POLITICS.
old Parties and old Leaders Seem TO
Be Losing Ground.
!. b Londoa Nailonal ReTIeH.

Be Losing Ground.
A. Maurice Low, IN London National Review.
The old parties are going, and with
them their old leaders. OF the men who
as recently as ten years ago were the
leaders IN the political field only very few
are now left, and with the retirement Of
Senator Aldrich. Of Rhode Island, and
Senator Hale. of Maine, the old guard
has practically disappeared. A new gem
Grafton has come, and It has brought
with It new ideas. not necessarily better
ideas. but more representative of the
time. Aldrich and Hale. after thirty
years in Congress, during which they
exercised a power over legislation greater
even than that of prime ministers or
chancellors, have been literally elbowed
out Of the Senate and out of politics, and
their places have been taken by younger,
more aggressive, and more radical men.
In Congress in both Houses the men who
are now IN control Of legislation are not
the conservatives, not the older men who
have served a long legislative experience,
but younger men OF radical tendencies
who were unknown only a few years ago.
IL was 10 these men that Mr.. Roosevelt
so peculiarly appealed. They wanted
something new, something different from
what they had been accustomed TO. they
wanted to be shown the road to Utopia,
and Mr.. Roosevelt offered himself as
their guide. Mr. Bryan blazed the path.
Over the road that had been prepared for
him by Mr.. Bryan and his pioneers Mr..
Roosevelt marched triumphantly
II is Mr. Taft's misfortune that he
comes TO the Presidency at a time when
the country is in one Of its radical moods.
Mr.. Taft is not a radical. He does not
believe in the publication by fire. BY
tradition and education he is conserva-
tive-the conservatism that comes from a
knowledge and respect for the law. He
has wanted to do everything within the
limitation prescribed by the law, but I'M
fortunately for his reputation and peace
of mind that has not met with the ap-
prevail Of the public, which has come 20
regard the law as of less consequence
than an empire remedy, and that is one
OF the reasons why the Republican party
is in such bad shape at the present time.
II is not the Democrats who are turning
the tide against the Republicans; IL is the
radical wing OF the Republican party, the
sO-called insurgents. They more fiercely
than the Democrats attacked the tariff
bill while II was under discussion in Con-
gress, and IL is they who since the bill
became a law have continued 10 denounce
Il as a perhdous betrayal OF party
pledges. They are the same men who
have attacked the legislation that Mr..
Taft has recommended. If the Republic
can party we're united and showed the
same solid front 10 its opponents that il
used to do. ii is extremely doubtful
whether the Democrats would be able TO
make such Roadway During Mr. Roose-
velt's Presidency, whenever he met oppo-
sition from his own party he could al
ways rely on the Democrats 10 repair
the detection. Now the insurgent Re-
publicans can count upon the Democrats
TO help them defeat the legislation that
Mr.. Taft recommends, and the conserva-
tive wing Of the Republican party APP
proves The insurgents cali themselves
Republicans, they insist that they are the
real Republicans, and yet they are fight
ing Republican policies and doing their
utmost 10 diseredit the President.
There are two questions that every one
asks: VIII the pendulum swing back in
the next couple Of years and conserva-
tism reassert itself, and win the Republi-
can and Democratic parties go out OF
existence and on their ruins rise their
logical successor. conservatives and radi-
Gals? There are a great many men who
believe that they will see both things,
and especially the triumph of conserva-
tism, for at heart the American people
are conservative. even although at times
they eagerly take UP radical ideas.