The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-07
PARTY LINES ARE
NOT PROMINENT
THIS YEAR
Washington Affairs Through
John Harris's Spectacles
BOTH PARTIES DIVIDE D
Democrats Cannot Pass Any lmpor-
tant Measures Without Repub-
lican Help and Vice Versa

Perhaps the most impressive fact
noted by the observing student OF pol
itics in Washington these later days
is the very obvious tendency toward
party disintegration. Party ties are
exceedingly loose, and the party name
gives no reliable clue to the real
political opinion of the man. The
two old political parties have surviv-
ed the storm and stress OF many de-
cades, burying countless new parties
which have been born in the course
of years to bloom but brief hour,
but there have arrived at last unmis-
| taxable signs of serious decadence.
am aware that there are a century
of prophets behind me who have said
! the same thing, but no diagnosis has
| ever disclosed such conditions as UNI
doubtedly exist today.
Here and now we are called to stop
and take new bearings. and the con
clusion is forced on us that there is
an all-pervasive change in political
conditions. The glazing fact which
meets us is that the party collar gals,
and that party obligations are worn
very loosely In the necessarily
changing conditions of economic life
mighty inner force has cracked and
burst the shell of historic party, and
new issues and necessities and de-
sires have compelled and are COMPEL
ing men TO cut loose. However much
man may reverence the proud his
tory and time honored principles of
his party and his fathers and grand
fathers party, the time has come
when these do not seem to fit his
present views and needs He may
call himself yet a republican or dem
ocrat, but he is tinctured with views
which make him dangerously indepen-
dent in action.
The era has arrived when it is
necessary that the party follow the
man, rather than the man the party
This is the situation and the long and
short of it all. The man will not fol-
low the party, and If the party will
not follow the man 1t must necessari-
ly cease to exist. 1t will remain simp-
ly historic shell, of interest only to
the antiquarian. Now, this present
condition, If it is going to continue
and lead anywhere, must certainly
lead to one future result Parties
will cease to exist even in name, final
ly, and we will have a condition of
group politics as in European coun-
tries. In time, and that not far dis
tant, we will have. the Right, the
Left, the Center, Conservatives, Re-
dictionaries, Radicals, Tories Moder-
ates, Opportunists and such like
pronnc ubfob ranraSauf
I set of views in themselves and ex-
press themselves fifty in their names.
Today, in Washington, the name re-
publican or democrat has come to
mean nothing essentially definite. For
this reason, because 1t does not de-
fine, We are hearing less and less of
these designations. In referring to
} the personel of the senate we hear
the names conservatives, liberals. pro
gressives and radicals constantly APP
piled. They mean, and accurately
| designate, certain groups of senators
holding certain distinct opinions re-
CARELESS of which side of the cham
Der they occupy and under whatever
old time political banner they may be
formally enlisted The old names nc
longer count, they do not accurately
express the fact and so these new
ones are perforce adopted.
These are days of political evolu
ton, and we are evoluting so rapidly
that the head fairly swims in tryins
to take intelligent account of the most
heterodoX results which are constant
ly being made into history before oul
eyes. We don't know where we are
going, but we realize fully that we are
, swiftly on our way. If we do no
, want to be swept along toward an un
, known destination we must become ;
, "has-been" and step aside and ALLOW
, the crowd to pass The above is
, simple statement of facts as they ar,
: seen and as they exist here The re
. ports of local elections all over tn,
9 country point inevitably to the sam,
q tendency. 1t is the uneasiness ant
C unrest leading irresistably and neces
sarily to the disintegration of the en-
crusted old political parties.
The entire week in congress is de
voted to perfecting working program
C and the constitution of the commit
C tees of the two houses. The senat
C held very brief sessions Tuesday an
C "Wednesday, and will meet today t
C adjourn over to Monday. This vii
C afford the senators time to attend t
c the extremely delicate task Of arrang
C ing the various committees. This /
work of infinite finesse, and it ma
require two weeks to perfect an o.
: ganization in all it's details 1t wi
proceed with the greatest care, takin
y all the time it needs, as no legislI
ton will reach it from the House fo
some time to come In the meal
4 time. after an organization is perfec
ed, the senate may take up some ma
ters of District legislation, the pop,
lar election of senators, or some othe