The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-02
AN ORGANS MISTAKE
By SAY WARD

1 ferences between the democrats and the | head of the ticket. Notwithstanding all | that, Grant would have been as padiy l beaten for reelection as Ben Harrison was 20 years later if the coalition between the liberal republicans and the democrats had coalesced. Greeley got very large republican vote, but he lost more demo- orats than he gained republicans. Tne democrats beat him. He carried Ken lucky by a beggarly 11.OoO. whereas Tilden carried it by 76,0O0 four years later, and Seymour had carried 1t by 100000 four years earlier when the fifteenth amend ment had not been adopted.
 But the progressive republican nov ment is not a mere revolt against Ia1t as the other was revolt against Grant This is the irrepressible conflict, and 1t means revolution. A Philadelphia lawyer could not have found a clash in the po- lltical opinions of Grant and Sumner; but even the Washington Post Is not party blind enough to be unable to discover the impossible gulf that separates the belief of Aldrich and the belief of LaFollette. And thus the sane and disinterested ob- server sees in the progressive republican movement the fellow of the gold demo- cratic movement in 1896. There Is con- flict of principle that will not be de- nied.
 It is altogether likely that the liberal re- publican movement of 1872 would have collapsed before the convention had the leaders not been morally certain that the democrats, in a hopeless minority, would cordially accept the ticket. But in 1912 the democrats, flushed with the signal vic- tory of 1910, are absolutely certain to nominate asticket. regardless of any action either faction of the G. o. P" shall take.
 
 The democrats will enter the contest with the south nailed down. If Taft be the republican nominee he will lose the west. If LaFollette be the republican nominee he will lose the east Thus it is difficult to see how the democrats can lose, though if there be a way they are mighty apt to find it and pursue 1t, as they did in 1872 and several other times sirce, when they had but to reach forth and pluck victory. MT. Taft made his election between the standpatter and the progressive. He chose to be a stand batter. That repelled Roosevelt and the entire Roosevelt following. It made the overwhelming democratic victory of 1910, and he is weaker now than he was then. His colossal blunder of vetoing the Un- derwoodL wool bn. a highly protective measure-though revision down was simply unpardonable, and he had the HllSloTlune to lose the advantages that would have resulted to him from Cana dian reciprocity, which, however was not his fault
 The LaFolette folk are terribly in earn est. They believe something and they are of the stuff of which martyrs are made They may be wrong, but they are not corrupt. They know that the interests have got the meat and given the people the bone, have kept the meal and left to the people the husk Everybody else knows it. There is not equal opportunity. Hence be have LaFolletteism fragrant, and he that reclSons the political situation without counting the progressves an im- mense factor in the question will miss the mark mile.
 Meanwhile, the democrats have the game in their own hands. The tariff is the paramount. The tariff is the mother of trusts Eliminate the favoritism be- slowed on the tariff octopus and the rest will be easy. But it would be just like the democrats to leave off the chase of the fox and go off after a miserable little rabbit.
 Woodrow Wilson is the foremost man of the people in public life today and man of destiny.