The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-03
SPLIT IS EVIDENT
 IN BOTH PARTIES Progressive Movement Is a
 Dominant Factor DRAWING THE LINES Democrats and Republicans Will Both Have Great Struggles to See Who Shall Control the
 Conventions
DRAWING THE LINES
Nv SIDNEY EsPEY

That the democratic party, as well as the republican party, will be split in it's next national convention by the progressive loiea is already patent. The movem mt Of lthe progressves to control the convention has been formally organized.
 For five or six years the republican rarty has been divided. A growing e'e- ment of the party has subscribed to the lprogressives views of such leaders as ISenators LaFollette and Cunimins, former President Roosevelt, former Secretary lJames R. Garfield and Clifford Pinchot. So far has this republican split gone thas lthe apparent republican majority in the Hast House turned out to be no majority at all, and the apparent republican mas Ijority in the present Senate turned out Ithe same way
 All this is well known to the country, lbut the fact that the same radical movc- Iment had begun its work of dividing the democratic party in Congress and throughout the country has not been widely known, as the movement had taken no definite form until within the lpast few days.
 | When Senators Owen of Oklahoma, K ern Iof Indiana and Chamberlain of Oregon got together the other day in this city they made the announcement that the progressive movement among democrats had taken definite form, and that party Headers in almost every state in the urion were eager to join the Democratic Feder- alton of precinct clubs.
 | This is the title of the insurgent dem |ocratic force. The plan of campaign Is Indicated by the title. It means that a lchain of precinct clubs will be formed all lover the country, and that through these the leaders expect to control the dele lgates who will in turn control the next national convention.
 While the organization of the precinct clubs is the first outward sign of the dem locratic progressive movement, the fact that democratic insurgency has smould- cred for weeks, during the extra session of Congress, has been known to many leaders
 This insurgency made itself manifest lwhen opposition developed to the election of Senator Martin of Virginia us demo- cratic leader. number of southern and western democrats in the Senate bitterly opposed the movement to honor the ylr ginian and as a result division of the Senate minority became at once evident. Senator Martin was elected, but he won by the narrowest kind of a margin.
 Later still this same insurgency came to the surface when a number of democratic senators assailed the action of cheir as- sociates in breaking with the republican insurgents. The opinion was strong among the democratic progressives that 1 the coalition was "honor bound'' to / main intact until after the tariff fight, land they openly offered sympathy to re- publican progressives on account of the lludicrous position in which they found Themselves at the close of the session.
 New the precinct club organization has been inaugurated. This is designed to Ispread from state to state, from county to county and from precinct to precinct. It has been started year or more in ad vance of the election and nearly year in advance of the convention which nomi- mates the next democratic candidate.
 The members of this league are advo- cates of such ideas as the referendum ard the recall lower tariff and complete ccn- trol of the trusts. They will put cut platform which will be their declaration lof principles for the next national con lyention.
 These same members are afraid of the nomination of such d candidate Judson Harmon of Ohio, or Governor Baldwin Of Connecticut. They are afraid of the in- f1Ience of Wall street and the corpora tions, and are preparing to fight this in- fiuence in the next convention long as there is any fight left in them. s | When questioned members of this league admit that they would not oppose the nomination of Gov. Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey, or former Governor Folk of Missouri or Speaker Champ Clark, or of lGoyernor Floss of Massachusetts. Any lone of this list of possibilities would be Acceptable to the precinct club organ izers
 From present indications the progress crixr will not go far enough to cause a bolt in the next national convention. Should the Insurgents lose they say they will remain in the party, taking the ground that more can be accomplished by the reform of the party than in the organizati tion of new party.
 This situation is not altogether true of the republican insurgents They boldly lthreaten to pull out of the G. o. P. if they find that it cannot be reorganzed, and start a new party which will be or lganized what they regard as the right basis.
 All this political activity immediately following the adjournment of Congress lshows clearly that the next national cam lpaign will be begun months earlier than is usual. It means that the country will lbe stirred by practically whole years appeal for votes.
 President Taft will leave Beverly Text month for a six weeks tour of the west Everybody who knows anything about the ,situa tion understands that he is initiating. his campaign for reelection by this tip. He is not giving up his official vacation to pleasure. He is going to make this trip to make his defense before the country.
 Both parties are drawing their lines lclearly more than 12 months before the tissue is to be decided at the polls.