Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-21

practice of medicine 1t would be too
great danger to the body polite. We must
rely not on dangerous experiment but
on argument and on n reasonable demon
stration to the people by common sense
talk. to end the enthusiasm Of hysteria
and false hopes
THE result of this election led me to
say what did on the night Of the cleo
ton. No matter what our views of the
tariff. II a radical change of the tariff
from a protective to revenue basis is
wrong. the country will suffer. but 1t can
stand IL and If it is not wrong. why
then those who prophesied injury will he
confuted. and that is the natural action
and reaction In politics
NORMAL POLITICS CHANGE.
Therefore one does not look forward
% democratic administration with any
thing other than the view that its coming
Is to be expected in the normal political
change from one party to another, espc-
cially after one party has been in power
so long that iealousies and factions In
1t have destroyed it's discipline and the
loyalty of it's members and have in
jured its political prestige
But when party. like the Bull
Moose party, comes forward and pro-
poses to utterly tear down all the
checks and balances of a well.ad tusted,
democratic, constitutional republican
government to destroy the limitations of
executive and legislative power as be-
tween the majority and the minority,
as between the majority and the indi-
vidual. then the issue becomes capt.
tai one. and it effects the pcrmanence
and continuance of our government
The danger is from a party whose
tendency is thus necessarily destructive
of what has been laboriously establish
ed for the good and happiness Of man.
kind by the struggles Of centuries and
which is headed as clearly for socialism
as the Socialist party itself
1T announces its purpose to stay in
and retain half the votes of the old
Republican party and absorb the rest
Those OF us who are looking forward
to the politics Of the country beyond
a mere term Of two terms, ought to be
on our guard to organize an opposition
to the possible success of such a
menace to the institutions that we
revere. that have been handed down
to US after a test of more than 100 years.
and that are the conditions as regard
them, the absolute conditions, upon
which it is possible for popular govern
ment to endure. to maintain law and
order and to secure to the minority and
the individual the right and liberty Of
property and all those other rights tina
religious tolerance and the pursuit of hap
piness.
DUTY OF REPUBLICANS.
1T behooves us, therefore, as rcpub-
licans, to look forward to the time
when, in the natural courses of events,
the democrats shall have disappointed
the public. to be ready to prevent that
disappointment from being used by the
Bull Moose and socialist combination to
get into power
NO careful student of political his
tory in any of the countries of Europe
or of this hemisphere, in recent de-
cades. can fail to observe the close re-
lationship between permanence Of gov
eminent, stability of national politics
and the maintenance of two great
political parties to control the public
administration.
1--WE have had a great deal in the past
from theories In depreciation OF the party
spirit and il has been assumed that
there is something wrong. something
contrary to the public veal in the main |
tenance of the party and the malnten-
ance Of the party spirit. | think careful
observers are now being brought TO the
view that the sheet anchor Of popular
government Is in the division of the
people of that government into two
great parties. and no more.
1T is essential. in order that this
should be done, that men sacrifice much
on the minor issues and unite on the
greater and more important issues When
they do so. then If one party is in power
and there is loyalty to that party. the
government becomes the powerful hand
to execute the will of that party OH
the main issues; and when the people
are tired, or for any reason distrus, the
principles thus carried out by one party,
and they put in another that other
comes forward with the same power II
control Its own members and the same
disposition to act with solidarity. so that
the will Of that party can be inter-
preted promptly. directly and without
compromise into executing the policy
that it has supported before the people.
OBSTRUCTION TO PROGRESS,
But if you are going to have an opin-
ion on everything SO that it will yield
nothing to the party view and there
fore will withhold the unanimity In the
party essential to party action then we
are going to have what Is a system of
compromises a system Of exchanges a
system of log-rolling between groups
that will carry out no clear. simple,
straightforward policy. but will make a
mere patchwork Of all that the govern
ment does and leave us helpless in the
chaos Of many political opinions, which
the stubbornness and selfishness of indi-
viduals will make permanent condi-
ton. That ! regard as the greatest OBJ
struction to real progress
"A party, to be useful, must be strong
enough to lead its weakest members up
to the support of policies that, perhaps,
except for the party loyalty they might
oppose. and it is only by tina kind Of
organization that the most important
legislation can be put through. But. II
we are going to have persistent groups.
ana If each senator and each congress-
man Is going to have theories of his own
and insist upon conditions. without any
sense OF party loyalty. or the under
standing that in union there is strength
ana IN party organization there Is force
we have reached stage In the life of
the republic when we must give pause
and consider to what tho disintegratins
tendency is leading.
But don't understand me to despair,
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