The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1913-05-23

mouse III lHe ldoI tCh
amazing. Once there were in both
houses representatives of the
Populist party who were called
by men of their day radicals OF
an extreme type. Today in good
many things congressman who per-
sonally, or who through their fathers
before them, denounced Populists have
given adherence to a good many things
which even the Populists in their day
would have called too radical for U.s.
All this shows simply the progress
Of progressivism In the country IN
the ranks of every party. There are
still conservatives, but their conserva-
tism is not as of the past and the con-
servatives of today say that their con-
servatism is really progressivism.
Democratic Prediction.
The other day Senator Henry t.
Hollis of New Hampshire, Democrat,
and the first member of his party from
that state to appear in the United
States senate for Sc years, delivered
an address to young men in which he
said this:
III the Wilson administration is a
success along the lines laid down IN
the Democratic platform, the Demo
cratic party will become the great
progressive party of the United States.
The Bull Moose party will disappear
and the Republican party will remain
the great conservative party. If the
Democratic party shall fail to remain
truly progressive, it will become the
conservative party, the Republican
party will disappear and the Bull
Moose organization will become the
great progressive party"
Now, if any other Democratic sena'
tor, and perhaps if any senator of any
party, had been asked his thoughts on
the lines along which Senator Hollis
spoke, he probably would have. said
the same thing, for Democrats, Repub-
licans and Progressives are saying the
same thing freely today in private con-
versation.
Some of the senator's and represent
atives speak even more plainly and
freely than did Senator Hollis. They
carry their thoughts along further, say
ing that the continuance Of the Demo
cratic party in power depends abso-
lutely upon whether or not the more
conservative men in that party stand
by the progressive orders Of the peo-
pie as given at the ballot box. Men
who say this go further and say that
if any of the great Democratic policies
fail because of conservative opposi-
ton in the ranks Of that party or be-
cause of conservative Democratic and
conservative Republican coalition.
there will be another realignment of
parties within the next three years
and that conservative Democrats and
conservative Republicans will get to-
gether in one party and that progress
sive Democrats and progressive Re-
publicans will get together in another
party, and that they will be the men,
bers of the present day Progressive
party.
Lesson In War Scare.
It Is the belief of those army and
navy officers stationed in Washington
and who are charged with the work
of planning in advance for any future
warlike campaigns in which this
country may engage, that congress
hereafter will be more inclined
to pay heed to the pleas for in
creasing the strength Of some of the
defense works of the national govern
ment. The men of the service say
there seems to be an awakened desire
today to set right some of the things
which all political parties as repre-
sented in congress have had hand
in the past in making wrong.
OF course 1t was the threatened
California-Japan trouble which has
aroused the party in power and in au-
thority to make inquiry through their
leaders as to all things (which are
necessary within limits" A few days
ago the Democratic secretary of war
said some things which show that he
has keen sense of some phases Of
the country's unpreparedness for a
foreign conflict. At the same time
that the words of the secretary of war
were published there appeared an in
terview with an army officer, whose
name was withheld, but who told
bluntly what the army and navy peo
pie expected the Japanese to do to
us for the first year of a war, If wal
were to come Immediately.
Some time ago there was published
in these dispatches the same story Of
what the army and navy expected
Japan to do to us II wars occasion
should come out of the trouble in Cali
fornia over the school question in thai
state as 1t affected the Japanese. Tr
a few years the condition of things
has not changed materially. but nov
that the second alarm has come 4
seems likely, and the army has beer
given some intimation in the pre-
misses, that the Democratic party, full
ly vested with power, will do some
thing in legislative way to keep tn,
story of unpreparedness from being S,
dark when the next scare appears.
Was Fearsome Tale.
II was the hlackest kind Of q stor,