New-York tribune., 1915-03-08
Will PUSH PARTY
AHEAD OF LEADER
Republicans Plan to Urge
Their Doctrines Instead
of One Man.
TOILET CONVENTION
CHOOSE THE CHIEF
Democratic Campaign Will BE
for Justification of Wilson
and His Record.
fFrom The Tribune Bureau. J

From Tie Tribune bureau
Washington. March Now that
the Sixty-third Congress IS thlng ..
the past, Legislators, many OF "non.
have not yet gone home, are pegihhlns
TO survey the political held. NOT onIS
have political leaders in the nVuse ,upi
and Senate, as well as IN the "n!e'
House, been busy fighting thelr ieg,s-
lative battles, but they have also u.s
tracted attention from their Dretnieh
on the outposts. who have Deen ielt u
comparative obscurlty. 80.
For n long time the hopes OF politi-
cal parties have been centred on the
outcome Of legislative achlevement or
failure. This has been particularly
true of the last two years. The WI
son administration and the Democratic
party counted on Congress to forti1y
its position. Republicans counted on
Congress, under Democratic leader
shin TO make their way to success
smooth by wrecking the Democratic
party. .Lo
Indictment of the people on the out
come Of this sort Of political warfare
is to be invoked. Political Leaders
are going TO toll again in the tallow
fields to break ground for the tortn-
coming Presidential campaign, and 10
plant the seeds of political argument
that will ripen into the harvest OF the
next election.
To Push Party First.
The most ambitious attempt OF TINS
kind is the organization OF the Ma
tional Republican Publicity Bureau,
which will lay before the people the
results Of Congressional activity anu
will conduct a campaign In the inter
est of the Republican party without
nromoting the cause of any faction or
candidate. Republicans, benehting Dy
their experiences of the last three
vears have decided TO adhere to the
doctrine of the common good and 10
avoid the error of trying TO make
beadway by pushing forward one or
another leader as a Presidential can
ddate. -.
All SIGNS point TO a campaign OF
marty instead OF leadership. The era
of Individual exploit and achievement:
such as prevailed with the advent OF
Colonel Roosevelt, seems 70 be at an
end Republican leaders in Congress
talk less about leadership than abCut
marty opportunity, and there IS DIS
rosition. which was shown especlaIly
in tho opposition TO the ship purchase
hin. 10 stand together and prepare the
,ank and file and let the question OF
Ieadership be decided only when 1t be-
comes necessary.
In the Democratic party the trend
has been the other way. The old $40
GAN "for the Democracy" has fallen
! INTO disuse. much to the regret or
| como of the leaders. Indications are
that the campaign will be fought for
| tho justification of the Wilson admin
istration and the record it has made
The President has swallowed up the
Democracy. with the exception OF some
rebollious spirits, and the administra-
lion leaders speak of the work Of Con-
gross and Of whatever has been ac-
comnlished in the last two years as
Wilson's work. rather than as the ap-
nIication of Democratic doctrine 10
public problems.
Convention to Choose Leader.
Republicans say the party has nc
available leader who stands out Sc
consnicuouslv that he would be able
20 solidifv all the party forces behinc
him The Democrats, on the contrary
are not able 10 get away from theii
leader. For this reason 1t IS preu'et1t. t
bv Republicans that the party as sucf
will make the fight until the conven
tion chooses the leader, and that n'
man can count on being selected unu
the roll of delegates is called.
There will probably be pre-conven
.;on booms without number. There }!
already talk In the air. Senator Weeks
Of Massachusetts,, is mentioned TX
Senator Burton is talked about. Asso
ciate Justice Hughes's name appear
in the list. But the race has not ye
fairly begun. and by progressives al
we'll as regulars admission is mad'
that everybody will have chance unit
the convention makes its decision
There will be "favorite sons" withou
number. probably, and one or anothe
will work his way upward, but ate
his nomination he will be pushed for
ward by the impetus Of the party tyr IN
there Ia complete overturning OF al
the political conditions that now exist