Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-24

The following is the comment COM
plete:
"On the surface insurgency is dead,
The issues that it raised to the i'm
portanee of national problems are not
now vital. There are two possible
explanations of the present situation
in the middle west First, the mass of
voters that supported the insurgent
movement have forsaken the cause
and are willing to aid in restoring the
republican organization to power in
order that a different course may be
pursued in foreign affairs. Second,
the mass of voters that have long
been interested in eform are satisfied
with Wilson's conduct Of government
and particularly with the democratic
measures on tariff and money and the
trusts including the Clayton act and
the rural credits act. and prefer to
throw their support to his reelection
rather than to restore the regular re-
publicans TO power. In either case the
Disappearance of insurgency is per
fectly natural.
"A thorough survey would seem to
point to the second explanation as the
more probable. Large sections in the
middle west with a real interest in
reform of political methods and prac-
I
the democratic party as a means to
attain their desires. This has been
shown repeatedly in every election for
the past twenty years. These sections
of the electorate endeavored to
achieve their desires through the
agency Of the republican party. This
/ brought on the insurgent movement
which prepared the way and made pos
sible the middle-western phase of the
/ progressive movement in 1912. But
! the middle west was progressive re-
/ publican rather than progressive. In
/ the present campaign these elements
! find no opportunity afforded them to
/ indicate their adherence to the spirit
/ Of insurgency except by voting for
Wilson. Were they liberals or pro-
/ gressives they might accept Hughes
with heartiness. But having such a
background as has been sketched, and
with the former fear of democratic
rule shown to be i'll founded, they utrn
naturally to the man and the party
| that has voiced and in some matter
made progress upon the demands of
/ the middle-class middle west. More
over, the attitude of Wilson, both in
diplomatic matters and upon the issue
/ of preparedness, has been vastly
/ pleasing to the large body of senti-
m6uJ III the interior OF Ile continent.
( His utterances have seemed familiar
to those long accustomed to the point
/ Of view in matters of foreign policy of
such men as Bryan and La Toilette In
I the recent attempts of the senate to
/ limit the size of the naval appropria-
lions it is not without significance
| that the speeches and votes of the OPP
/ pOnents of the bill, democrats and re-
publicans alike, came from the middle
west, and Of these the republicans
were the more numerous
! Twenty years ago there were those
who saw in the union of the south and
west in support of Bryan a new ma
tiOnaliSm. The new democracy of that
campaign failed of success because
the middle west did not desert the re-
publican party. In the present cam
paign it seems at least possible, If not
probable, that the insurgent middle
west will unite with the south in sup
| port of Woodrow Wilson. Should a
majority mandate come to him and his
! party because of this added support, it
may be said not only that this is the
| first complete democratic majority vic
tory since 1858, but also that out of
the middle west has at last come to
dominance another significant move
ment in American politics"