Omaha daily bee., 1919-01-24
Parta Reconstruction
New York Evening Post (ind.)

New York Evening Post Gud)
Soldiers and sailors are not the only ones
who are in need Of Rehabilitation" after the
war. The political parties are candidates for a
little reconstruction on their own account. They,
too, are more or less war-battered veterans.
They do not expect congress to vote them land
or loans; no public sanitaria will be free to them
while they reeuperate; volunteer committees
will not attend to their wants while they are
recovering their strength. But they admit the
need Of building themselves up and pulling
themselves together. Especially is this con-
fessed in the case of the democratic party. The
republicans, under the skilled attention Of
Chairman Hays and Senator Lodge and other
doctors and nurses, feel that they are now
something more than convalescent. They even
think that they are strong enough to suppress
their own annoying left wing-the old progress
sves, who now propose to run things in the
house of their fathers to which they have re-
turned, not exactly as prodigal sons. With the
democrats, however, IT, is very different They
are almost crying aloud for someone to reha-
bilitate them. Looking down their lines, they
see too many bandaged heads and crippled legs.
Washington is full Of democratic lame ducks"
with nary crutch-in the shape of q good
othce-to support them.
The resignation of Vance Mccormick,
chairman of the democratic national committee,
is taken as a signal that the work of tonng up
Mccormick was thought of as a hindrance to
the work, But he has been called to France
to give technical advice to our peace delegates,
and it is felt that the choice of his successor
may be made the occasion of calling upon the
party to brace up. And the man who IS to do
the calling is not left in the shadow. 1t is the
confident prediction of party leaders in Wash
ington that President Wilson, as soon as he
gets home, will take hold Of the work Of put
ting his party in fighting shape for 1920.
Me- II t.ak ~ - - Nakm.
laid upon him, the obligation is not hard TO
understand. 1t is that of a man suinrooned to
make good the losses he himself has caused,
and to overcome, in one year, the difficulties
which he has created in SIX This is not to
imply that President Wilson has not been a
remarkably successful leader of his party since
1912. In many ways his record as such is I'M,
preeedented and brilliant He made democrats
do lot of things which were hateful to them.
Yet he kept them in power. There was no
gainsaying the authority of the man who won
Tor his party largely by his personal efforts,
two presidential and three congressional cleo
tons. He was the master of the iegions But
he lost his latest battle That might happen
to any leader; but the demorazed and des-
pendent state of mind in which the democratic
party now finds itself is due in good part to
the peculiar kind of leadership which President
Wilson has exemplifed. This is the reason, as
we say, why il is now regarded as his peculiar
duty to help reorganize and cheer up his party
followers
The root of the difficulty is that the presi-
dents leadership has been so nearly exclusive
1t is not simply that he has, overshadowed
other democrats. They have almost ceased to
be visible to the public eye. With Wilson out
OF the presidential campaign next year, whom
could the democrats nominate with any hope
Of success4 This is question to puzzle the
shrewdest The point is that Wilson's
methods, be they esteemed good or bad have
not had the result either of strengthening old
democratic leaders or developing new ones.
There are no towering figures next after the
president, to whom the party is looking This
defective has often been commented upon in
connection with Mr.. Wilson's leading of his
party. He has not, as a rule surrounded him
self with strong men. He does not appear to
have had keen eye for rising talents in his
party. Some of the young men whom he
seemingly picked out to Ego far" have on the
contrary, quickly fallen by the way. Never too
sound judge of men, the president has had
some insists and large number of medioc-
rites at his side The result was inevitable
as soon as the party fill on evil days. It could
not but feel that il was in danger of being
LETT leaderless and disorganized
There is something Of a comic air about a
great party saying: 60 to, will now re-
habiltate myself" The process is not so
facile. Men have to be found. Policies must
needs be agreed upon. That takes time and
labor. Yet it will not do for the republicans
to lie back at ease in Zion. They have against
them a politician more adrot and formidable
than any their party has had to encounter since
Samuel ]. Tiden; and with Woodrow Wilson
in command of the opposing army they will at
least know that they have had fight.