The Washington herald., 1920-03-29

stronghold, Is that in such a con-
test the Senator will lose. He is
strong enough to protect himself
against any assault of his enemies,
but not strong enough to swing the
State to his way of thinking on q
national issue.
Position OF Governor Coolidge.
Governor Coolidge has practically
disappeared as a national figure
The people least surprised by his
| eclipse are those of Boston VINO
were best informed as to the nature
of the police strike through which
he gained notoriety. and as to the
reluctance with which he assumed
the part afterwards depicted as ne
roic. In Boston there is a distinct
reaction against the hero worship
offered to Coolidge Immediately af-
ter the strike episode, ana the mag
azfnes which many months after the
event have been coming out with
laudatory articlts concerning MS
part in 1t are looked upon with con-
temptuous amusement. The feeling
Is strong that the reputation of the
city suffered from exaggerations of
the lawlessness that appeared. and
that those eXaggerations were sys-
Dramatically encouraged in order
that Coolidge might be made a ma
tional figure for political ends. He
mas Withdrawn as a Presidential as
pirant, but ii does not seem prob
able that he would have been a Sc
| rious hgure in the convention even
had his name been presstd.
Standing OF General Wood.
/ Outside of Massachusetts, Gen.
Is
the Republican fight. The twelve
delegates from Maine, though unin-
structed, were selected and endors-
ed by the Wood league and are
looked upon as safely for the gen.
eral. The Connecticut delegation
though nominally favorable to Gen.
Wood numbers among its district
delegates several of rather more
than doubtful loyalty to the gener-
al. including his denoted general
manager. John T. King. The Low
den managers claim the disaffected
ones. This convention. after the
fashion of Connecticut Republicans.
broke up in a Kilkenny row which
promises lively after effects at Chi
cago.
The outstanding facts about the
moves thus far made upon the po-
/
are that they have thus far been the
operations OF political machinists
only. The only State which has
held direct primaries has been New
Hampshire. and there, partly be-
cause of inclement weather, and
partly because of the systematic
preparations made by the profess
sionals, the result was merely n
machine victory. Among the masses
| or the voters discomfort with the
program offered them by the lead
ers of either party is general and
spoken. In Massachusetts, in par
ticular. the talk of a third party is
general, and the organizatio of one
which would draw seriously, if nor
tatally from the Republican party
would be matter of ease. The
tremendous ovation given to Mr..
Hoover on his recent visit TO the
city was thoroughly nonpartisan in
Its character and was Indicative to
some degree of the tendency of Bos-
tohians at the present time to break
away from party lines
Third Party DIscussIon.
There are many men of influence
In Boston. representative hitherto
Of both parties. who are seriously
discussing the advisabiIity of form
ing a new party. not with any hone
or expectation of achieving victory
thls year but rather with the pur-
pose OF building for the future, II
might be we'll for Republicans To
understand that this feeling springs.
to very great extent from the do
nothing policy of the present Con-
gress. The collapse of the Demo-
cratic administration is admitted on
every hand. but New England has
never expected much from Demo-
cratic administrations. But when
TO the seeming impotence of the
Executive is added the record of
procrastination and evasion which
the Republicans in the House and
senate have been guilty the ten
dency of the voters is to crv "a
plague on both your houses"
The advocates of a new marty are
not unaware of the difficulties in
the path. Political history has suf-
nclently emphasized these. In the
last forty years we have had bur
two third parties" which amount
eq TO anything. The rst. the Peo-
pies party, or "Populists," was in
It's inception agrarian, springIng
from the economic hardships en-
dured by the farmers of the Middle
West 1t was an approach to pure
democracy, not founded upon the
alteration of any individual. but
growing gradually out of the needs
OF the masses. and planned for con-
tinuous control by the masses. II
first agitated the initiative and ref
erendum that have become the COM
monplaces of politics today. 1t clam
ored for district primaries, which
the bosses accepted and distorted to
serve their needs. 1t fought for
control of States and for places in
Congress, both of which il won.
into the great game OF the Presi-
dency 1t entered only as partner
of the Democratic party and there
1t lost. Its fate was to be swallow
ed up by the larger party upon the
doctrines of which. however, -Popu-
lism exerted an enduring influence.
Progressives Sought Big Game.
The other third party of recent
years. the Progressives, tried for
higher game at the start and lost.
1t was to so great an extent a ONE
man party that II began dissolution
when Col. Roosevelt refused to lead
1t in 1916. and went out of existence
with his death. Populism, radical as
1t seemed, uncouth as were many of
its leaders. and generally ridiculed
as 1t was by the metropolitan press,
had, longer life and exerted a
more permanent influence upon pub
lie thought than did the revolt of