Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-02-27
POLITICAL REAL1GNMENr.

Recent appointments by President
Wilson have startled the country, but
when they are considered together it
is possible to get an idea Of what the
Wilson policy is.
It is pretty generally admitted that
there has got to be a realignment In
both the old political parties. AS
they stand today there is little differ
ence between them. There are liberals
conservatives In both parties.
Both have their wet" and dry fac
lions. These respective factions In
the two parties are batting among
themselves for control. Radical Demo-
Gratis do not want to be forced out OF
their party If they can help II. But
cratic party are equally opposed to
being forced out. The radicals are
fighting to make the party more
liberal while the conservatives are
fighting to hold the party to the con-
sentative policies.
The same kind of a fight is going
on between the radical and con-
~servative elements in the Republican
party. Neither element wants to give
up their old party yet it is plain that
the same party cannot hold both ele-
.ments.
Because the two political parties are
so much ike these days people have
lost interest in partisan politics, Party
headers find the great mass of citizens
utterly Indifferent. The rank and file
fail to see any difference between the
parties as far as policies go. Sooner
or later one party has got to represent
the conservative element and the
other the more liberal ideas. Until the
rea,ignment takes place and all the
radicals or liberals, are in one party
and all the more conservatives are In
the other party there is not going to
be much taking sides In political
controversies as far as the people
generaily are COnceTleu'
Slowly his readjustment of political
ideas is being worked out. President
Wilson's recent appointments shows
the tendency. 1t Is apparent that the
President would nave the Democratic
party the party of the liberals. No
doubt before the year is over this
movement to llberalize the Democratic
party. causing it to stand for the more
advanced ideas in government owner
ship, labor and capital and foreign
relations, will grow. AS this tendency
develops under the leadership OF
President Wilson the so-called radical,
or more liberal element in the Repub-
lican party is going to be drawn to
the Democratic standard.
We have a striking illustration in
B~ainbridge Colby who has just been
made secretary of state in President
Wilson's cabinet. Mr.. Colby was a
Repub. lean a few years ago. He fol-
flowed Theodore Roosevelt into the
Progressive party. But when Roose-
welt attempted to take his followers
back into the Republican party to
support Charles E. Hughes in 1915,
Colby refused to go. He found the
more advanced ideas of President
Wilson nearer to his w ideas and he
became a Wilson Democrat.
There are a great many moro men
like cambridge Colby only they don't
like to give up the name Republican
They are still clinging to the old shir
in the hope that they can make the
party as liberal as they are.
But the tendency today Is the other
way. More and more 1T looks as II
the Republican party is going to be
the party of the conservatives while
the Democrats will become the party
OF the liberals