The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-07-23


an and Democratic; parties. The peo'
lie have been treated like children
heir highest hopes have oeen fious.
ID; their best beliefs have been bu.
led beneath mountains o. partisan
lush and filth.
The question is, Will the people
tand it? Have they submitted to Sc
much bulldczing at the hands of the
politicians and the parties, that they
have lost their sense of ownership OF
heir cwnsgovernment?
There is no question whatever
about the Widespread public disgust
the question is, How will it emerge?
Will it die down into apathy or will il
it flame forth into apathy, or will ii
flame forth into the protest of q
Citizens Movement with Citizens
Candidate?
1t is very doubtful that any party
today has the definite cones1on of
other years. We hear everlasting talk
about "the party" from both Demo
Gratis and Republicans. But where is
it? 1t appears hat the "party" con-
sists of the men who meet in national
convention, and no one else. These
parties" do what they please and
then go out and bid for the suffrages
of the American people.
There is no reason whatever why
the choice of the American people
should be limited to Cox or Harding,
to the spineless Republican platform
or the dead Democratic platform.
The American people are too big,
their problems too pressing, 20 per-
nit them to stand on either platform.
Third parties have fallen INTO dis
repute because their sole purpose
heretofore has been to boost some
body into office; when tney -ailed to
do that they were cast aside. Theo-
dore Roosevelt led out of the Kepub-
lican party the best blood in it, the
young men of the party whose ideals
had not been besmirched and whose
loyalty to their country had not been
weakened by party shacxies. But
when they proved to be numerically
tco weak to elect him, although they
were morally so strong as 70 throw a
creative shock into the conscience
and will of the nation, he left them
and went back. Since, that faimre.
which was the failure of an individ-
ual and not a movement, third par
ties have been regarded with doubts.
But a movement of the American
people, in rebuke of both the sub
servient Democratic and Republican
parties, would not be the usual "third
party"-it would be the Nation seiz-
ing again its own control out of un-
worthy hands.
The old parties have no divine
right. What party convention does,
need not be received loyalty, as if it
were an act of government. The peo-
pie now know-all of the people
know-that the last two national
were deliberate caucus
es, secret in their real work, for the
purpose of putting over" on the peo-
pie something that the people do not
want, and against which they will be
in rebellion before another four
years.
Whether the people Will take su-
pinely what is given them, or exer-
else their free power to name their
own candidate and make their own
platform; whether they will require
that their nose be rubbed still deep
er in the contempt which the polite
ians at once, is for the immediate
future to reveal.
Will there. be a cleanup at Wash
irgton under Cox or under Harding?
Certainly there will be no custer of
the secret rulers Sf the United Stat
es under Republican or Demo-
cratic regime.
If the people want a : cleanup,
they must act at once, they must act
deliberately, they must act without
= "c:clcc to the precedent set by the
discredited parties, and they must
= with confidence in their su-
Drene control over all their affairs"