New-York tribune., 1920-10-29
The Party Of Autocracu
An Independent Democrat Explain,
His Reason for Rcpob
To the Editor of The Tr;bun.


Sir: The development Of the camns,r.
has made it clear that there +. NJ
one real issue. That issue Ia ~. -
League Of Nations Between tho -.
candidates there is. indeed. a wild. 4.
vergence Of view as to how tha. or..
ton should be approached and ss,.Ioa
AS matter Of fact, however. the 60
Of the United States as regards par,;c.
ipation in the league Will probably :.
about the same. whichever candids+. :
elected. Since two-thirds vote ~ .,
Senate is required, Cox cannot fo..-
through his views any more thu.
Wilson could Harding, on tho o.b..
hand, is committed 70 following =.
guidance of the Senate and o.bo-
tional leaders Of political thouv,.
There is as much genuine idealjsro 49,
desire TO play what is our oroner ,s,.
in the worlds effort to ra.ntai, ,....
among Republicans a. among Democr,.,
The Democrats Try TO MAKE or -.
there is in the league a reql issns .,s
they have succeeded in taking n .ouo
earnest believers in the league WIN viii
vote for President as though they rsr.
Judging an academic debate. Whe, -
get down TO the hardDan Of actual s.c.,
it is clear that We shall enter -.
league, if at all. only by securing q,
agreement between the majority Of n.
Senator'S Of both parties. There ;s =,
least equal likelihood tha. such 9,
agreement will be secured with Harding
as Prcsiden. as with Cox.
There is no question Of na,io,,,
honor involved The Allies have mad,
separate peace without Is. We a..
not under the slightest obligation "a
join the league. None but partisan
or zealot would blame us for putting
statutory end to a war which has 10
actual existence, or for limiting in anv
way which we may deem necessary our
commitment to share in the eror.,
to maintain the status qlo in Europe
The only question really az stake 1,
whether the Republican party is to bs
in control or the Democratic. Party
lines do not today represent funda-
mental differences in princ.ole. Tba
issue is, which organization is the better
fitted to he in power?
Many years ago I became Demo.
crat when the tariff was an issue. and
have since always enrolled as Demo-
crat and have voted the Democrats,
ticket so far as l conscientiously could
Reluctantly, but very clearly. | have
come to the conclusion that as an or.
ganization it is essentially not only W.
democratic but autocratic. In New York
State, for example, no one has. in the
last analysis, anything to say in select
ing its candidates or determining its
policies except Charles F. Marphy. |.
is wholly impossible for any member Of
the party to amount to anything in It
unless he will play the part OF satel-
lite to Murphy. Democrats have been
forced either to sacrifice their self-re-
spect or to drop out Of the organization.
There has been no alternative.
Just so nationally. For years Bryan
was the Democratic party. For eigh,
years past no Democrat in national
politics has been able to call his soul
his own or to retain his standing in
party councils unless he would bow the
knee to Wilson. When the Democratic
Senators wished to make concessions
which would have made the United
States a member Of the League Of Ma
tions, Wilson said no" and one man
overruled the vast majority Of the party
and what was clearly the will of the
nation
1t is a grave mistake to attribute the
growth of the autocratc spirit IN M
Wilson solely to causes rooted in his
own character Such a development is
the natural result of being the head Of
party which is governed by bosses and
will tolerate no leaders. If Cox IS elected
it Will not be the members or the in
NNiHNN NNHA 4'''NiNa 9-i4 X " Nlle lftHlSNiahiN
party which viii rule Murphy's word
viii be supreme in New York, Taggart's
in Indiana, Nugent's in New Jersey,
Brennan's in Illinois Nationally there
will be 10 party leaders Cox will rule
as supreme boss We shall be gov
erned by a self-perpetuating aatocracy.
In the Republican organization there
are many voices many leaders. but no
supreme ruler nationally and none local.
ly, except in q few states 4 man can
fight for his principles in the Republi-
can party and maintain his standing.
even if in minority. AS an organzs-
ton it is essentially democratic
The present issue, then-the only real
issue-is democracy versus autocracy.
A vote for Harding is a vote FOR liberty
and democratic political institutions.
To vote for Cox is to vote for the con-
tinuance Of an oligarchy of contempt
ible bosses like Murphy, and for the
kind of autocracy that wilson has
typifed. NATHAN A. SMYTH
New York, Oct. 26. 1920.