Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-15
Are Not Afraid
Of Third Party

Copyright, 1920. by The Washing
ton Star.)

I N0AAEAAS -
internationally for the last eighty
years. SO the Republican and DEM
ocratic party leaders are not much
disturbed by the party of the com
mittee of As" in Chicago. AS a
matter of ract, In the 1915 election
there were six parties in the field,
with the Socialists polling more
than SIS, 900 votes. while the four
parties OUTSIDE the Democratic or
Republican piled up a total OF some
thing over 100000 out of eighteen
and one-half million votes cast.
The third party gives an oppor-
tunity for the disseminated elements
among the 100000 900 people to
set together and register their kick.
And throughout the years the third
party candidates have had some
measure of success in getting their
candidates into both branches of
congress. Between 1910 and 1850
il was the anti-Masonic party and
the anti-C Catholic party. Then in
1856 came the American party
which was a development of the
anti-Masonic, nti-Catholic and
an~ti-foreign contests.
The third party probably achieved
its most notable record In n thirty
fourth congress when the Americans
had two members Of the senate and
twenty-tnree members OF the
House. They held the balance of
power and for more than two
months prevented the election of a
speaker under the majority rule.
Finally by an agreement Nathaniel
p. Banks, OF Massachusetts,. was
elected-the only speaker in the
history of the United States govern
ment who was elected under a plu-
rality rule. He was elected on the
133rd viva voce vote and the fourth
vote under plurality rule adopted
for the occasion.
In 1851 the American party gave
way before the Unionists. During
1s61-'63 there were two Unionists
in the senate and twenty-eight In
the House. They affiliated with the
Republicans and in 1854 Lincoln,
the Republican candidate was elect
ed on a Union ticket"
Then came the Liberal Republic
cans with seven members in the
senate and FIVE in the House in
1S73-'75. Next the Greenbackers
held attention and got sixteen mem
bers into the House in 1928.
The Greenbackers continued active
for several congresses. An interest
ing sidelight on the Greenbackers is
that about 1873 "Old Bill" Allen
was elected governor of Ohio by a
coalition of the Greenbackers and
the Democrats. 1t vas that situa-
ton that developed Rutherford B.
Hayes. He had been governor be-
fore and was put up by the Repub-
licans in 1875 to redeem Ohio on a
sound money basis, and that made
him presidential timber. Strangely
enough it made Tilden his opponent
in the 1876 campaign, for Allen
was being groomed by the Demo-
Gratis for the Presidency if he had
again carried the state. The sound
money men in the East insisted up
on the Tilden candidacy.
In 1929 there were five popu-
lists and two silver men in the SEN
ate and fifteen fusionists and three
silver men in the House. In the fol-
lowing congress there were five
populists and three silver men in
the House. Some of these popu-
lists took a very prominent part in
congress. In 1903-'05 there were two
Union Labor men came to congress
and in 1911 the first Socialist ar
rived. Victor Berger and Meyer
London are the two Socialists who
have served in the American con-
gress.
In the present congress there are
a Prohibitionist, Progressive. Re-
publican and Independent Republic
can.
way in which few men who have
made their mark in congress and
in American politics have not been
strictly bound by party ties is found
in the case OF Nathaniel P. Banks,
mentioned above. He vas elected
as a coalition Democrat to the
thirty-third congress as an Ameri-
can to the thirty-fourth. as a Re-
publican to the thirty-fifth, as a
Union Republican to the thirty
ninth, as a Republican to the for
tieth, forty-irst and forty-second.
as a Liberal Republican to the
fo~rty-fourth and forty-ffth, and
again as a Republican to the fifty
first congress.
So Whats in a name" when 1t
comes t o playing the shifty game of
politics. The same man won re-
peaedly under about all the third
party captions known in his day.
The development of the Progress
sive party under the leadership of
Theodore Roosevelt and the con-
sequent defeat of the Republicans,
by jumping into second place had
led to the scare of a third party.
But the Democratic and Republican
party leaders are not much disturb
ed because they realize that it was
the masterful personality of Theo-
dore Roosevelt hat was behind the
only third party drive that ever
came near being successful in the
national elections. He got eighty
eight electoral votes while Taft, the
Republican nominee got only eight.
The third party conference in
Chicago, political leaders figure,
should be helpful to the Demo-
cratic candidate rather than other
wise-if it ever does make a stir.
The greatest strength of this pro-
posed third party seems to lie in the
states of Wisconsin Minnesota and
the two Dakotas-which are nor
mally Republican. Among the lead
ers in congress there has been an
expectation that a large throw-off
vote would be found in Pennsylva-
MIA, Wisconsin and some other
states where there is a large ele-
ment disgruntled w the prohibit
ton legislation, but it was thought
that this vote would go to the So
ciallsts.
1t will be seen that through the
years the third party movement has
been more often dis-affection with
in the Republican ranks than the
Democratic ranks. But the Repub-
lican leaders during the last half
century have been practically unan-
imous in saying that they have had
more trouble with men of ambition
called themselves Republicans, but
who when it suited their purpose
were prone to break away from the
party pastures than from any third
party campaigning.
They recall hat in thes sixty-first
congress a dozen Republicans re-