The Washington times., 1922-04-02


The Republicans are oppol
The Democrats are obstruction
lists. II positions were shifted the
designations would shift also.
Neither side has anything that ap-
proaches constructive leadership
Neither side has anything more
than self-seeking membership.
MERE LABELS.
The party term Republican isn't
definite any more. 1t isn't even
descriptive. No more so is the
party term Democratic. They are
labels on empty bottles, signs on
untenanted houses, cloaks that
cover but do not conceal the skele-
ton beneath them. No man who
is in this Government as a Repub-
hcan can give a valid. vital, pres
ent-day reason for calling himself Il
Republican. All can and will give
historical. sentimental, sectional.
hereditary reasons, but not one Of
them can prove to a young chap
Just coming twenty-one why 1t is
for his benefit or the benefit Of the
country to join the Republican
party in premises that have appli-
cation to existing civic, economic
or nvernmental condition.
Nor can any Democrat. either in
or out of the Government. The
only reason there is for being either
a Republican or Democrat in this
year 1922 Is the reason of past
performances. That isn't much of
q reason. but IL Is the best there is.
AS recently as twenty-five years
ago 1t meant something to be a Re
publican. 1t meant that those who
wore that label We're protectionists,
and stood for the single gold stan
dard. for example. 1t meant to be
q Democrat that you held to the
policy Of tariff for revenue only,
and that you were either for free
silver or for gold. Take these two
outstanding issues Of a quarter Of
a century ago and try to apply
them now as reasons for Democra-
cy or Republicanism. They are
purely historical. The tariff Is no
longer an issue. 1t is a process,
and an academic one at that.
AS the present groups Of poll
ticians follow each other into
power they tinker with the tariff
more as a rite than anything else,
and get about the same results,
because of the certain fixed and
necessary positions as a revenue
producer the tariff now occupies
in our political economy.
Let any politician or number OF
them try to make a live and
burning issue of the tariff as 1t
was in 1888, and in 1892, and in
1896, and see what would happen.
The public would yawn their
heads off, and pay no more atten-
ton to the effort than they would
10 a new recital Of the Crime Of
'73. And the gold standard is so
irvevocably established that all the
fuss over 1t in 1895 and 1900 seems
fantastic now.
NO ISSUES.
Earnest partisans may say that
the issue that Is most concretely
set forth by an acceptance or a
rejection Of the League of Nations
plan is q real point at issue be-
tween the two phantasms OF
parties that now exist, but that is
not susceptible of proof They
will and do claim that the elect
ion of 1920 was contested on that
point.
Now there is some justice to
the claim that the election of
1920 was contested professionally
on that issue-professionall but
not popularity. The campaign
managers insisted that the partic-
ipation of the United States, or
the nonparticipation, in foreign
affairs was at stake; a transcend
cnt and tremendous issue, they
said. The partisan press trumpet
ed that, and the partisan orators
clamored IL. They got out tons Of
literature on the subject, and
spent a great deal more money
than they mad, or have yet, to
make the people believe that this
was the high and holy, or the
low and deJased. motive for
going TO the polls and casting a
fearless ballot for one or the
otnCr OF the Candida atcs
A vote for Harding, they said,
meant a continuation Of our his
<oric, Washingtonian. revered pol
~ of no entangling foreign alli-
ances: and vote for Cox meant
that America is to take her right
ful place i'm the affairs of the uni
verse. That sounded well but the
facts are that not one-tenth of the
people who voted for Harding vot.
ed for him with any clear idea in
mind OF what participation or non
participation means or entails, and
with small concern either way; and
most of the people who voted for
Cox voted for him because they
were constitutionally and congenit.