Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-14
WILSON MAY LEAD
PROGRESSIVE BLOC
AMONG DEMOCRATS
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
(ConyriCht 1927

a third party and progressive"
blocs has hitherto been confined to
it's effect on the Republican party
and has been looked upon really as a
revolt inside that party but there is
every reason to believe the "progres.
sive" movement will soon break out
in the ranks of the Democratic
party.
Woodrow Wilson's recent decision
to take an active part in Democratic
politics, or rather his rapid physical
recuperation which has enabled his
physicians to permit him to dig into
his correspondence and see callers
is significant of a change in the
mood of passive silence which has
characterized the Democratic party
during the recent outcry of the Re-
publican "progressives" for a new
deal in politics.
Is Much Stronger
Mr.. Wilson is not by any means
the active man that he was when
president. Probably he never will
be. But he is physically stronger
today than at any time since his
collapse. He is capable of at least
two hours of sustained work every
day and he takes advantage Of it to
write many letters and to see peo-
pie. He has been seeing an average
Of one caller a day and some days
has had many more. Most of them
have been old friends but some have
brought him information on the po-
litica1 state of affairs. Every one
has gone away with the impression
that the mind of Woodrow Wilson
is as alert today as it was when he
was in the presidency and that his
reasoning powers are as clear as
they were in the days of wartime
chaos.
The former president naturally
holds close to his heart the interna-
tional situation but he is much too
good a political diagnostician to
ignore the wave of sentiment Of
Democratic affairs which made it.
self manifest in the primaries and
the elections this year.
Progressive Not New"
The Democratic party under his
leadership prided itself on the name
progressive" Mr.. Wilson won his
nomination at Baltimore in 1912 be
cause he was a progressive" AMI
because the Democrats felt that
they, too, must offer progressive
to win the seemingly popular sup
port that was attaching at that timo
to the Bull Moose movement.
If history is repeating itself and
if the "progressive'' bloc of today is
endeavoring to capture control OF
the Republican party now as it tried
in 1910 and failing in that helped to
form a third party, then the Demo
Gratis must chart a course which will
put them in progressive channels,
too.
Woodrow Wilson considers himself
the leader of his party and the
spokesman Of the progressive ele-
ments in Democracy which he feels
have dominated in the last eight
years. Certainly the Wilson forces
namely a combination of Palmer
and McAdoo men--Were sufficient to
control the last Democratic conven"
r.. lSy1
discussion. And the Democratic
went to see Mr.. Wilson and won his
endorsement. So that the Wilson
view may still be sad to be pre-
dominant in the Democratic ;arty.
Most Important Question
Now here comes me most impor-
tant question of APPROXIMATION. The
former president knows what u part
it plays in American politics and
probably agrees with President liar
dings recent statement in his adj
dress to congress that the matter
has by no means been cast out Of
politics, but is playing a vital )art
in local elections.
Mr.. Wilson, it will be recalled,
vetoed the bill which would have
extended wartime prohibition after
the armistice but the drys were able
to pass it in congress over his veto.
He was bitterly assailed for this by
the dry" organizations. His rec
ord on the prohibition question has
not been what the drys would like.
He started out in New Jersey Icy IN
sisting that it was a moral and not
a political question, and declared for
local option. He agreed to wartime
prohibition, or rather the making of
2.75 beer chiefly because of the need
for conserving the Ingredients which
were used in the manufacture of
beer. And when the San Francisco
convention of the Democratic party
was in session, there is a wellde-
fined story that Mr.. Wilson sent a
beer plank to that city despite Mr..
Bryan's known attitude on Grohibi-
ton, and despite the feeling of so
many Democrats that the issue had
better be ignored in the platform al
together. The plank was never Of
fered on Mr.. Wilson's behalf.
Since those days, Mr.. Wilson has
been silent because of his illness
and such letters as he has written
to friends have touched generally
on international affairs.
CongratuIates Edwards
But, it will be recalled, that Mr..
Wilson was one of the first to send
q message of congratulations to
Governor Edwards, of New Jersey,
on his election as United States sem
ator on a wet platform. Mr.. Will
Qen1