The New York herald., 1922-10-20
DR.. Butler Urges New Political
Alignment.

DR.. NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER,
president OF Columbia University.
scholar, statesman, philosopher, has
come to recognize the fact that our
two dominant political parties have
ceased to be efficient instruments for
carrying on our public business of
to-day.
DR.. BUTLER is no political theorist.
He is a hard headed. clear thinking.
practical man in his politics as he
is in his educational and admins
trative work DR.. BUTLER has been
Republican all his life, stalwart
Republican at that. For many years
he has been one of the great figures
in State and national conventions and
cne of the great figures in guiding
and shaping the policies of the party.
In 1912 on the death of JAMES S.
SHERMAN, candidate for Vice-Presi-
dent on Mr.. TAFT's ticket, DR.. BUTLER
was put on the ticket by the Repub-
lican National Committee to fill the
vacancy. With such setting it
is obvious that DR.. BUTLER is no po-
litical renegade. So when he comes
out clearly and strongly for new
political alignment, as he did in his
| important address last Tuesday be-
fore the Institute of Arts and Sci
ences of Columbia University, his
utterances carry unusual weight and
have marked significance.
Referring to our political situation
DR.. BUTLER says:
In our approach to the study and
discussion of public problems, we
"are misguided and blinded by the
influence and shibboleths Of party
division which no longer represents
the facts. To-day the division Of
office holders, Office seekers and the
voting public into Republicans and
Democrats means little or nothing
except struggle for public place and
public authority. In the Congress
81 at Washington and in many Of the
States, these party names have only
" the reminiscent significance Of the
label on an empty bottle of cham
pagne.
The time has come to move to-
ward higher ground. The over
whelming majority of Republicans
land the overwhelming majority Of
Democrats who are in substantial
agreement ON all fundamentals.
should speedily find ways to take
such steps as may be necessary to
form Democrat-Republican Party
Ito revive a name that was in use
= in this country century ago. which
would represent the predominant
liberalism of our people. Over
against such a progressive liberal
party there would naturally be or
/ ganized distinctly radical party,
to which should go all those who
q now call themselves Democrats or
Republicans, but who are in reality
neither.
1--WE should then have an honest
and sincere division of political
forces in this country, and the
voters, young and old, would be able
ito choose, without being misled by
false symbols and meaningless ira
ditions. whether they preferred to
: throw their influence with the pro-
"gressive liberal group or with the
radical group.
Under such a reorganization of
political forces, our constructive lib
erals would be brought face to face
with our destructive radicals, and
1.-The question whether the American
federal form Of government estab-
"lished by the Constitution should be
preserved and extended to meet new
needs and to solve new problems, or
whether 1t should be wholly or in
part overturned and discarded,
would be sharply presented to the
American people. Under such cir
cumstances American political edu-
"cation would proceed apace.
"It is my frequently expressed
judgment that free institutions can
be effectively maintained over any
considerable period Of time only by
"the two-party system. The two par
ties must. however, be really, two
land not merely'two shades or as
poets Of one. The appeal to differ
must be an honest and sincere ap-
peal, and when party wins or loses
"in submitting it's program to the
4" electorate, we must know distinctly
what It Is that has been won or lost
otherwise, our political battles are
"sham battles. our political slogans
"are meaningless and we are acting
"in a fashion unworthy alike Of ouI
" obligations and OF our opportuni.
tiles.
"The overwhelming majority oi
" Americans believe in their Consti.
tuition, their federal form Of gov
ernment, their guarantees of civi
land political liberty and their inde
pendent judiciary. But this over
whelming majority, by maintaining
"a purely artificial division amont
themselves. play directly and daily