The New York herald., 1922-01-28
Political insurgency and the
Expansion of Radicalism.

.~~~-D@>~D---s
The political insurgency Of to-day
is a thing Of the Republican party;
radicalism in it's enveloping sweep
is thing of both the Democratic
and Republican parties.
Political insurgency came to the
surface in 1910 under the leadership
OF Senator DoILrvER Of Iowa. Until
1910 Senator DoLLIvER had gone
straight with his party. He had been
a thorough organization man. He
was big figure among outstanding
Republican statesmen. He supported
the Dingley Tariff act in 1897 with
characteristic force.
But in 1910 he refused to give his
Endorsement to the Payne-Aldrich
tariff. He broke with his party over
this tariff and in a powerful speech
on June IA, 1910, led the revolt of
Republicans who felt as he felt with
regard to this measure, and who felt
as he felt with regard to the un.
Welding dominance OF Republican
stalwartism. From that time on
Senator DoLLIvER and his adherents
were called insurgents and were
treated as such by the controlling
forces of the party.
The Mugwump detection in the
Blaine-Cleveland campaign In 1884
was not the same thing. That de.
lection was reactionary in spirit and
conservative to the nth degree. 1t
was the very antithesis Of progress.
sivism or radicalism.
The Dolliver insurgents, on the
contrary, had already become imbued
with the spirit of liberalism. The
Progressive party. which came into
being two years later, in 1912,
was but the bigger expression OF
the Dolliver insurgency. But foI
DoLLrvER's break with the stalwarts
there might not have been, and prob
ably would not have been, the break
in Republican ranks in 1912.
DoLLvEn pointed the way. The
nationwide response to his initiative
revealed measure OF lurking inde-
pendence in the Republican ranks
that caused general surpSise and
much concern. For the first time
in the life of the Republican party
it now had real dissension inits own
camp to reckon with. This was not
the case with the Mugwump defec-
tion. That created little concern and
its portent was inconsequential.
The independent spirit that so
sharply manifested itself In the Dol.
liver break with his party in 1910
is the same spirit that, now grown
holder and more radical, is carrying
things with high hand in our ma.
tional legislature.
In 1910 the insurgents came mainly
out OF the Republican party. Two
thirds to three-quarters of the Roose
velt vote in the 1912 Presidential
campaign came out Of the Republican
party. The balance mainly came
from the Democratic party.
The present insurgent movement
is an enormously larger thing. II
is made up more evenly of Repub
licans and Democrats. 1t is broader
and bigger in every way. In It are
represented many shades Of political
opinion, but the dominant note OF
this great discordant body of insur
gents. unorganized and leaderless, IL
radicalism. It is not, however, ar
irresponsible radicalism. II has its
feet planted squarely on the. ground
In the bulk 1t Is conservative In
that 1t has lands and houses and in
yestments and other possessions to
conserve.
In the bulk there Is nothing in
common between these insurgents
and socialism, nothing in common
between them and Bolshevism. Like
all other men they are enormously
more radical without responsibility
than they would be with 1t. Respon.
sibility tempers extravaganza.
This wide insurgent movement has
given much concern to the nation.
But IL is well to keep in mind the
fact that these insurgents are Amer.
leans and that the calm common
sense of the Americans always saves
them from disaster and lands them
on their feet. THE NEW YORK
HERALD has deep and abiding faith
in the sober sense Of our great citi.
zenship.