Evening star., 1922-12-01
Politics at Large
BY N. o. MESSENGER.

| For the next two years politics VIII
absorb the attention of the people OF
/ the United States to degree COM
parable with the most heated political
| periods of past years whose history Is
1 familiar to the average reader. This
statement reflects the judgment of re-
publican old timers in the Senate. the
House and the administration: and
| echoes the opinion of democrats on
| the side lines. They are moved to
this conclusion by consideration of the
result of the last campaign. which
| ended in the elections Of November :.
The outstanding feature Of that bat
tie of the ballots is characterized us
being demonstration of the fact that
politics in this country has come back
to n"rmalry, promising contest be-
tween two major parties representing
a division on policies and government
along traditional lines.
Occasionally in public life and
among men who have an established
and recognized standing therein. VIII
be found Il dissenter from the dictum
that ours is government by par
ties" Locate him and there is seen an
enthusiast carried away by idolatry or
personality. Policies and their prin-
cipleS may be overshadoWed tempo
rarily by the effulgence of a striking
personality, but they emerge eVentu-
ally.
1t requires but a moments retro
e,tion to recall that since 1872 the
country has existed in hectic spell
a
in the alteration of personalities. Wit
ness the violent fluctuation in party
majorities marking the drifting of the
voters from one personal banner to
another. By some observers this was
ascribed to the growth of independ-
ence in party politics: by others to an
increasing spirit to follow personal
tiles to the disregard of party.
The outcome of the recent elections
is construed by thoughtful men in the
limelight of the hour as Indicating
that the pendulum has swung back,
not to an extreme, but pausing on the
dead center denoting the natural
cleavage between democrat and re-
publican.
This is discouraG Ging to the sug-
gestion of third party. During the
recent campaign much was heard and
written about the dissatisfaction of
the voters with the two old parties.
1t was construed at the time as in
dicating the possibility of the growth
Of thfrd-party movement. But
when the ballots We're counted it
was seen that the voters who had
been supporting this and that leader
and changing party allegiance TO do
7 I. .xvJ -, IL ..v~fN
division. The present narrow mar
gin of control of the next House
and Senate by the republicans is
nothing phenomenal. Since 1854 there
have been many periods when the
parties in Congress were as equally
closely divided.
A very significant incident sup
porting the proposition that the time
is not conducive to the success of
a third-party movement was furnish
ed this week. when Gov. Hunt of
Arizona was quoted in a newspaper
Toilette in calling a bipartisan meet
ing of progressives was healing for
a third party. The senator promptly
declared this 10 be misleading; that
his object is to obtain progressive
legislation by the combined action
of democrats and republicans.
There is humorous aspect to the
spectacle now being presented of the
eagerness with which democrats. re-
pubHcans and "progressives" are
rushing to claim the credit for pro-
essiveism-especially the fervor of
some erstwhile "reactionaries" to
hold aloft the banner. Apparently
progressive legislation should have
an easy path. for no one seems op-
posed to it in House and Senate
From the enthusiasm existing and
manifest any kind of progressive
bill might be brought into the House
without rule from the committee on
rules to expedite its passage. All
that should be necessary would be
general leave to print" SO that each
of the 435 members could have op
portunity to put in the Congressional
Record his assurance that he was the
real dyed-in-thew wool progressive.
Much of the same condition pre-
walls in the Senate. There are no
self-confessed reactionaries there, but
instead there obtains a fine spirit of
emulation of example set by ex-
ponents of progressive ideals. To be
sure there are gradations of pro-
gressivsm. which. like the grading
Of grain and sampling of cotton show
distinct varieties. At the beginning
OF the current session of Congress an
effort was made by few progresSives
in the Senate to set themselves apart
as chosen hand to stand for all
that is highest in progress, where
! upon there was immediate demon
stration by senator's hitherto unsus-
pected of such leanineS of their warm
interest in progressive legislation.
The progressive bloc in the two
houses. now in process of being
formed for bipartisan action on a
legislative program. would attain its
objective through the exertion of a
balance of power. If everybody in
the House and Senate continues to
warm up to progressiviSm there will
be no need for balance of power
x :: x x
This state of affairs tends to make
for peace in the republican party and
to avert factional division in the
presidential campaign of 1924. it is
asserted by politicians. With repub-
lican solidarity effected. the issue in
politics would then be raised between
the democratic and republican parties
as to which was the most progressive,
the voters to take their choice ac-
cording to their own conception of
progresSiViSm and between the other
policies proposed by the two parties.
When the late David b. Hill of New
York announced Il am a democrat"
he set for himself a standard of partv
allegiance which may be revived.