The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-04-02
'WHYNOT SCRAP
BOTH PARTIES?
BLYTHE QUERIES
Both Already Are as, Dead as
DootnaiIs, Says Well
Known Writer.
CONTINUED from Page 81

ECCCItiys WIFI iSlShChSC W
the effect that multitude of law
making due to the lack Of resist
ance on the part Of our political
lawmakers has on the work of
the national Department OF JUS
tice, said: '''-.. -.
IAN enormous percentage of
partment of Justice Is work that
could be done more efficiently
and at much less expense by the
local government. The burden
Of this character of work Is so
great on the department that it
is fairly staggering under Its
load. Unless relieved bureaucracy
f. inevitable, with its attendant
evils. The extent of work which
It is doing that could be better
done by responsible local self
government Is so great that II
impairs the efficiency Of the ad-
ministration Of those laws which
deal with things essentially ma
tional in. their scope"
There you have IL. People in
one section or another. knowing
how easy It is to get laws passed
by our Congress-, take every lit
tl0 tOCdi ItattCi " thO >o'toa SSe'
and that Congress obediently
makes a law covering the case. or
the little local Congressman,
thinking to get kudos for himself.
passes the law to fit the little
local case. In either event the
result is the same; but with
strong, reliant, effective party or
Ranizations such as the terms
Republican party and Democratic
party connote but do not compre-
bend, there would be an attention
to national needs that Is now
lacking in the policies OF expe-
6iency and opportunism and the
seeking for bolstering political
favor that Is now the handspring
of all our party political action.
These various and alarming
conditions are not due to the weak
ness of our system of party gov
eminent, but are due to the weak
nesses of the parties that COM
prise that government. Once the
instruments Of government for all
people. they are now the mediums
for the attainment of the ends, the
application of the theories, the en-
forcement Of the fanaticisms. the
ltkdlklIlk vi tIlc lduS, thC
of the responsibilities. the restric-
ton of the liberties that every as
ISOLATION of TOMS, Dicks and
Harrys and Of Marys. James and
Susans. with the threat of polit-
ical reprisal in case their demands
are not complied with to back
them, presents to those who pre-
tend to party leadership and man.
IL - -
that may be useful in the various
ways self-interests can be of use
to politicians.
Neither the Republican party
nor the Democratic party has any
but a historical or sentimental
right to the suffrages Of the Amer
lean people. There is no outstand-
ing issue between them. There Is
no great leadership in them.
There is nothing to them save the
labels. The great bulk Of the
American people vote with one or
the other Of them. because there
is no other way of voting that
gives them an outlet for their po-
litical action. They divide be-
tween these dead ones because
there is nothing live to attiact
them.
1t is probable that a consider
able benefit will accrue to the peo-
pie by the scrapping of the battle
ships, but a much greater benefit
would accrue by the scrapping Of
the present Republican and Dem
ocratic parties and the formation
and building up of new parties
that would have blood and bones
In them instead of only bones
by a new political deal. without
1t we shall continue on our rapid
progress toward a limitless bu-
reaucracy, towards a further DOM
fnation by special organized inter-
ests OF all phases OF our lives,
towards a completely changed ard
highly restrictive form of govern
ment, neither conceived or or
dained by the charter Of our liber-
ties nor allowed by a party sys-
tenn that was really governmental
Tor all the people instead Of espe-
cially governmental for groups Of
the people.
OUTWORN VEHICLES.
The present obsolescent political
parties in this country, the Re
publican party and the Democratic
party, are the outcome of party
evolutions that began with the
Federalists and what was orig.
inally termed the Democratic-Re.
publican party to signify that it
was antt-Federalist. From these,
with various mutations, inheri-
tances, absorptions. combin atoms
down through the period after the
war OF 1872, when there was but
one party, there were the original
Democrats, the Wings, the Liberty
party. the Know-Nothings. the
Free-Soilers, the CONSTITUTIONAL
Unionists, and so on.
All these parties had their spans
OF activity and vanished when
they became outworn as vehicles
for the expression of the political
policies of their later times. The
present Republican party was
formed, a few years previous to
the civil war, because a great issue
needed a political party instru.
ment; and the present Democratic
party was a remodeling Of those
who were in opposition to .-eputli.
can doctrine.
The Republican party was domi-
nant after the civil war for many
years, and was a vital political III
strument,l There were numerous
new-party schemes-Liberal Re
publicans, the Grange, Greenback.
ers, the Farmers Alliance. the
Populists, the Progressives, and no