The New York herald., 1922-01-26
THURSDAY. JANUARY 2s. 1922.
Political insurgency, or a New
Radical Party.

MAGICAL drIy.
THE New YORK HERALD printed
nm illuminating, exclusive news
article yesterday from it's Washing
ton Bureau on the political insur-
Scncy which now has both the Demo-
cratic and the Republican parties by
he throat. Though it has not yet
saken on definite shape as distinct
political Organization, it is to-day,
nevertheless, absolutely and wholly
dominant in our national legislation.
Its voting strength on radical
measures is we'll nigh hundred
rer cent. of the members of both
branches of Congress. Unorganized
orce though it is, it's power in radi-
cal legislation totally eclipses the
power of any organized or unorgan-
.zed force hitherto known to the ma
ional Capitol. There has never been
aaything in any way comparable
20 it.
This force, made up Of members
from the Democratic and Republican
parties obedient to the insurgent
lash, already defies the President and
sneers at party control. This young
colossus first appeared on the hori-
zon only a few months ago as a
farm bloc. 1t is vastly more t4an a
arm bloc to-day.
1t is by way of embracing, IL, in
deed, it does not already embrace
he entire aggregation of that part
of our American citizenship out of
sympathy with what is, all those dis
gruntled with our politics or with
life in general, all those Indifferent
20 party organization and all radi-
Gals of whatever creed, save tn
Iltra-extremists. To these may per-
haps be added the forces of organized
labor. Then, too, there are large
contingents of the Roosevelt Pro-
gressives of 1912 and the William
Jennings Bryan Populists of 1896,
who have never been content to
march under the banner of either the
Republican or Democratic party.
For more than a quarter of CEN
tury America has been taking on rad
icalism. The farmers, except for
Dopulistic outbreaks now and again
when things have gone badly with
them, have been the bulwark of con-
servativism. For the most part they
we're property owners. They had
something to conserve, hence their
conservatism.
But now, with the farmers banded
together in farm bloc whose atti-
tude is aggressively radical and as
suming for the first time in big
national way the reins OF leadership,
we have no precedent of sufficient
moment on which to base an opinion
as to the actual outcome of the pres
ent nationwide radical movement.
Its weakness. or perhaps better
weakness. considered structurally as
an impending political entity, is
found in the fact that all these vari-
Gus elements have had no adhesive
growth. II is as IL they had been
pitched together over night, a vast,
discordant mass in the main, but
unit in respect OF grievances and
radicalism.
With a Roosevelt or Wilson as
leader OF this unorganized aggrega-
tion il would be amalgamated in
short order into n great political
unit that would sweep everything
before IL.
In 1912 the Progressive party had
no such expansion and spontaneous
movement. IL came as a response to
an extraordinary leadership and as
such was totally unlike the present
great tidal wave movement which
without leadership has startled and
stunned the country.
In its present state OF assertiveness
II is taking on Senator KENYON OF
Iowa for the time being as its leader.
How far he will go with it or how
long he will last or whether this in.
surgency will straightway organize
INTO a great radical party Is any
mans guess That II has all the ele-
ments necessary for such organiza-
ton is certain. and II is equally GER
tain that IL not organized now the
day is close at hand when these same
forces will be. The conditions are
ripe for 1t. The two old parties can