Evening star., 1923-07-25
Politics at Large
BY N. O. MESSENGER.

which thus far has extended TO
the eastern. section of the state or
Washington. and which Is to be con-
tinued. to the coast and down, and
then back through the plains states
and the Mississippi valley, is the sub
ordination of party politics and poll
cies to the pressure Of economic and
industrial conditions.
'It is an ominous sign" conservative
politicians In both the old parties
rnutter, with a shake Of the head. 1T
is sign Of an approaching upheaval
in old-line party politics" declare
others. who are girding themselves to
mount and head the expected political
emeute which they foresee.
Out in the western states through
which The Stars stan correspondent
has been travelling the mass of the
electorate seem to be thinking in
terms of dollars and immediate ma
terial conditions Of living. instead Of
political parties, of policies and of
basic political considerations. They
do, however, link up politics with
existing economic conditions and
forge a chain of responsibility which
they trace to the party in power. The
republicans and the administration
suffer loss of prestige and popular ia
vor accordingly.
A thoughtful and prominent repub-
lican in the section whence this chap
ter emanates said:"I can't for the life
Of me see why there should be apathy
toward the administration at this
time. 1t has made no bad break, but
has shown courage and followed
constructive policy. No President since
the days of Grover Cleveland has
shown the courage exhibited by Presi-
dent Harding vetoing the soldier
bonus bill and the Increased pension
bill. The republican Congress did not
possess the temerity to refrain from
passing the bills, so those actions
should be an administration asset. but
the rank and file do not so assay it."
1t is a question, indeed, what the
rank and file do give the administra-
ton credit for. Nc enthusiasm is
worked up over the league OF ma
tions or the world court. The vot-
ers listen attentively to speakers
Upon the subject. but seem kind of
half bewildered over the tale. Let
some one declaim. II am against
war" and there are loud shouts of
approval. even though the speaker
does not go on to explain how he
would prevent war.
! Then, they leave their meeting and
return to their original crouch
against things in general and the
administration and the govern
ment' in particular.
X X +
/ see by the papers that Senator
Fess OF Ohio is an optimest over the
peoples present state of nostalgia
with the republican party and the
administration. Republicans out this
way wish him well and hope he is
correct in his analysis. set forth in
his statement in Cincinnati that in
his opinion the evil days will pass.
as economic conditions bring about A
turn Tor the better. Republicans here
nope that the natural laws will soon
get INTO operation and the turn of
the tide set in. for they are very
much concerned over the present
drift of affairs
Public opinion is indeed tickle and
swift to change. In this instance
formed upon an existing Industrial
and economic fact. the distressful
condition of the agriculturist and
the low price of wheat. Let me show
among the electorate. The farmer,
who is creature of moods superin-
duced by the weather and the condi-
ton of the crops. takes on a case of
A
| and goes to town where he talks
with the small tradesman and soon
gets him looking down his nose
Ihat worthy communicates his ap-
prehension to the people with whom
he comes in contact and he becomes
a gloomy Gus" 1t is a cinch the
farmer does not go to town without
having something to say to his
banker and he gets a dose of the
virus. The banker, of course. knows
| better than to lay the trouble to the
administration or the President, but
1 he begins to feel uneasy. SO it goes
| in an endless chain which works for
panic.
! Senator Fess may be right. His long
suit is the study and preachment Of
| political economy. Likewise he is an
! astute politician, of the practical sort.
| He knows that the farmer and the
| small tradesman soon get over their
| dependency; at the first sign of i'm
provement, indeed, and go just as
| eagerly the other way on very sligh:
| preteXt. But what the practical poIi-
| ticians out here want to know at this
| time is what are the laws Of nature
| and economy which are to operate be-
| tween now and 1924 to bring about
the change for the better?
However, with lot of us Jere-
miahs. charged with the duty of re-
porting present conditions and not
| discounting the future going about
the. country and exposing the sore toe
of the body polite. 1T is comforting
| to the republicans to have some one
! hold up beacon of hope in the
1 darkness
| Conservative republicans out here
| say there is one feature of the politi-
ieal conditions which may give cons
ready apparent from utterances of
President Harding that the admins
, tration and the republican party do
not propose to be stampeded by exist
ing conditions into resorting to any
Of the nostrums of political quacks
preaching paternalistic and govern
mental action. recommended as a
cure all. That Is comforting to the
| conservative republicans as giving
assurance that the party leaders and
the administration still intend to
keep the principles of the party
based on natural and economic laws
as we'll as common sense, as the sheet
anchor of the party, which has ridden
out in safety in the past similar gales
of political hysteria and of economic
| Eeresy.
1 X X X
Let third party come, If it will;
l let the democrats become infected
further with paternalistic schemes If
| 1t choose, the republican party, they
say, will go before the country in
lvoking the support of the voters to
policies of constructiveness and OF
sound economies, as it did in 1896
and upon which it rode to victory
at the polls.