Evening star., 1923-04-15
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

All the talk we engage in about
next years presidential situation
and all the activity going on
have to do almost wholly with fac
tions and with organized effort-with
the fact that the New Jersey leader
is for one man, the Illinois leader for
another; that the railroad workers
are for McAdoo and many of the
farmers for Ford; that the "irrecon-
| cilables" are for Johnson, and SO on,
and so on.
One whose work is to record all this
sort of thing cannot help wishing 1t
were a case of great, unselish issues,
or q case of great personalities. But
the truth Is none of the men now be-
ing mentioned for either party nomi-
nation is of really frst-rank size in
the broad sense.
The same was true in the 1920 situa-
tion. The present writer was talking
once with one of the two party candi-
dates of 1920 Gt does not matter
which one) much along the lines of
what Is here being said. when the
candidate remarked, with an engag-
ing tolerance and candor of appraise-
must bear in mind. brother, that in
1920 both the parties had to go to
the bush league for their candi-
dates"
1920 the Dividing Line.
This was literally true. Nineteen
iwenty was n dividing line in Amer
ican political history. For twenty
1uur years preceding. our politics had
| centered about immense personalities
There had been three great figures:
Roosevelt Wilson and Bryan. Cor
the purposes of the present article
and for the purpose of American
politics. the word great" can be used
conveniently and, probably. also
Justly. to describe man whose size
is greater than his party, who has
the ability to carry groups of voters
from one party TO another. Each OF
these men had this power, and nc
other man of their generation had 1t
But 1t is also true that each OF these
three men, in different ways and al
different phases of their careers, ade-
uuately justified the word great" In
fts broader sense.)
In any event, by 1920 each of these
men had recently passed off the stage
Roosevelt had died, Wilson had brok-
en- down in health and Bryan had be.
come "shopworn''-had been little
too long on the shelf without ever
achieving a sale In the sense of ar
actual election to the presidency.
Becomes a "Dimerent Thing"
And by the passing Of these three
American politics ceased to be what
1t had been for a quarter of CEN
tury-ceased TO be a matter Of domi-
mating personalities, and became q
different thing. If any proof is need.
ed of the extent to which these three
men had dominated politics. the ex.
tent to which the people had relied
on them to express their ideas. 4,
can be provided by simple state
ment.
In every presidential election since
1896, and including that year. one OF
more of these men were candidates
In 1896, Bryan was a candidate: in
1900, Bryan and Roosevelt were candi,
dates, in 1904, Roosevelt was candi.
date; in 1908, Bryan was candidate
in 1912, Wilson and Roosevelt were
candidates; in 1916, Wilson was &
candidate That is rather impres.
sive showing for quarter Of a cen
tury, not previously equaled. in thi:
respect in American history. An6
even in the years when any one ot
these men was not actually among
the candidates he was always big
figure in the situation. With theil
passing our politics entered new
stage.
Theories Are Contradictory.
The theories about great men-tht
manner of their coming, their effect
IN human events and whether they
are the cause or the effect of the
tides of history-are various and con
, Trajectory. To merely recite these
theories would make a fascinating
book. But the present article has
merely to do with their presence oil
their absence in our own country anC
in our own age. All that can be
gathered from a superficial view i:
that we have no great figures in oul
present American politicS-nO equiva
lent of Roosevelt, or Of the Wilson o.
a few years ago. or of the Bryan o
his Wonderfully dynamic prime. We
do not even have any figures tina
the politicians can rely on to swing
groups of voters from one party tt
the other. Can any one think of {
republican who. because OF his per
sonality, can swing million voters
say, per cent o fthe electorate--intt
the republican party from the demo
cratic one? And can any one thinl
of a democrat who. because of hi:
personality. can swing million re
publicans into the democratic ranks
There are none such in the curren
political situation. There may b,
some budding ones beneath the sur
face. ready TO flower with the SUI
of events. Buchan, in his recent his
tory of the war, says:
For the man of destiny is the gif