Evening star., 1924-05-25
ARE BLOCS TO DOMINATE
kss1AsND PARTY RULE FADE?
gE9f Issue Believed Necessary to Again
sAaazsolidify Political Forces and
-~r9s Win Domination.

bring about the birth of the Repub-
lican party.
1t will take a great issue today to
bring about such amalgamation, to
weld together the various groups
found in both the major parties and
in the many smaller parties now
preventing decisive control of the
government by any.
Some of the Republicans believe
that such an issue has been found by
President Coolidge-the issue of re-
trenchment of government expendi-
lures and the reduction of the tax
burden.
Some of the Democrats, on the other
hand, believe that they have found a
great issue growing out of the gov
ernment scandals revealed during the
congressional Investigations of the
last few months, topped by the so
called oil scandal and the scandals of
the Department of Justice.
The truth of the matter is that out
side of such administrative issues as
those just mentioned, there is COM
paratively little difference between
the Republican and Democratic par
ties OF today. And without a differ
ence in principle, there remains only
the issue of the outs" and the 'ins"
with the goal the tremendous
amount of federal patronage, the
great salary rolls, etc.
What has become of the old states
rights issue-popularly supposed to
be the great issue of the Democratic
party (called long ago the Repub-
lican-Democratic party in opposition
to the Federalist party, which be-
lieved in a strong centralized federal
government)? How many Democrats
voted for the women's suffrage
amendment to the Constitution? How
many voted for the prohibition
amendment? For the so-called ma
ternity bill, and for many other meas
ures which have tended to centrallze
power in the federal government IN
Washington?
Federal Rule Strengthened
So-called progressive measures, CT
which the constitutional amendments
referred to are examples, on eXamina-
tion tend to strengthen the federal
expense of the state governments.
What has become of the old free
trade and tariff iff-for-revenue-only Is
sue of the Democratic party, as op-
nosad to the protective tariff of the
Republicans? 1t exists largely III
name only, although the Democrats
undoubtedly would reduce many Oh
the tariff schedules if they had the
mower. But they would never agree
to free trade in regard 10 many oi
the country's industries.
1t is admitted that there are great
nroblems in this country awaiting
solution, many of them relating TO
industry, transportation and COM
merce: that the growth OF the puSl-
ness of the country has outstr1pped
government; that new methods OIL
dealing with business are needed
through laws. These are the PROB
lens which to very large extent
are creating the division of the peo-
pIe into groups and legislative blocs.
Problems Of Early Days.
In the earlier days of the republic
the problems of industry, agriculture
and commerce-economic problems
all-created just such divisions of the
people into groups and blocs, though
they were not called blocs, term
borrowed recently from Europe.
There existed the Know Nothing
Party, for example, which had its
secrets, Just as the Ku k1ux klan
has today, and which, because of its
secrets, finally was discredited.
There is little doubt. but what the
people of the country are aroused
today over heavy government expen-
ditures, which mean, in turn. heavy
taxes. The people, as individuals,
business interests, all are anxious for
a reformation.
The stressing of this issue by
President Coolidge will go far toward
welding the Republican party into
fighting, forceful organization.