Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-12-17
SEEKING AN ISSUE


In a storm or whether there be back
of It a real conviction that the tariff
issue may serve to unite the dis
cordant elements Of the Democratic
party the effort to make that an is
sue is begun. Congressman Hull of
Tennessee has introduced ' in the
House q resolution calling for down.
ward revision Of the tariff.
Az to the success of this obvious
purpose time alone will afford the
satisfactory answer, but it would
seem that Mr.. Pattangall of Maine,
who is known to be shrewd OBJ
server of political affairs. is not
sanguine respecting it. if we may
Judge from his letter in response to
. recent QUESTIONABLE Of the Pitts
burg Post.
The following is from the news re-
port Of the letter:
II have seen no evidence of any
Improvement in the Democratic stu
alton since we adjourned the conven-
ton at the Madison Square Garden
q year ago last July. The Demo-
cratic party apparently is function
ing in certain localities through the
means of isolated groups of voters,
but not operating on any common
national ground.
II should say that there was no
evidence that the party was recover
ing from it's slump of a year ago,
but think should qualify the prop
osition by the suggestion that the
slump appeared about six years ago
instead of a year ago, and that the
last presidential election was very
distinctly the logical corollary of the
1920 campaign period. Instead or
fractional feeling subsidfng l think 1t
has increased and l believe that the
party breach, which you mention in
the first paragraph of your question
naire should be more properly spok-
en- of in the plural. and that the
many party breaches which have
existed for the past six years still
exist.
voters generally are dissatisfied with
the existing political order. There
are no particular issues that our
my State or in the country which
apparently appeal to the people. The
thing that is necessary if we are to
have Democratic national party is
for a sufficient number of Democrats
toyacquire a common viewpoint con-
corning national politics to constitute
a party. This may happen, but am
afraid not in the immediate future.
AS things are going at present, we
have no more chance to win in 1928
than we had in 1920, or 1924, and
such q chance cannot. very well
present itself SO long as individual
Democrats and groups of Democrats
differ SO widely from each other with
regard to various matters. some i'm
portant and some unimportant. that
they prefer to prove to the country
that they themselves or their par
ticular group can prevent Demo-
cratic success, rather than to en-
deavor to unite in opposition to the
Republican party"
This frank statement from Mr..
Pattangall should not lun Repub-
licans into any false sense of
security. Their party has within
itself groups more or less discordant,
each seemingly more concerned with
eelf-interest or a confusion between
prejudice and principle than with
agreement upon public policy for the
nation. Efforts are being made to
convince the farmers that protective
tariff is injurious to their interests.
Being in power it has upon party
shoulders the responsibilities for the
kind of Government it gives. The
Democrats, on, the other hand, are in
the position of critics without re-
sponsibility. To be sure they are
being greatly embarrassed by the
success attending the common-sense
administration of President Coolidge
but they are assiduously. not to say
desperately. seeking a national issue
capable Of absorbing the attention of
cats as well as Of dogs. speaking
figuratively.