Evening star., 1925-08-10
The Democracy and the West.


Democratic national congressional
committee. needing the oft-repeated
suggestion of Horace Greeley, made
many years ago, GO West, young
man, go West" will leave Washing
ton in few days in an effort to stir
the Democrats Of the States beyond
the Mississippi to unified action once
again.
III the Democratic party is to re-
main great national political party
as it has for so many years. it Is vi
tally necessary that interest in the
party be revived in the great West
Last year, during the Coolidge Davis
La Toilette campaign for the presi-
dency, the Democrats practically aban-
doned opposition to the Republican
nominee in the Western States to the
La Toilette Wheeler forces. Some of
the party leaders believed that if Dem
ocratic aid were thrown to La Toilette
in those States the Wisconsin Senator
would carry them, preventing Cool
idge from obtaining a majority of the
electoral votes and thus force the
choice of President upon the House
of Representatives There lay the
Democratic hope of success. these
leaders reasoned. 1t was a sadly mis-
taken bit of political strategy, how
ever, and the only result was almost
to wipe out the Democratic party as a
national organization in the West
For the most part the West has
been faithful TO the Republican party
and its policies. But when the Repub-
licans split in 1912 the West swept
Wilson into the White House, and
again in 1915 it gave aid and comfort
TO the Democrats. Mr.. Oldfield. there
fore, is following wise course when
he stresses. the need of rebuilding the
Democratic national organization
there.
The Democrats, however. will have
a hard row to plow in the West, where
the party organization has been al
lowed to dwindle, and where the crops
this year give wonderful promise. In
his formal announcement of his itin-
erary the Democratic chairman says
he has been told the farmers are dis
gusted with the administration, with
it's protective tariff, which protects
only the rich; with it's unfulfilled
promises of agricultural and general
prosperity; with it's false claim of
economy and it's fat declaration to the
e. LA,y l,,o
ton. A Democratic Congress would
correct these evils" But other re-
ports from the West differ greatly
from these representations full of
gloom for the Republicans. The farm
er, instead of being resentful of the
protective tariff, is reported to be reap
ing the benefit at last from this sys-
tenn of taxation. His products are
protected, while nearly everything he
has to buy, except clothes, is on the
free list, as in the case of harness and
agricultural implements.
The implication of Mr.. Oldfield's
statement is that if a Democratic Con-
gress is elected next year it will pro-
ceed Dy legislative dCtlon 10 SOlVe the
farmers problem. This is a rash
statement for any one to make. The
agricultural problem was acute for
several years in the postwar depres-
sion, but it is not recalled that any of
the Democratic statesmen came promi-
nently forward with a cure for the
farmers ills Such legislation as has
been enacted to improve credit facili-
ties, protect the farmers produce, etc,
in recent years has been of Republican
origin. Mr. Oldfield complains that the
farmer has been left to work out his
own salvation. In a large measure
the farmer has done just that thing.
AS he continues to help himself, so
will his state improve. Direct Govern
ment aid to any interest or group of
interests would only be followed by
demands for similar aid from other
interests and groups in times of
stress, and would mark a dangerous
precedent.