Evening star., 1927-05-21
Buffers Third-P Party Plan
ArOuses Little Enthusiasm

Dr. Nicholas Murray Buffers sug-
gestion In a Baltimore speech that
both major parties have avoided the
prohibition issue and that tn J. .ical
thing would be to establish a third
party, h the object of testing pub
lie sentiment, is received by the LJun-
try with little enthusiasm Two def.
mite idea prevail-that a third party
might serve to settle the question as
to the extent of wet sentiment, and
that DR.. Butler himself would be an
appropriate standard bearer for such
new party.
Analyzing the situation, the Column.
bus OhiJ State Journal Repu ublican)
agrees that "it is cowardly the way the
parties trim on this issue, which. with
hardly any doubt. is pr mount in the
mi, 8 of the majority of the voters. -
That paper adds, however: But
what can the po~r parties do? Senti-
ment In each is hopelessly divided as
to the wisdom of Volsteadism. A
straightforward, uneQuivocal declara-
ton on the subject by either would
ALLEVIATE in wholesale lots the voters
| on whoEl 1t must rely. Under these
circumstances, the idea of orgaL ling
a new party, either bone-dry or drin.
ping wet, is theoretically logical
enough, hut the trouble is that the
party would not get enough v~.es to
count"
THE moderation issue would not be
| bond strong enough to hold them
together" asserts thH So..h Bend
Tribune independent Republican,.
THE Democrats would be longing to
return to their true environment. the
Republicans to theirs. Recognizing a
dispo. IN toward a liberal revolt In
both parties, represented by move
| ments to put liberals ward as presi-
Dental c"ndid" tes, we still cannot see
| third party composed of dissatisfied
Democrats and Republicans on a mod
| ration platform"
Giving serio ) consideration - DIR.
Buffers charge that the eighteenth
amendment Is ''the primary source of
laWlessness and contempt for law, of
hypocrisy and cowardice," the Hart.
ford Courant Republican) says: "Here
| obviously is situation of vital CON
sequence, not only to the Nation as
such, but to the people who compose it
| Yet party managers and candidates
have not the courage to face it. lest
| by so doing they ALLEVIATE the votes of
| those who believe that principles of
| government are of no Importance as
compared with legislation designed to
enforce total abstinence upon the
whole body polite. 1t is not
| going to be possible for the Republi
| can and Democratic parties to con
| tinues forever policy of evasion
which leaves them as much alike as
| two peas in pod" -.
| ''It is not beyond the possibilities, -
according to the Portland Oregon Jour
nal independent Democratic), that a
new party will come forward in the
United States unless there is a reor.
ganization of the old parties. Perhaps
| the prohibition issue will have a part
in the cleavage. But there are other
issues also on which the people would
| find serious difficulty in expressing
themselves under the present leader
ship Of the old organizations. .
! Can the voters press themselves
when the parties stand for little NJ
nothing? Can they express them
selves when Democrats are lined uI
with Republicans on party measures
and vice versa? Can the old parties
go on when there is no opposition. one
to the other? What did the 100000
votes cast for La Toilette in 1921
mean IL the liberal voters were moi
looking for a place to go?''
''By no means beyond the possible:
ties" is the verdict Of the Springfield
Union (Republican), which finds the
reason in the fact that membership
is not united on this and other ques
tions' and that there are in each
party elements which have more iI
common with elements In the opposing
party than with other elemelts II
their own" The Union warns that "l
by 1882 they do not acquire more cour
age they may find Dr. Buffers Dradic
ton being more accurately fuliliet
than they now believe possible"
Declaring that prohibition 'eithel
must be enforced or be repealed" tht
Aberdeen World independently argues
THE politicians cannot keep on talk
ling enforcement with their tongues il