Evening star., 1928-06-12
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. C.. M.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. william
Starr Myers, Phi. d. The Century

Co.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Frank
Kent. The Century Co.
The general mood Of the next four
months will be one of engrossing politi-
cal interest and activity. Within this
period the two great parties must meet
every test of worth on the one hand, Of
unworth on the other, that energetic
and ingenious partisanship can devise
Upon us is season of battle quite un-
suited TO deliberate consideration of any
sort. Yet the sweeping political enthu-
siasm, the wakened public interest, will
produce the best possible conditions for
new survey of the two parties by way
OF which this Government has reached
its present commanding height. And at
this point opportunity opens for such a
study by way Of the two books In hand
4
William Starr Myers Is professor of
politics at Princeton. Frank Kent is a
j. :rnalist who draws wide attention for
the quality Of his political judgment,
for the manner OF its projection as we'll.
One might be said to represent pure
scholastic research, the other the great
Fourth Estate One emerges from the
study; the other walks in from the
street. Such an assumption Is, how
ever, only imagination at play. For, as
matter of fact, these contrasts construe
only difference of mood and pitch,
rather than the deeper difference Of
attitude before. the essentials of the
theme under consideration by each.
The declared purpose of the author Of
"The Republican Party" Is to tell the
story Of that party--when it started on
its career and why and how farther on
to tell Of It's different periods Of growth
under one influence and another up TO
the present There are pauses at GER
tain points in the recital to weigh the
sum of party achievements under
victory and to appraise the de-
feats overtaking it now and then.
But back Of this purpose is the
deeper one of telling so straight
d simple story that every man may
read with understanding In the very
essence of republic 1t is, after all, with
this every man" that the issue lies.
Our Government Is well toward CEN
tury and half old. Even so, party
politics. by and large. is still little more
than group loyalty to some leader who
Is immediate, promising and persuasive.
1t Is group loyalty to a party name Of
patriarchal origin--grandfather' party.
fathers party, and 80 good enough for
me, / guess" Never in any general
sense does party allegiance connote sup
port that Is founded upon investigation
Government rests, that derives from a
tallying between these principles and
the accepted party in Its political doc
trine and practice. In such situation a
government becomes one of leaders that
art named almost at random or named
under guidance that Is quite der .rlc-
tive Of the spirit of self-government.
Mediocrity, or worse. among political
leaders issues directly from the igno-
rance and indifference of the people.
II Is such lack Of information and
interest that this book is designed to
meet. 1t Is call TO every voter to do
his part in the creation OF worthy
leadership In support of the highest
form of government that has yet been
devised Yet this is simply record OF
political fact turned into narrative.
body OF concrete example. straight sim
plicity OF analysis. clear reasonableness
OF deduction here become an integral
part OF this story of the Republican
party from its origin on up to the hour
OF the opening quadrennial campaign
for the presidency. This author Is a
man of fair mind Moving forward by
way OF the theme under consideration.
he does not once fail to give fun due
to the other side, TO the great men of
the Democratic party from jefferson on,
to measures and policies of national
scope proposed and supported by this
party.
There's no way out Of It. A political
Democrat Is more than mere man: he
is temperament, state OF mind
Whenever you find one of this party
persuasion you find an idealist. Invari-
ably In the depths Of him he is looking
Ter faith to embrace, a cause to die
for II need be. to fight ferociously for
If death itself be not the price of VIC
tory. Now, any Tom, Dick or Harry
may make a perfectly good Republican,
but not so on the other side, There Is
little doubt that thousands of years
before the Democratic party as such
was invented host of potential Demo-
Gratis was waiting for it--waiting for a
political faith political cause; for
something In which to center Ideals and
visions and dreams Of Utoplan govern
ment. This Democratic temperament Is
a puzzling thing in active politics And
one naturally looks to the South, the
stronghold Of Democracy for answer to
the enigma Yes, the genial climate
and old leisured existence were favor
able, certainly, TO the growth of high
political ideals counterpart Of '',c aris-
tocratic cast OF mind OF the locality as
whole, To the championship of easily
invoked causes, to the eloquent advocacy
OF nothing less than the best of govern
ments. Arrived at this satisfactory step
OF reasoning, some one heedlessly points
to the Democracy of New York CITY and
Boston. And so the carefully erected
house Of cards takes fall. Yet the
foundation fact remains that by tenn
permanent the Democrat Is man with
banners Of political Righteousness flying.
with songs Of inspiration ringing around
MN. with high eloauence waiting upon
nun III support OF his prophetic message.
In concrete evidence OF this let us
tufn TO Frank Kent. hard-hitting man
OF the press with, seemingly, no soft
stun anywhere in his makeup He
oners TO us an illuminating and deeply
interesting story of THE Democratic
Party" as informed and competent a
study of the subject as you are likely
to find anywhere The author sets out
with certain blunt denials This Is not
a Democratic text book: neither Is 1t,
properly speaking. history Instead 1t
Is story, the work of reporter and
not OF an academician. The story is
designed to produce a picture OF the
rise OF this great political instrument
and to portray as we'll the Eve great
characters that have sustained and
glorified It. In fair dealing 1t sets out
not only the triumphs Of the Democratic
party, but 1t makes much of Its mistakes
as well, castigating heavily the par
ticlilar instruments of such error and
consequent failure. For instance; "For
10 miserable years (after the free silver
debacle OF l896) the party sloshed
around without unity wisdom or
strength, broken. beaten, futile, foolish;
unable To- shake of It's incubus. straight