Milford chronicle., 1929-11-01
NATIONAL NEWS OF INTEREST
TO EVERYBODY WHO READS
Written for This Paper by
FRANK p. LITSCHERT

When some political historian
starts few years hence to set down
the story of the present era he will
doubtless call it the period of the de-
cline and fall of party regularity.
Certainly this deterioration of party
regularity is the outstanding devel-
opment of this generation. There are
perhaps several causes for it. Most
political students attribute its in
ception to the wave of primary cleo
tion enthusiasm. With the passing of
the political convention, party re-
sponsibility began to fade. Candi-
dates went out on the stump to win
preliminary support for their cause,
and primary campaigns often degen-
Grated into mere contests of political
personalities, in which at times the
real issues and fundamental party
principles were obscured. This was
true in both the Republican and
Democratic polical contests.
Perhaps the World War with its
loosening of tradition hastened the
decay of party responsibility and
party regularity. At any rate the
condition is here and the length of
its duration will depend on future
developments. The United States
Senate, as it has been constituted
for several years past, is a good ex-
ample of the decline of party respon-
sibility. Supposedly Republican in
makeup, the margin between the
so-called regular Republicans and
regular Democrats has generally
been so slight that the balance of
power has rested with a group of
personally active senators upon
whom the responsibilities of party
rest very lightly. Usually lining up
with their original party in broad
national campaigns they have after
the excitement of the election has
died down, sought to combine them
selves with whichever faction in the
Senate seemed destined to carry out
their polical wishes. And the party
leaders have done nothing about it.;
perhaps they could do nothing. The
senatorial appointments have been
distributed, according to Senate GUS
tom, to regulars and irregulars alike,
whether these irregulars were Re-
publicans or Democratic.
The present incident of the lobby
at Washington and the
of the subcommittee which
is investigating lobbying activities,
is a case in point. In the early days,
with the Republican party in power,
staunch Republicans would have had
control of this committee. With the
Democrats in power in the Senate, |
regular Democrats would have con-
trolled it. The subcommittee was |
appointed by Chairman Norris, who |
himself is one of the most active of |
the so-called independent group. |
Senator Norris chose for the commit |
tee as chairman Senator Caraway, of |
author of the resolution |
and a staunch Democrat. With |
Chairman Caraway are Senator
Walsh, another regular Democrat;
Senator Borah, Independent Repub-
ican, and Senator Blaine, who can
)nly be classed as a Republican by
vide stretch of the imagination. Sen
ator Blaine, classed as an independ-
INT Republican, favored Al Smith in
he last campaign and yet certainly
S not a Democrat. The only regular
on the committee is Sen
ltor Arthur Robinson, of Indiana,
me of the youngest solons in the
Senate. The citing of the example
# this committee is no reflection on
he Industrial abilities of it's men,
,ership. The example merely illus
rates the decline of political regu-
arity in the United States.
1t is not to be asserted that only
he so-called Independents are find
ng the ties of party regularity irk-
ONE. Even some of the regulars
ave been jumping the fence of late.
| case in point is the voting Of GER
ain staunch Democratic senator's
or protective schedules in the tar
# bills. The principle of free trade
an no longer be used to hold DEM
cratic solons in line. In conclu-
ion, we may ask, whittier are we
rifting and what will be the result?
he tendency in politics now seems
D be away from the primary and
ack to a modified convention sys-
EN-. Whether this will have the
fleet of again strengthening party
iscipline remains to be seen. Only
ne future can give us the solution
( this problem.