Evening star., 1930-12-07
BY JAMES HAMILTON LEWIS,
United States Senator Elect from Illinois.
As Told to Paul r. Leach.

ally Dy party
leaders on all sides to support
the President in everything during the
short session which has just opened,
merely because the President asks.
Those party leaders of the minority, in
their agreement, say they will reserve
the right to themselves to overturn what
they feel is wrong" at the first moment
available; land this whether in the
House or Senate or before the public"
Ycu say that question is prompted
following my election as a Democrat by
some 100000 plurality in a State that is
normally 100000 or more Republican.
Bear in mind that when previously I
represented the people of Illinois in the
United States Senate I was elected by a
State Legislature that was Republican
in majority.
Here is my answer:
Special Conditions Rule.
Much depends on the conditions
which surround each conflict. Every
thing in politics is dependent upon the
specific facts out of which an issue
arises. The time has gone by, forever l
hope, when any one particular party
should feel it is obligated to obstruct
the other political party in whatever II
undertakes merely because of the diff
ference in the names Of the organiza-
tions.
If our Government Is a Government
of the people. with the political policies
guarded by the parties, then whatever
is the welfare of the people should be
given the first place in the considera-
ton and action of public servants. This
Is true even though such might lessen
the mere political party fortunes of
some political combination or Office
seeking organization.
When the American Government be-
gan its construction Of political form
the question at issue was whether gov
ernment should take the model of roy
atty, whether the people were secondary
and the select few made kingly, or
whether the people should be the SOW
ereignS and the Official few to be only
the selected servants. This was the
contest in the first instance-the as
sumed government of royalty under
leadership of Alexander Hamilton; the
other of the sovereignty of the people
under the leadership of Thomas Jeffer-
son. The fear of each organization that
every act by any of the opposing organ
ization of either leader was the prelimi-
nary looking to installation of the sys-
tenn which each opposed against the
other. That was the reason for OBJ
structing any and every move Of the
opposition.
Some IgnObIe Obstruction.
With this beginning. every issue
raised by one party UP to the time o.
the coming of the issue on siaver1
other, with no regard to the merits o
the question, but with consideration
only to the fact that it was suggested
by that called the opponent and the
enemy" This form OF political OBJ.
struction continued, to the detri lent
Of America and often times to the de-
struction of political honor in America
Great events we're defeated and noble
designs we're frustrated by opposition
and for no other reason than that the
scheme issued from source of political
designation other than that Of the OBJ
structionistS.
Following the Civil War, we still con-
tinued this systsm of political warfare
to the dismay of the patriotic and to
tn loss Of peace and happiness for
years following that war. BY doing
that we prevented early national re-
union and quick harmony amidst fellow
citizens.
Up to the administration Of Grover
Cleveland this practice Of deliberate po-
htical obstruction continued from either
party against the other. The parties
operated under the improper license
that 1t was both the privilege and the
duty of the one ever to defeat the other,
all without regard to what the under
taking might be or when and where
presented.
1t was not until the administration
Of Theodore Roosevelt that one ele-
ment of the Democracy and one of
RepublicaniSIn began to harmonic to
the common object of the thing that
was sought in behalf of the Republic.
1t began In the bill presented by Pre3i-
dent Roosevelt known as the railroad
bill" 1t looked toward some modifica-
ton of the system of railway freight
persecution, particularly by the East
practiced upon the West. The Presi-
dent found himself opposed by the
Democrats and the Republicans of the
East. He turned to his old arch-politi-
cal foe, Senator Benjamin Tillman of
South Carolina, who, with Senator
Bailey Of Texas, was given charge Of
the bill by the President Certain Dem
ocrats and Republicans Joined in the
opposition to this transfer Of sponsor
ship.
Measures on Their Merits.
Thereupon there arose an organiza-
ton of Democrats known as the Re
formed Democracy" After / had en-
tered public life as a member of Con-
the Advanced Democracy" We joined
with that element of the Republicans
called then Insurgents" later PRO
gressives." Here began for the first
time that cooperation as to measures
on their merits without regard to the
source of their origin and despite the
designation of the party source.
Western Republicans returned the
gesture in the Wilson administration
and supported Mr.. Wilson on certain
measures on the same basis that the
Democrats had supported Roosevelt. 1t
was generally felt th..t we had passed
the point where ever again prejudice
of party names would prevent the con-
Sideration and adoption of measures
possessing merit and carrying with them
promises of public welfare.
We are now In the era where citizens
should ever be secure in the knowledge
thit whatever is presented by the lead
ers Of each political party when 1t Is
for the benefit Of the citizen at large
and the country generally should be
adopted as the right of the citizen and
the just property of the people.
When a President of the United
States is elected for a period of four
years upon political principles projected
by him, insist that he has right to
have those principles put into control
and the people have right Of having
them tested fairly and fully.
Opposition Is Weighed.
I deny that it is ever the duty Of q
political party leader to oppose the
action of the President only because the
President is Of another political party.
assert that such opposition, merely be-
cause the proposal comes from the
President named by the opposing party,
Is directly violation Of the duty Of
that public servant to the people.
1t is the duty Of the servant to give
the people the benef1t Of the policy
which they had chosen when they