Evening star., 1932-11-25

Present, past and future Of politica
parties IN the United States are passed
In review by the public, In response tc
the statement of President Nicholas
Murray Butler of Columbia University
who has offered o prescription for the
restoration Of the Republican party.
Dy. Buffers belief that the Republi.
can party must be liberal or die" Il
attacked by the New York Sun Qn-
dependent), with the statement: III
1t dies, he says, q liberal party VIII
succeed 1t. According TO his definition
q party to be liberal should balance
the budget. repel special privilege and
every form Of private and group in
terest, consider the general welfare
lower the tariff, readjust war debts
act In international concert and re-
form the monetary system. Such are
not the ideals of the liberal party which
already exists, with its head In the
Democratic tent and its tail in the Re
publican. This liberalism-and it gets
votes-doesnt care whether or not the
budget Is balanced 50 long as pork
pours into the barrel. bonuses are paid.
paternalism is growing and the policy
Of soak-the-rich prevails. This
liberal party-and It Is o great and
working party except at election time,
when each member travels under an
old party flags the most liberal party
trot out another liberal party the
existing liberals would bid It to death
with the taxpayers money. They're
that liberall"
"Mr. Hoover thought to make the
the Dayton Daily News independent
Democratic). Instead of that, the
Republican party made Hoover reac-
tionary. Now let Butler try. Franklin
Roosevelt viii have more to say about
the coming character of the Republican
party than DR.. Butler or any other man.
The future Republican party, II II has
any life left, will adjust itself to the
course of the coming Democratic ad-
ministration. The Democratic party,
like the Republican, contains persons
OF all shades Of political outlook
radical, liberal. conservative, reaction
ary. Roosevelt Is expected to make it
definitely and predominantly liberal.
His election was brought about by the
country's liberals, Democratic and Re-
publican. Men Of tory mind, Demo-
cratic as well as Republican, were
mostly supporters of Hoover. It is q
progressive mandate the President elect
bears"
"The same idea was quite prevalent
in 1912" says the Springfield (Mass.)
Union (Republican), ain the famous
rivalry Of the elephant and the bull
moose. DR.. Butler is simply using the
ideas Of Cassandras Of other days. The
Republican party has not only survived,
but has come back more strongly. That
also has been the case at intervals with
the Democratic party after most severe
drubbings in national elections DR..
Butler contends that unless the Repub-
lican party can be given new strength
and spirit it will go the way of the
Wing party and pass out Of existence.
But there Is nothing In the present
situation comparable to the political
force of single definite issue like that
OF slavery and impending secession in
disrupting existing partisse In the brief
period from jackson to Lincoln the
party system was in formative stage
around one tremendous issue of ma
tional unity. Since then the two-party
system has been stabilized as a method
Tor the alienation of responsibility In
government Third-party attempts have
Inevitably been abortive and futile"
Leadership win develop" In the
opinion Of the Milwaukee Sentinel
independently, "and If history repeats
itself as 1t has In the past. the Repub-
lican party, after trial of Democratic
administration, will come back into
power. Politics. 1t has been demon
strated, moves in cycles" The Boston
Transcript independent Republican,
diagnoses the situation: we agree that
new blood is needed In the Republican
party, new leadership and forward
looking ideas, but they are all available
within the party, without the formation
OF new one to bring them forth. Con-
stitutional prohibition has been q hor.