The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-12-08
National Topics Interpreted

Washington. shows that
many years are required for the ac-
complishment Of
Re0li9nnlent transition in politics.
of Voters New alignments In
party groups are sell
dom, If ever, brought about in the span
Of lifetime. Yet, those alignments
appear now to be very near. so near.
in fact. that astute political observers
of national politics are looking for
shakeup that will havekbeen virtually
completed when the time arrives for
another national. election.
Because things move SO slowly in
political transitions, / believe we are
generally prone to dismiss each little
incident as without particular signifi-
| canoe. Nevertheless, each one counts,
and in the aggregate, If we pause to
collect them, the minor changes con-
stitute the web or pattern Of great
movement. Hence, circumstances OF
the last few weeks necessarily must
be weighed, for in those circumstances
is seen that which may verify prove to
be the beginning of the final stage in
a national realignment Of voters. And,
as has been the case in some other
political changes among voters In the
United States, money is the focal
point, the center about which the
whole thing revolves.
There is developing, according to the
best political judgment available in
Washington, definite trend among
party men and women toward affili-
alton with one party or the other sole
ly on the basis of economic views Of
the party chosen. In other words,
there are those who believe in attempt
ling new. things in government and In
its relationship with commerce and In
dustry, and there are those who be-
lieve in allowing private initiative to
lead the way and develop the changes
as human nature demands. Roughly,
the two types like to describe them
selves as 'sliberals and cOnserv-
atives" in accordance with the respec-
tive views set out above. So the po-
lltical observers who study those
things day after day and interpret
their meaning are of the opinion that
important changes are coming.
The conclusions reached by many
Of these observers is that perhaps as
early as the national campaign Of
1886, there will be shifts from Repub-
lican rolls to Democratic rolls, and
shifts of others from Democratic rolls
to Republican rolls in sufficient num-
bers to have established one of the
parties as distinctly liberal and the
other as distinctly conservative. The
Roosevelt campaign last year devel
oped enormous shifts; that is, it devel-
oped transfer Of voters from Repub-
lican ranks to those of the Democrats
for permanent residence. In pointing
to the fact, / do not include the PRO
test" vote that went to the Roosevelt
candidacy. Much Of that will be back
home In the Republican ranks IL and
when Mr.. Roosevelt makes the race for
President again. Excluding that pro-
test vote, there were thousands who
had checked the Republican ballots
heretofore who will never do so again.
That brings me to the present stu.
alton, the circumstance that has come
over the question of what sort of mon
ey we shall have. Mr.. ROOsevelt's
monetary policies have found favor In
vast areas Of the country and they
have met with an objection as vehe-
ment and as bitter as peace-time views
can be. The result Of all of this is
an issue has been so sharply drawn
that decision by the country cannot
be avoided, barring one thing. That
one thing is return to prosperity
at rate much faster than is possible
to expect.
When i said there would be par
tisans leaving their old political haunts
to ally themselves
May Shift with what had been
AUeo;once their opposition
party, I cannot in
clude such men as Alfred e. Smith,
former governor of New York and
1928 Presidential candidate Of the
Democratic party. Nor can It be ex-
Epected that Senator Carter Glass of
Virginia will desert the affiliation of
his lifetime to turn Republican, even
though both the former governor and
the senator strongly espouse sound
money. But they serve as illustrations
Of the point am trying to make: If
those two men were not so high up In
party councils they might leave the
party. Thousands of less consequence
will do 1t.
Observers here contend that 1t Is
quite possible that the La Toilette
group of Wisconsin and its step-chil-
dren in other states and the Norris
faction In Nebraska with Its kindred.
the Brookhart group In Iowa and the
Johnson Republicans Of California,
among others. might logically be ex-.
pected to transfer their allegiance 10
the liberal party. They have been Re
publicans only in part for some years,