Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1934-03-02
Letting Down the Bars
Navy Party Proposed
Cleveland and Bryan
Looking to Midwest

~A<aIuIally, Mr. Roosevelt -dOeSn I
want to have any of his legislation
defeated in the House. But like
wise he does not want to throw any
stumbling blocks in the way OF
loyal Democratic members who
feel that to vote with the Admin
istration might endanger their
chances of reelection in their home
districts. So the word has been
passed out that all members are
tree to vote as they please on any
measure, SO long as they see to it
that not enough of them vote in
opposition to put the President in
a hole.
'Vote the way hat will do you
the most good with your constitu-
ton next FALL" is the message they
have all received. This is expected
to result in ar apparently strong
sentiment among Representatives
for more favorable action in regard
to the soldiers bonus, for example.
Members from districts where the
veterans vote is we'll organized
will feel free to vote for more lib
eral treatment of the ex-service
men, first cautiously making ccs-
tain that there are enough votes
that will be cast on the other side
SO that their apparent detection
will not result in anything the
President doesn't like being done.
That is merely one phase of
practical politics, as it is played in
Washington. It. doesn't mean a
thing except that the gentlemen
in Congress want to stay in Cong
ress, and if they can get reelected
by making every class of voters in
their respective districts think they
have their interests at heart, they
will go the limit to put that idea
over.
To be sure, there are other con-
siderations that actuate a high pro-
portion of members of Congress,
and the inference should not ye
drawn that they are working for
their own pockets all the time, any
considerable percentage of them.
On the other side of the political
fence there are beginning to be
heard more rumblings of an ap-
p~rosching storm which may put
the old Republican party complete
ly out of the picture and lay the
foundation for a new lineup. One
of the most astute of Washington
political observers, has come out
boldly for the formation of a new
party which he would call Con
titutional Democrats, as opposed
to the present Democratic pat.
which he terms Socialist Demo-
Gratis.
Probably neither the name nor
the scheme will get very far, and
nobody thinks that Mr.. Lawrence
expects his plan to be accepted,
But the attention that is being paid
to the idea itself, of trying to line
up those who still believe in the
rights of the individual as superior
to the rights of the state, in some
form Of effective opposition to the
tendency to regulate and contro.
all human activities by a paterna.
government, indicates the possibil-
ity that a new 'bloc" if not a new
party may be built around a nucle-
us of forward-looking Republican,
and conservative Democrats
Those with long political memo.
ries are recalling what happened tt
the Democratic party in 1896
when it was hopelessly split ove'
Free Silver and other Populist is
sues; SO completely spli1 that
powerful faction, headed by nom
other President Cleveland, refused
to follow the party's candidate
Mr.. Bryan, and put their owl
"Gold Democrat candidate in tn
field to contest for the Presidency
That marked the end of the oil,
party control, and a high percent
age Of those who had called them
selves Democrats became adherent
of the Republican, party in tn
course Of the next few years.
Now these old-timers saw th