The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-05
Liberal Viewpoint
by DR.. HARRY ELMER BARNES

MANY see in the formation of the Liberty
WI League the beginnings of a rational and
logical realignments Of parties in American poll
tics.
In our political past party lineups sooner or
later have come to conform to some reality.
The American Revolution brought together
highly incongruous elements. Jefferson wrote
the Declaration of independence and Hamilton
was an officer on Washington's staff. But shortly
after the revolution a logical party lineup sprang
into being The conservative property interests
lined up behind Hamilton and the FeoeraIsts'
while Jefferson and his followers In the
Democratic Republican party tried to preserve
some of the liberal ideals and policies for which
they had fought during the revolution.
These early party differences evaporated in
a generation and the followers of both Jefferson
and Hamilton surrendered to natonallsm the
development of the west and tariff system
It was not long however, before new eco
nomic forces produced another rational party
division The industrial revolution brought
oppressed factory workers to New England and
other northeastern states, while the settlement
of the west erected a sef-reliant and almost
radical pioneer population which dlstrusteo tne
! "rnoney-bags' of the east. Andrew jackson and
his new Democratic party appeared In 1873 as
champions of the workers and front1erSmen.
Opposing it were the Wings the party OF early
American capitalism, strong supporters OF the
United States bank and of public Improvements
!
TT was not long, however before this Demo-
i cratic-Whig rivalry was undermined by
economic changes The conservative slavocracy
of the south captured the Democratic party
from the workers and the pioneers. if north
ern Wings were inclined to oppose slavery, the
southern Wings ardenty supported it. The COM
promise of 1850 marked the last effort to per-
petuate an increasingly impossible situation
In 1856 new party lineup came into being
which once more conformed to reality Against
the Democratic party now dominated by the
slavery interests was now set of a new and
radical Republican party drawn chiefly from
eastern workers and the settlers in the new
west. It's social basis was much like that OF the
early Democratic party under Jackson 1t was
progressive idealistic and strongly anti-slavery.
The Civil war completely altered the char
acter of the Republican party. 1t was captured
successfully by the business interests which fat
tened and greatly expanded during the war dec
ade 1t became a party vested in the business
interests and has remained such ever since.
For short time, however, marked changes
in the character of the Democratic party pre-
served some semblance of realistic party strife.
The Democratic party emerged from the Civil
war shorn of the slavery octopus and trans
formed into liberal reformed party
Under an able leader, Samuel j. Tilden, it
!
the Republicans had not been able to use the
army in the south to steal the election away
from Tilden, the party history of the United
States since 1876 might have been far different
and far more constructive.
The theft of the presidency away from Tilden
and the Democrats all but Sti1ed idealism and
progress in the Democratic party. Cleveland was
an honest man and rugged personality but he
was not even a progressive to say nothing of
radical. Capitalism gently but formally extended
its grip over both the major parties and has
never looSened it to any marked extent since
Every effort to develop new and more rad
cal party lineup has thus far come from the
progressives. Here we have had a number of
temporary spurts such the Granger, Green
back, Mugwump, Populist, Bull Moose and La
Toilette movements. But they have all been
suppressed or else absorbed in part within the
old parties and then strangled
Now the reactionaries seem to be trying their
hand in fabricating new party We hope that
they have better luck in so doing than have the
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