Evening star., 1936-03-09
POLITICS DR|F TING
TO NEW PARTIES
Jefersonian AIignm e n t
Against New Deal Held
G. 0. P. Fault.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

pened seems to indicate very clearly
that the Republican party may be on
the road to extinction just as was the
old Whig party in 1856, and that
within the next two or three years
the two major parties in America may
be the New Deal party and the JET
1ersonian party of liberals.
Convincing evidence of this trend
Is to be found in the fact that the
Republicans have made a colossal
failure as an opposition party in
concern to the citizen, bills that are
arousing the antagonism of the rank
and file, including millions of Re-
publicans, are being passed without
even a syllable of debate.
There is every reason to believe
that the members of the Republican
& party-that is the voters who are af
fliated with that ticket throughout the
country-not only have not lost their
vitality and aggressiveness, but have
increased their militancy.
Examination of the debate in Con-
gress, however, in the last two years
shows that the Jeffersonian Demo-
Gratis and not the Republicans in
Congress have really led the fight
against the New Deal. With one or
two exceptions no Republican in either
House of Congress has developed the
issues in such a way as to command
Nationwide attention.
Thousands of Complaints.
For many months the relief situa-
tons relationship to politics has been
apparent to anybody who wanted to
take the trouble 20 read the thousands
of letters of complaint from citizens
all over the country. Yet it re-
manned for a Democratic Senator,
Rush Holt, really to expose the scan
Gal and direct national attention to it
From another Democrat. Senator
Carter Glass, has come a courageous
denunciation of the misuse of power
and funds by congressional investigat-
ing committees, in which he was
Joined by Senator ConnaIly of Texas
another Democrat.
From Senators Walsh Of Massa
.chusetts and George of Georgia. Dem
ocrats, came the most effective op-
position to processing taxes as Levied
under the A. A. A.
80, From Senator King of Utah, Demo,
crat, and Byrd, Democrat, of Virginia
have come the most aggressive oppo-
sition to expanding bureaucracy anc
waste of Government funds, and ir
this attack Senator Tydings Demo
crat. of Maryland also was an effective
speaker.
From Senator Bennett Champ CLARK
of Missouri, Democrat. came the best
attack that was made against the
N. r. A. before it was invalidated BY
the Supreme Court of the United
States.
From Senator AshurSt, Democrat
chairman of the Judiciary Committee
has come the most penetrating defense
of the Supreme Court and an attacl
on those who would undermine tht
Constitution.
There have been others like the
courageous Senator Bailey of North
Carolina, Democrat, and Senator Gort
of Oklahoma, who have occasionally
shown an independence of the White
House domination and reiterated theil
allegiance to the fundamentals o.
Jeffersonian Democracy, but for thu
most part the New Deal party ha.
had one of the staunchest group o.
spokesmen Senate majority has evel
seen. There is team work and col
liberation and no apparent effort Il
let single opportunity go by withou
hammering their opponents.
Practically no Opposition.
Now, on the Republican side, with
the exception of Senator Dan Hast,
1ngs of Delaware, who for a long time
held the battle line almost single
handed, there has been practically
no Republican opposition At present
Senator Vandenberg of Michigan is
coming into the fray with fight on
the Florida ship canal that has the
1nak1ngs of national issue because
It dramatizes the weaknesses of the
New Deal system OF allowing money
to be appropriated for public work
projects without having them passed
upon by the national Legislature.
But on the whole the Republican
opposition has been the weakest any
minority party has put up in so
years. Explanations, or rather ex-
cuses, are to be heard to the effect
that many of the so-called Republi-
cans Like Frazier and Nye Of North Da-
kota or Norris of Nebraska or La Fol-
aette Of Wisconsin are really not Re-
puhlicans, but allies of the New Deal
party.
Another point frequently made is
fhat the Republicans are too few to
make much of a fight. 1t will be
recalled, however, that the famous
battalion of death" or 'irrecon-
cilables" who undertook to defeat the
Versailles treaty consisted of not
more than five Senators at the out
set, but they had the courage of their
convictions and were willing to give
Rt their energies unstintingly for what
Sley believed to be the right policies
Mat America should pursue. They
didn't conflne themselves to the Capt.
tol-they stumped the country at
mass meetings arranged for them
snd in the end they forced majority
Of the Senate to go along with them.
1t might be argued that there is
nothing wrong with tie Republican
party, but only with the quality OF
men now representing it in Congress
and that the cure lies in putting
fighting leaders into the next pri-
maries, but unfortunately this is moi
the whole story. The Republican
party leaders in most of the States
have not been effective either. There
has been an unprogressing and daw.
ding attitude on the part of many o.
the organization men throughout the
country.
Jeffersonian Party Prospect.
From all this 1t is not difficult tc
draw the conclusion that the real op-
91neit;Ay, %o he Nouy DaoI will coyr,