Evening star., 1936-05-18

OF a progressive
and forward looking platform which
marks pronounced departure from
the ultra conservative and standpat
platforms that have been emanating
from New York State Republicanism
for many years, is an event of large
significance. 1t is symbolic of the
revolt of younger Republicans all
over the country against the blind,
uncomprising, indeed obsolete politics
of the so-called "Old Guard" groups.
If the younger Republicans only
realized how tsrong they are, how
relatively simple it would be for them
to capture the party and with it the
imagination of many independent
voters, they would move unhestita-
tingly toward aggressive leadership.
Perhaps they do not know that many
of the forward looking business men
of the country who year in and year
out have been supporting the "Old
Guard" with campaign contributions,
fighting shy of direct participation
and leaving it to the politicians to
deal with the supposedly mysterious
subject of politics" are just about
ready to abandon the old groups for
new and inspiring leadership.
Business Changes Objective.
This, indeed, is one of the amazing
under currents of the campaign. 1t
might be supposed that the "Old
Guard" and big business" together
are looking aSkance at the younger
groups. Actually the words "big bus
iness" mean little today in national
politics and instead there has come
to the front a new group of business
men who are much more interested
in a fair opportunity to bring re-
employment and profits than they
are in special governmental favors.
There are, of course, minorities in
all groups and factions and there
are, for instance, several of the old
school who think all that Is necessary
this year is for them to contribute
a lot of money, sing hymn Of hate
about Roosevelt and the election will
be won.
Just beginning to dawn on some
of the business men is what the
younger Republicans have been saying
right along, namely, that the time
has come to meet ideas with ideas
and for the Republican party to
show that it is just as humanitarian.
just as progressive and just as jealous
of the rights and opportunities of the
common man as is the New Deal
Party.
Younger, but Not Youthful.
Now what is meant by young
Republicans" 1t is not classifl-
cation akin to flaming youth" 1t
is the generation that went through
the World War and is just coming
of age, so to speak, a generation that
knows the difference between sound
economics and "crack-pot" economics
and knows also that government for
the few doesn't get the votes for the
simple reason that is is fundamentally
wrong.
These trends and tendencies toward
a progressive platform do not mean
a "left wing" program. But con-
sidered in purely Republican terms,
the forthcoming platform is very
likely to be what conservative Re-
publicans would few years ago have
denounced as radical.
For many weeks it has been re-
ported hereabouts that Gov. Landon
had mapped out his strategy in the
event Of nomination and that he
would not hesitate to criticize during
the campaign. in fact to disavow
many of the Republican doctrines Of
the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover
regimes and would move closer to the
social justice idea which was en-
bodied in the Theodore Roosevelt Re-
publicaniSm of 1912.
Certainly the direction of Repub-
licaniSm today would seem to be away
from the extreme right and in the
left direction, well toward the middle
point. The platform of the New York
Republicans is an excellent document
for start but it is not concretely
def1nitive. though it will doubtless
furnish the basis for the national
platform that will be written at Cleve-
land.
Democrats Move to Right.
Curiously enough, as the Repub-
1icanS move away from what might
be called right-wing position, the
Democrats are moving away from the
extreme left wing that they have
maintained for three years and are
tending now over toward the middle
again. The influence of middle-of-
the-roaders inside the New Deal is
rising and the platform will not differ
in several particulars from that which
the Young Republicans have Just
adopted. This is because the objec-
tives are much clearer to the Demo-
Gratis themselves now that the coun-
try has manifested its protest in
various ways against regimentation
and usurpation of governmental power
by bureaucracy.
Inside the Republican party, the
power and influence of Senator Borah
becomes every day more of a factor.
The Idaho Senator is not likely to
take his own defeats in the primaries
as a personal matter. but as a stimulus
to renewed drive for a progressive
platform. Borah's concept of the
need for free competition and an at
tack on monopoly may provide con-
siderable controversy at the sessions
Of the Platform Committee but In the
end his views will be accepted.
Unless all signs fail, the Repub-
hcan party Of 1886 will be progressive.
Anything else will mean a forfeiting
Of the campaign on the day the con-
vention adjourns.
As for the Democrats, their chance
Of winning back millions Of votes they
have lost lies in a convincing demon
stration OF their readiness to abandon
unsound experimentation for a sound
program that protects the wage en-
velope against imitation arising out
Of unbalanced budgets and wasteful
expenditures.
tcopyrisht. 1850
4,