Evening star., 1937-03-14
COURT PLAN OPENS NEW
HOPE FOR REPUBLICANS
May Best Serve Nation by Uniting With
Anti.New Dealers to Form
New Party.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
7 o SUBJECT calls for more con-
centrated thought at this time
] than the Supreme Court uues-

" than the supreme Court queS-
ton. That goes without say
ing. Next to that, and because of
that, no subject calls for more con-
centrated thought than the Republican
party-what should be done about it
and by it?
For the question the Republican
party must ask itself is, how can the
Republican party best help to save
the independence of the judiciary?
The answer might readily be that
'the Republican party can best help
by ceasing to exist and by uniting
with those Democrats who believe in
the independence of the judiciary"
If that is the answer then the Re-
publican party should not hesitate.
On the broad question of the future
of the Republican party, whether 1t
must die, or can survive, the essential
facts are:
First, as respects number of vot-
ers: Measured in terms of those who
voted for the Republican candidate
for President, Gov. Landon. last Fall,
there are just under l7000,000. In
terms Of the aggregate of those who
voted for Republican candidates for
Congress, Governor and the like, there
are slightly over 100000 For con-
venience call the number 1900 900.
Seventeen million is an impressive
body of voters. 1t is the largest num-
Der of votes ever cast by minority
party With three exceptions it is
the largest number that ever voted
for any party, minority or majority.
It is more than was ever cast for any
party, excepting the vote for Mr..
Roosevelt in 1886, the vote for Mr..
Roosevelt in 1882 and the vote for Mr..
Hoover in 1923. 1t is 81 per cent of
the total vote, and 81 per cent is a
perfectly respectable minority. The
81 per cent cast by the Republicans
last Fall is greater than the percentage
cast by the Democrats in 1920 and
1924. And the Democrats. after hav-
ing had those smaller percentages.
came back, as we all know-came back
most impressively.
Exceptionally United Body.
The 100000 who compose the
voting strength of the Republican
party are an exceptionally united
body They are a coherent, homo
geneous force. To degree rare in
any political party, these 100000
Republicans have common aim.
In this respect the Republicans are
in marked contrast with the party
which bears the name Democratic"
and is now in power. For this party
now in power contains elements not
only diverse but hostile to each other;
| and has purposes not merely incon-
sistent but mutually incompatible.
For example, the party now in power
contains the mass of the Negroes in
the North-and at the same time
contains the South, which repreSSes
Negro voting 1t contains old-fashion-
ed, old-school Democrats, who be-
lieve in State rights, and New Dealers,
whose direct purpose is to reduce
State rights to the vanishing point.
Compared to the party in power the
100000 Republicans are a strik-
ingly consolidated force.
So much for the Republican party
in terms of the voters who compose
it, If we were looking at the Repub-
lican voters only, we would not need
to consider what is going to happen
to the Republican party-it would
take care of itself.
But turn now to the Republican
party as a functioning organization,
as represented in official places of
power From this point of view the
Republican party is weaker than any
major party in American politics ever
was Excepting only the Democratic
party during the Civil War, when
much of that party was disfranchised,
voluntarily or involuntarily)
Picture of Weakness.
Let us make the picture of Repub-
lican weakness concrete:
/. The Republican party has only
16 Senators out of 96. And to count
Is, we must include every variety and
shade of Republican; we must include
Senator Borah and Senator johnson
and Senators Nye and Frazier of
North Dakota.
2. The Republican party has only
80 Representatives out of ABS.
8. The Republican party has only
7 Governors out of 49, And the States
in which the Governors are Repub-
ncan are, with two exceptions, rela-