The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-05-12
ECONOMIC H1GHL1GHTs

The official decision to launch I.
third party-called the Nationa
Progressive Party, and headed b.
Governor Philip La Toilette of Wis
consin-is of major political import.
ance. The chief significance of tn,
move lies in its possible effect OF
the existing parties, and on future
elections.
The history of third party move.
ments in this country has been gen.
orally a history of practically com.
plete failure, SO far as the partie!
themselves were concerned. To.
day who remembers the Locofocos
the Free Sellers, the North Ameri.
cans, the Blue Light Federalists, the
Anti Masons-all important third
party movements in their time? The
last third party drive that got any
where at all was that of 1924, when
the senior La Toilette ran for presi-
dent with Senator Wheeler as his
team-mate and polled a total of s.
100000 votes out Of 100000 cast
But the ticket received the elector-
ial vote of only one state, Wiscon-
sin.
Occasionally, however, third
party bolt has been the decisive fac
tor in national election, and has
SO made an important contribution
to the course Of government. This
was the case in 1912, when Theo-
dore Roosevelt, having split with
Taft and the regular Republicans,
led the Bull Moose revolt. The
Rough Rider did not get elected, in
spite. of the advantage that he had
been President, and enjoyed an i'm
mense popularity-but he took
enough of the Republican vote to
elect Wilson,, and to leave Taft the
worst beaten incumbent in Ameri-
can history. And the wounds that
the split caused in the Republican
ranks took a long time to heal, and
are generally believed to have been
q major factor in the reelection Of
Wilson in 1916, when he beat
Hughes by the narrowest OF mar
gins.
The potential importance Of the
National Progressive Party thus lies
In the possibility that 1t may have
some such effect as this on the cur
rent political set-up. And the stage
is certainly set for political up
heaval, and the realignment Of po-
1itical groups.
The party In power, the Demo-
cratic, has its most dependable sup
port in the South. It was this solid
South following which kept it going
during its bad years after the war,
when many commentators forecast
its imminent demise. But, as every
one known, the South is largely
The principal South
ern Senators Byrd, Harrison, Glass,
Bailey, etc.-incline toward the
right. The New Deal on the other
hand, is leftish. It's most consist
ent congressional supporters are
Democrats, from states
which in former times were often or
counted in the Republican
ranks Pennsylvania, New York, the
New England group, the corn-belt,
and the far West. It is the indus
trial East and Middle West, rather
than the agrarian South, which IS
most enthusiastic for the Roosevelt
policies.
At the same time, there are many
followers of the New Deal. nclud-
Ing sizable bloc in the House,
which believe that the President has
not gone far enough left. These
men are semi-radicals- they do not
90 as far as do the extreme left
wingers, who vote for minority tick
cts such as the Communist. And it
is to this left group. and to the left
sympathizing constituents who elect
them, that Governor La Follette's
new party will offer its principal ap-
peal. Furthermore, the party starts
with one state apparently 'in the
ag"-Wisconsin has always sup
ported the La Follettes with hardly
a deviation, and there is no indica-
ton that sentiment among Wiscon-
sin voters has changed.
To sum up, the La Toilette move
ment is for the first time offering
these semi-radicals party headed
by men with national political rep
utations who will sponsor platforms
that are largely in accord with left
wing views. At the same time, there
is growing movement on foot for
a coalition between Republicans and
orthodox Democrats for the purpose
of beating the New Deal and to
elect, if not Republican, a con-
sentative Democrat. It is said that
in some states, such as Florida,
where it is practically impossible
for Republicans to win a seat in the
senate, Republican voters have
changed their registry, so that they
may vote for anti-New Dealers in
the Democratic primaries. And