Evening star., 1948-04-25
Party System.
ShakeupDue
@. O. P, Democrats
Fail to Draw Clear
Line on Policy
By Louis Bromfield

Strange but encouraging things
appear to be happening on the ma
tional front. They have upset COM
pletely the pundits, the prognosti-
Gators and the pollsters. All three,
I believe, are destined for further
upsets before the two major political
conventions have finished their
work and the Democratic and Re-
publican candidates are chosen.
1t seems to me that out of all the
travail and confusion one thing is
clear-that- somehow, one way or
another, there must emerge con-
servative and progressive party.
That is really what all the shootin'
is for.
Evidence Against Wallace
For a long time it has been evil
dent that the two-party system upon
which this Republic is based cannot
function properly with two parties
both of which possess radical, center
and reactionary wings. There even
tually has to be a realignment in
which the issues are clarified, and
under which a voter may make a
choice and have a reasonable GER
tainty of getting what he Is voting
for. This may come about through
the reorganization of the two major
parties or it may come about
through the birth of a new party
and the dissolution of one OF the
two older ones.
Judging from early primaries, the
evidence is that the American people
do not want Mr.. Wallace and his
barbarian cohorts, nor do they want
to return to the days of Mckinney
and Mark Hanna. They are looking
for a candidate and party which
fills the middle -of-the-road posi-
ton: but it must be a road which
leads forward and not backward,
and upon which the traffic Is NOV
ing. Mr.. Stassen's strength seems
to be one strong indication OF this
fact. More perhaps than any other
candidate he represents this tradi-
ton. which is essentially and politl-
cally the American tradition.
Both Big Parties Confused
At the moment the Democratic
Party represents a shambles IN
which all the elements are battling
each other. Essentially 1t repre-
sents-with the Southern reaction
aries on the one hand, and the Or
ranized labor forces on the other,
with its center detached and 'func-
tioning as separate DIVISION
nothing at all. Moreover the di-
vision and shattering of its organi-
zation and its utter lack OF leader
ship have immensely weakened its
significance and potentialities.
The Republican Party is less bad
ly off, but is almost as confused
There is again a radical, center
and a reactionary wing-all about
equally strong. To date it is less
seriously split than the Democratic
Party, but no one can quite make
out whether it is progressive, a
center or q reactionary party. on
the score of able men and leader
ship, however, the Republicans are
better off than the Democrats.
And this is where Mr.. Wallace
and his motley army with labels
and banners come in. Thoroughly,
and in a hopelessly confused way
they represent radicalism. Wal
lace's nameless, faceless party is
likely to poll great many more
votes than have been predicted, un-
less the whole situation is substan-
TALLY clarified. Yet great many OF
the votes he will attract will not be
votes for Wallace or his party or
his confused theology; they will be
the votes of people cast in protest
against the confusion, division, lack
of policy and direction displayed by
the major parties.
No Clear Division of Policy
Mr.. Wallace is, of course. incQn-
ceivable as President of the United
States, and the presence of the
Communists and fellow travellers In
any major American political party
is equally inconceivable. But if his
party displayed strength at the polls
in November it is not inconceivable
that it might become the nucleus
of new progressive-radical party
which would greatly clarity the ex-
listing confusion and lack of con-
certed policy in the two old parties.
Stranger things have happened In
politics, even in this country.
The fact remains that there is
no clear division of policy between
the two major parties.
tcopyright. 1a4s. Bell syndicate)