Evening star., 1949-12-09

Any Effective Coalition
Between North, South
Believed Unlikely
By Dapid Laurence
The perennial suggestion that
the Republican Party make a
formal coalition with the Demo-
Gratis of the South has aroused a
discussion about changing party
names and realigning elements
that have q political affinity with
each other. ...-.
But, as usual, the principal OBJ
stacle to realignment of parties
in America is overlooked. 1t is
the fact that national parties are
interviewer and integrated with
State and local party organiza-
tions. If all the Democrats In
. the South who think on national
questions along the same line as
the Republicans of the North were
to join together, they would still
find themselves with no political
understanding at the local level.
It is at the county courthouse
and at the State capitol that the
national political organization
acquires its real foundation, and
nobody knows this better than
Senator John Bricker of Ohio.
Republican. who started all the
talk about changing the name OF
the Republican party.
Must Amplify Suggestion
But unless Senator Bricker is
willing to arnplify his suggestion
and tell how the State and county
tickets can be weaned away from
their present Democratic moor
ings by a change in name, there
is little likelihood that any form
ula of effective coalition can be
developed.
There is more reason for the
Republican Party to call itself the
new Democratic Party" utiliz-
ing the word Democrat" than
there is for the Southern Demo-
Gratis to lose their identity
through some new name that the
local organizations in the South
cannot use.
Too much emphasis, however,
is placed on the name itself. This
could be changed. Of course, to
help the Republicans in the South
but the change might also lose
q good deal in the North. After
all, the word Republican" has
been pretty well advertised in the
Northern States for more than
half a century. -
There Is really nothing wrong
with the word Republican" that
few new ideas and new leaders
= couldn't cure. The two major
parties are like two strongly built
apartment houses - the tenants
may change but the structure
continues on.
What the Republican Party
needs is a new set of tenants at
the top level. The illusion that
old-fashioned conservatism is in
the majority In the United States
and that all that Is needed to
win a national election is q COM
bination Of Northern and South
-ern. conservatives will not be
borne out by any analysis of cleo
ton returns In recent years.
~e~ Dominance Due to Ideas. seis,,
The dominant political party In
America today is the Democratic
Party. It is the majority party
not because Of President Truman
who ran behind his ticket in
many States in 1948-but because
Of the ideas it espouses.
The real trouble with the Re-
publican Party-if the leaders
would only admit its that it
has too many people of advanced
age and fossilized ideas in con-
troll of the purse strings and the
policies. The new generation Of
Republicans now growing up will
In due time take control Of the
party and mould it to suit the
needs Of q growing population.
The chief attack that has come
from the conservatives in the
Republican Party is that, when
q candidate like Mr.. Dewey es-
pouses a basic idea which is pop
ular with the people, he is called
q "me too" candidate. There is,
Of course. wisdom in political op-
position and In underlining the
difference between the proposals
of the rival candidates. but. on
the basic principle Of social well
fare. the political party that puts
itself in the position of being op-
posed to programs that spell well
fare. is merely putting itself out
Of the running altogether.
The Republican Party did more
for social welfare between 1856
and 1892 than the Democrats
have done since. For the Repub-
licans achieved many social re-
forms-they even authored the
antitrust laws-and did it while
the country kept solvent. To be-
come a 'fhandout" party Is easy
enough for a few elections, but
it begins to lose its charm when
the people really learn what's
happening to the purchasing
power Of their wages and their
savings.
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asAI IL