Milford chronicle., 1949-08-05
PartY Labels Deceive

Party Labels Deceive
noW ARE We. the voters. to
l determine how those our votes
elect to congress. senate or house
can be depended upon to support
the policies of the party under
whose label they are elected? In
all too many cases the party label.
both Democratic and Republican,
is meaningless.
AS candidate he may have APP
peared to be a Democrat. while.
an elected public official. he may
vote with the Republicans. He may
have been on the Republican ticket,
elected as a Republican, but in
congress he votes with the Demo-
Gratis. Such things have happened
! with increasing frequency, espe-
cially in the 80th and 8lst sessions.
The party label had ceased to be
criterion as to the policies an
elected official may follow.
We have been spared the
governmental confusion result
ing from innumerabIe political
parties, as is the case in most
European countries. When we /,
have had the occasional, but !
always ineffective, splinter"
parties spring up for brief
periods, we have continued TO
operate under the two party s
system.
We have voted for candidates as
either Democrats or Republicans
with a reasonable expectation that
the candidate for whom we voted
as a Democrat, would, if elected.
support in congress the policies of
: the Democratic party, or Repub-.
lican the policies of the Republican
. party. In the past we have expected
those elected to follow the leader
ship, or majority, Of the party
on whose ticket they were elected.
Both parties are split into fac
: tions. Many a senator or repre-
sentative votes on legislation either
as he believes it will produce for
, him the most votes at the next
S election, or as some personal pet
: foible dictates. He does not fol-
e low the party policies, and we, the
o voters, are helplessly confused.
~
: In the last election President
Truman solicited votes for him.
!. self, and others on the Demo-
cratic ticket, on definitely
defined program. He promised
the fUIfiIIment of that program
n provided he was reelected,
u and with him was elected q
u Democratic senate and house.
Is Those who wanted that pro-
a gram voted the Democratic
l. ticket. Those who were opposed
d voted Republican.
st When congress convened, the
President tried-he urged, and pu
back Of that urge, all the powers
of his office-to hold a Democrat,
congress in line, but it did no
hold. Many of those elected on tn,
Democratic ticket refused to "gl
- along" and voted with the Repub
. icans. A considerable number O
Republicans, elected on ticket
- representing opposition to tn
= Presidents campaign promises
~ - voted for the enactment Of th
- Presidents recommendation. /
~ ~ such cases, in both parties, tn
20 20 party label has been meaningless
- - In all such cases the elected cand
- dates had repudiated their, 9
- least, implied promises.
- So it is that we can no longe
count on following party polio,
and we no longer have, in fact,
two party system Of governmer
operation. What the answer is,
any, I do not know, but unles
ways can be found to enforce part
; discipline on elected represents
tives and senatords we will COZ
tinue to have go-as-please col
greSs.
ate 1 asked a political Old-timer,
'es enc well versed in the ways Of
10 politics and politicians, what
ice could be done about the present
situation. His instant reply
was: "Get away from the di-
rect primary law. With direct
primary nominations the party
ne can have no control over the
ur' candidates whose names ap-
pear under any party label.
Try Each candidate, during cam
SO paign and after election is. a
In law unto himself. The party
eW can have nothing to say to
him, and no way to keep him
t in line. There is no way TO en-
s force party discipline
y Whatever may be the cause
+ the needed remedy, it all meal
Il confusion for the voters of bo
l. parties. When we cast our ballo
g we cannot be. sure for what we a
r voting.
: What will happen to the ma
thosuands Of homes the Cover
: ment' will fall heir to when t
purchasers fail to pay. as ma
y will?
the Had we, during the past ye,
pim been saving those billions I
Hoover Commission has sho,