The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-12-31
THESE DAYS
GEORGE E. SOKOLSKY
THE HALF CENTURY YEAR

The two-party system had early entrenched itself in American life and by 1900, while other parties ex- isted, they did not matter much. From Abraham Lincoln to Grover Cleveland's first term, period of 24 years, the Republican Party was in office in Washington and in most of the northern and western states. It was the majority party and bespoke the expanding econ- omic power of the United States. Its strength lay in the farm popu- lation and in the middle class. It drew its leadership from the older American population, rathe} than from among the newer imm ants. In the large cities even in the, north, the Democrats possessed I1- creasing political effectiveness. par ticularly wherever citizens of Irish origin were numerous.
 In the south, the Democrats held full sway. No Republican could bel elected to office. This gave to those who controlled the mechs lism of the Republican Party. n4anir,t lative power over southern de,
 gates, who, while they could rr duce no votes in elections, |.
 have representation in convenl- tions. In 1900, the big figure in the Republican Party was not the President of the United States, Will liam Mckinley, but the party chair man, Mark Hanna, businessman of Cleveland, Ohio, who had res cued the party from Grover Cleve- land and who had dsfeatec William Jennings Bryan.
 Mark Hanna was ali extraordin- arily competent party manager who integrated the functioning of the National Committee, the pre- sidency the representation in Con- gress, and the state organizations. The Republican Party was organ ized almost as tightly as British political party, falling apart, how ever, under Theodore Roosevelt, who sought to dominate and con- trol the party through the Presi- dency. Neither the Republican nor Democratic Parties ever really suc- .. ceeded in becoming membership organizations, in the sense that the leadership reflected the views of the rank and file. Rather, they both developed into congeries of great men, of personalities rather than expressions of principle.
 Theodore Roosevelt even broke with his party, establishing one
 of his own, the Progressive Party | more familiarly known as the Bull Moose. This defection led to the defeat of William Howard Taft for reelection. Woodrow Wilson who succeeded Taft, gave to the Democratic Party a new orienta- tion, moving away from the south erners who were as conservative on the whole, as the northern Re pablicans. He brought in govern
 ment, particularly during the year' of World War I, host of intel |lectuals out of the universities, ex perts in small phases of govern mental problems. This element more or less, continued during thu
 presidencies of Harding, Coolidge and Hoover and swelled to grea
 proportions during the admins tration of Franklin D. Roosevelt | The administrations of Hardin land Coolidge were during periods o 1 ferocious prosperity, and it appear l. ed that the Republican Part
 would remain in office forever. | Ifact, in 1928. when Herbert Hoov CT ran against Al Smith, the Re publicans even managed to invad
 the Solid South-partly on aecour lof Smiths Roman Catholicism , Hoover was President only a fe' 7 months when the Deep DepresSio
 of 1929 hit the country and taste
 until 1889 when production fl l war altered the course of Amer can economy.
 In 1892, Franklin D. Roosevel