Montgomery County sentinel., 1952-07-24
| Might Be
Wrong But
By
p. G. STROMBERG

Viewing the American political
scene on the second day of the
Democratic National Convention
one cannot escape the feeling that
great political changes are in the
making. The person who fails to
recognize the value of the two
party system in America is one
who denies that our two party sys-
tenn has been the means of build
ing our political strength. Time
was when the differences between
the Republican and Democratic
parties were so fundamental that
one could easily be a Democrat or
a Republican. That time, however,
has passed long since. The Demo-
crat of today realizes that one of
these great differences was the
States Rights Issue of the JEFF
fersonian Democrats and today the
same issue has been practically
adopted by the Republicans with
the big fight on among Democrats
in Chicago for federal control of
a problem which Democrats have
always claimed belonged to the
States.
While this is the picture of the
Democrats in national convention
the record shows that the Republi-
can party not only now but for
some years has been more the
party of States rights. And on
that basis one is led to wonder
whether or not the South isn't 60
ing to become real part of our
national political life after a CEN
tury of voting solidly democratic.
Is there not political kinship be-
tween the Eisenhower Democrats"
who had difficulty in being seated
at the Republican Convention and
the Southern Democrats who have
been required to take a political
oath before being seated at the
Democratic Convention Are we
witnessing the groundwork of at
least one or perhaps two new poll
tical parties which will more truly
represent 'the convictions of the
general run of voters? Is it not
to be taken for granted that many
Southern Democrats will refuse to
accept a candidate and a platform
which goes entirely against that
for which they have fought so
many years?
And under these circumstances
is it not likely that Eisenhower
will break the solid South in No
vember? The Democrats in Chica-
go late Monday night (early Tues
day morning) by voice vote practi-
cally told a group of Southern
State delegations that they were
not qualified to serve as delegates.
What effect will this have on the
Southern states and what effect
will it have in November?
The Democratic party chieftains
have learned that they can corral
the Negro vote and that they can
secure the labor leaders endorse
ment and with these two sources
of strength they proceed to ignore
the traditional Democratic strength
of the South in the hope that they
can gain the tremendous vote of
the big northern cities and take
the South's democracy for granted.
The Democratic party has moved
further and further to the left and
the question before the conserva-
tive Jeffersonian Democrats is
whether they can much longer re-
main within the fold.
The same general feeling applies
to a great many Republicans who
feel that their party has failed to
embrace modern political philoso-
ply to meet their ideals. 1t seems
that the evident differences might
mean that we are today witnessing
the ground work for changes in
our political party system.
Even Vice-president Barkley has