America's New Party It is difficult as yet to say
what part will be played in American politics by the new National Progressive Party founded by the brothers La Follette at Madison, Wisconsin, last week ; President Roosevelt professes to believe that, like other "third parties," it will not even cause a tremor in the surface of political life. But the La Follette influence is not to be underrated. For over 30 years a member of the family has occupied the Governor's house at Madison, and represented the State in the Senate ; and under the two brothers' famous father, "Fighting Bob" La Follette, a National Progressive party might have swept at least the Middle West. But its immediate significance is as evidence of a loss of confidence in President Roosevelt among pro- gressives of the La Follette type. They attack the President for his policy of" economic scarcity," that is, of restricting agricultural production ; but, in general, they do not disagree with his policies so much as mistrust his ability to carry them through in the face of determined opposition from Con- servative Democrats in his own party. He has, they say. "fumbled the ball." The Progressives hope to attract not only the farmers of the Middle West, but labour and the new trade unionism. If they were to succeed, they might split the Democratic vote and allow a Republican, unrepresentative of American popular opinion, to win the 1940 presidential election.
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