The Washington herald., 1912-02-25
a, rnANCIs =. enssNERI


The Democrats have new State chair
han in New York. succeeding Norman
Z. Mack. who has quite enough to do AZ
chairman Of the National Committee.
manager Of newspaper. and hopeful
OF some day being In the Cabinet OF
Democratic President. Both as State
and national chairman. the Hon. Norman
has done very weil. and his withdrawal
from active State management for ex-
elusive attention to the Democratic
national organization is in line with his
ambition to have a high place at WASH
ington. There is just enough edging
OF Mack toward conservative place In
party AFFAIRS to make CLEAR his worthy
desire for actual high 'oficiai honor II
a Democrat comes to the White House
within the next eight years. The Balti-
more convention will aid Mack in gaining
a higher place IN national affairs and
serve to make him worthy of attention,
whoever is made the nominee for Presi-
dent Care was taken by Mack and his
friends in New York that his successor
as chairman should be loyal to tine Mack
side Of things. and while there Is little
~ hhaNa Aointllhny CoulNOl VI NuC COul-
mitree, not only Mack. but every other
upstate Democrat realizes that Demo-
cratic majority in New York State must
come from New York City. and south OF
the Harlem The other counties usually
come to Harlem with an overwhelming
Republican vote, and. very often over
balance the Tammany output OF a DEM
ocratic pleurality.
However dominant Tammany may be
In the State organization. Murphy was
careful TO pick an upstate Democrat
Tor chairman after the resignation OF
Huppnich. who served short spell after
the Mack retirement George NJ. Pal
mer. the new chairman. Is from Scho-
harie County. He has had the usual try
ing-0ut tn the legislature. and Demo-
crat who graduates from the Albany
schooi knows much about politics, some
times too much. He suffered q defeat
or twoJ but came back with the later
Democratic wave as minority leader dur
Ing Republican domination. Palmer be-
came ate ISure, and was on the
ticket for Sfsssaey general In 1908, but
was defeated Two years later he had
another fali-doZn as the nominee for
Congress against George W. Fairchild,
thA Republican member from Onandaga.
who is booming rp as a State Republican
leaoer and able manager in behalf Of
President Taft. Thanks to a general
Rer ublican detection two years ago. Pal
Iner made quite clever shOsing against
Fsirchild. whose grip on the district has
eeer frightened each year, ana possibly
only Fairchlld could have beaten Pal
mer. backed as the latter was With the
state Democratic organization II does
not occur to The friends Of Gov. Dix In
the New York Congressional delega-
tion that PalmeTs selection as chair
man aids the Dix future ambition to
any great extent, but Tammany promises
to run things from now on, and both
Dix and Mayor Gaynor rs possible Pres
idential candidates yearn for the forty
delegates to the national convention from
greater Gotham town
Problem I'm Massachusetts.
VIII it be a big four or big eight dele
gation-at-Iargs from Massachusetts, in
the Democratic and Republican national
conventions? The leaders. managers,
and wise ones Of both parties are wor-
ried over the proposition, and. while the
with power to make new dis
tricts, is Republican, the governor, with
power to veto. is Democrat and also
a candidate for the Presidential nomi-
nation. Massachusetts, Ezins two Con-
gressmen this year, 80 that thirty-six
delegates will so to each national con-
vention. The Republicans don't think
very well OF the eight at-large PROPOSE
tion. and will insist on carving out two
new districts, also on the oId-time method
of four delegates-at-large. There is also
pending in the legislature a bill for the
election of delegates by a primary vote
rather than by = district and State con-
vention. Gov. Foss Is pledged to such a
and not only Republicans but
many Democrats prefer the old-fashioned
way Of naming delegates without any
preferential attachment
II new Congressional districts are or
dered by the Republican legislature they
will probably be formed out of Boston
and adjacent territory. including a part
of the Fall River region. All OF the
Massachusetts districts during the last
ten years have been remarkable for large
populations. Hardly one of the present
fourteen districts has a population under
10000. and many run near to the quarter
million mark. Independent Of a possible
change OF districts with a view to max
ing many of them securely Republican,
there is hope Of a Republican gain. even
II Gov. Foss prevents the passage OF a
JOtn Alucu nhg
(DemocraD, OF Worcester. who defeated
Charles G. washburn by a mighty small
margin. will have to hump himself to
win this year no matter what happens
to the district map. Then William Francis
Murray. OF the Suffolk district. In Boston,
will need to increase his zeal and also his
expense account to win, as his Republi-
can foe. John Kehher. lost by a margin
OF little over q thousand In the general
slump OF two years ago.
The only hope for the Democrats Is in
the Boston districts. and Peters, OF the
jamaica Plains district, f. the one Demo-
crat with a sure thing under present dis
trict conditions. He is in his third term
now, and, of course, is a bit nervous lest
the legislature may hand him a new dis
trict very much the other way.
II Is considered good politics, however,
to group the Democratic wards and towns
into compact bunch, allowing possibly
two reasonably safe districts for the
opposition and giving the Republicans
fourteen members instead OF four in the
next House.
Lampson Again n Factor.
Ohio Republicans doing business in
Washington during the session and who
happened to be in the state during the
Roosevelt visit were interested to just
look on at Columbus and hear the ad-
dress. They were almost startled to find