Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-11
MACHINE POLITICS
IN CRUCIAL TESTS
Victory for Pinchot Would Be
Interpreted as Blow to
Organization Control
INDIANA SHOCKS REGULARS
By CLINTON W. GILBERT


Copyright 1927. by Public Lcdocr Comrdni
Washington, May 1l.--Thc politi.
clans here nrc watching with great
interest The coming pr in Penn
sylvania. If Clifford Pinchot should be
nominated for Governor. everybody
would interpret II rs n sign of general
public disgust with machine politics.
Already the machine has had an un-
expected blow In Indiana through the
triumph Of Mr.. Beveridge over Senator
New in the recent primaries.
The Indiana result may pc personal.
1t may be purely local. But it was
q rude shock to those who were counting
upon the power Of the organization to
control nominations. for it was on the
power of the machine that the betting
nf 5 to I. in favor of Mr.. New, was
based.
\ ictory for Mr.. Pinchot may again
be personal and local. due to the con
fdcncn which Mr.. Pinchot inspires
through his personal character and past
achievements and to the dissatisfaction
which the electorate Of PENNSYLVANIA
feels in machine rule and the break up
Of the organization resulting from the
loss Of its old leaders.
May Mean Anti. Machine Trend
/ But two such results. the success of
Mr.. Revcridge in Indiana and Mr..
Pinrhot in Pennsylvania in the two
most important early primaries, may
/ Indicate A trend which will show itself
IN other places. Moreover, even If no
general anti machine feeling has de-
! ypIopcd throughout tho country, the
politicians are anxious about the psy-
Chological effect of two such victories.
There is little doubt that they will
stiI. voters elsewhere to reorgnnize and
= clean MP the Republican Party. The
trouble with the organization is that
, it has no issue.
Once it was able 70 appeal to voters
on the ground that only through party
discipline could results be accomplished
/ That was the tacit appeal to the voters
of Indiana. Mr.. New had been regular.
! He had done everything that an obedi.
| ont party man could do in Washington
I To send any one else here was to put Il
premium on irregularity and add to the
confusion already existing.
The weakness of this argument Is that
party discipline was never so weak or
discreditcd rs at present.
II the system for which orga nization
stands could show results some con-
vincing appeal might be made in its
behalf. but If all il can produce is In
ferior mon and lower motives in poll
tics without efficiency 1t loses its hold
upon the voter. who IS likely to take il
into his own hands to send the best
man he can 70 Washington irrespective
Of what happens to the organization.
Aud not only is organization discred-
tied by its lack of results here. but 1t
is equally discredited mt home by what
is going on in most States. Not only
is there lack Of leadership in Congress
but there is the same division and con-
fusion among the politicians in the
States.
What has happened in PENNSYLVANIA
has happened quite generally. The old
leaders are gone and lot Of petty local
bosses are squabbling among themselves
for control.
In Indiana Senators New and Wat
son. the two most important party fig
urrs left. have been jealous of each
other for a long time. When Watson
ran for the Senate in 1920 his friends
accused New of not giving his whole
hearted support.
Two reasons were assigned for News
Indifference. One was that Watson
was reaching out for control Of the
Indiana machine. an ambition which
would naturally come 70 an end with
his defeat. Another was that Watson
had powerful newspaper foes whose dis
Measure New was loath to incur by
rendering little assistance TO Watson.
With New our Of the way. Wa son
now sees before himself the possibility
Of being the boss of the Indiana ma
chine, provided. Of course. Bevcridge is
not elected and his friends do not gain
mower which will rival Watson S own.
The interest of Watson. many think,
is TO see Beveridgc defeated in Novem-
Der. And accordingly predictions are
made here that Ralston. the Democratic
candidate, will win at the polls.
Parties In their present hands have
been tried and found wanting. The
politicians realize their own weakness.
/ The old argument for politica organi-
zatiou which so long commended itself
to practical people, namely, that in
! snre of It's faults it worked, no longer
+ is convincing. About all that is visible
now in many States is its faults, and
not results.
The year has been trying one for
the politicians. The development of in
Dependence in Congress has been OK
traOrdinary. The power of the blocs
has boon diSc0ncertng Criticism Of
thc Administration. instead of follow
Ing party lines, has sprung from Re-
publican sources. Mr.. Harding has felt
Thar tl,r sit"ation was beyond his con.
lrpi.
Thc~" arc III" symptoms at Washing
ton. 70 what extent they reflect the
state OF the voters mind no one knows.
On this question a repudiation Of the
r,n,Liuc in ppnnsylyania will haVO an