Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-08
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

seriously at stake, the regular Repub
lican organization, including the he
publican national committee and the
senatorial campaign committee. head
ed respectively by Senator William NJ
Butler Of Massachusetts and Senator
Phipps of Colorado, two of the most
regular of regulars, is not scanning
so closely this year the repubhcanlsnl
of nominees as it was inclined to &c
not so many months ago. In 1act
the organization is likely to- get be-
hind any candidate nominated by the
Republicans of any State. Eftorts &c
have all the Republican candidates
cut from the same pattern as Sena'
tor Butler or Senator Phipps, for eX
annie. are not being made, except
in some Of the primary fights. once
the candidates have been nominated
the organization is preparing to sWal
low them even though they may be
dista steful The fact of the matter
is that any further attempts to mon
key with the special brand of repuo
licanism developed in some or the
Western States holds danger for the
Republicans nationally.
x X X x
Take the case Of Col. Smith Brook
hart out in Iowa. He was nominated
overwhelmingly over the late Senator
Cummins in the primary there last
June. Not many weeks earlier, ne
had been thrown out of the Senate
largely because of some of the more
stiff necked Republicans in the Sen
ate and his seat given to Senator
Steck, Democrat. A year before
that Brookhart had been read out OF
party councils because he followed
La Toilette in his fight for the presl
dency in 1924. What do we find now
Brookhart has been recognized as the
head of the party ticket in Iowa, ano
the organization which fought him sc
hard, and which even threw its sup
port to Steck in the 1924 election, Is
to back him. Almost it is necessary
to rub the eyes to make sure this Is
not a dream.
Take North Dakota and Wisconsin
other States which have been storm
centers from the Republican regulars
point of view. In the first, Senator
Gerald p. Nye, progressive Repup
lican and critic Of the administration
has been nominated. He will nave
some regular Republican opposition II
the general election in November, ou,
the national party organization VII
take no chances on letting a Democrat
win that state. if a Democrat threat
ems it seriously. In Wisconsin 1T ap
pears that the regulars ultimately VII
have to swallow Gov. John j. Blame
La Toilette progressive.
Much as the Republican leaders
may dislike the job. and some OF then
frankly Go, it looks as though they
would have to get behind Col. FranF
Smith, the choice Of the Repub'
licans in the Illinois senatorial PR
raries, and put him across in NoVem
her. prepared to fight to seat him L
his right to be seated is contested II
the Senate itself. The revelations re
garding the big contributions of sam
uel insult, utilities naGnate, TO the
Smith primary campaign have brougn'
many signs and shakings OF the mead
But the Republicans are not 81
"choosy" this year.
In Pennsylvania they will back WI
liam S. Ware, Notwithstanding the FAC
Ill
made in the interest Of Wares can
didacy for the nomination caused the
Newberry expenditures in Michigan
several years ago to pale into lnslS
nificance.
The "safe and sane" campaign which
the Republicans waged so successfully
in 1924, when President Coolidge was
elected by the largest plurality in the
popular vote ever given any Presl
dent, is being duplicated this Fall In
the prosperity" slogan which has
been generally adopted by the leader:
of the Republican senatorial and con
gressional campaigns. The voters are
being told everywhere not to upset the
ample cart, not to rock the boat Whe1
everything is moving smoothly. The
appeal to the pocketbook feelings OF
the voters is not without its strength
Rarely has there been political upset
in this country when business was
fairly good and the people contented
Notwithstanding local issues In some
States, the Democrats have q tough
task going UP against this prosperity
appeal.
x X !. !;
Senator Stanfield, Republican, o.
Oregon, is causing the senatorial cam
paign committee some worry just al
present. His persistence in attempt
ing to enter the senatorial contest thl:
Fall as an Independent after he has
been defeated for the Republican
nomination is the cause Of this worry
Members of the committee fear thai
If Stanfield really enters the race
he will divide the Republican vote
with Frederick Steiwer, the nominee
of the party, and will permit Bert
r. Haney, Democratic nominee, tt
slip into the Senate by a plurality
vote. Oregon is rated Republican
State, and with an undivided front
the Republicans insist they can elect
Steiwer this year. Supporters OF
Steiwer have taken the matter o.
Stanfields independent candidacy into
the courts, claiming that under the
Oregon primary law a candidate ha:
to state before the primary that il
he is not successful he will not bt
p candidate on another party ticket
in the general election. The Steiwel
people insist that this provision would
prevent a candidate from running a:
an independent after he had failed
to win party nomination.
X X X n
The announcement from Kansas
City, Mo-, that Senator "Jim" Rec
would not be q candidate for re
election to the Senate in 1928 will b,
regretted by his admirers. of whom h
has a host. Possibly circumstance:
may arise that will cause Senator
Reed to change his mind, as, fol-
example, Senator Norris of Nebraska
did two years ago after he had sale
he would not be q candidate. Senator
Reed now says he cannot conceive
Of this happening in his case. Today
Senator Reed is an outstanding figure
not only on the Democratic side of the
Senate chamber, but in the entire
Senate. A forceful debater, some
times at odds with his own party
leaders, as in the case of the Worlc
Court. he has become particularly
prominent in the present Congress