Evening star., 1926-11-17
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

| aboard the Reed band wagon conttn
ues since the successful election of
Representative Harry B. Halves to the
Senate with the aid Of Senator Jim
Reed. That the Missouri delegation
will go to the next Democratic ma
tional convention shouting for Reed
for President now appears assured
It is likely also that Senator Reed
will have strong support in the Kan
sas delegation, and in q number OF
other States Of the Mississippi Valley
and sprfnkling Of delegates here
and there from Eastern States where
his liberal stand on the prohibition
question makes him friends.
| Senator Reed has been importuned
by Democrats from a. number OF States
to start an active campaign for the
presidential nomination. But while
the Senator viii undoubtedly be in
the receptive mood, he may decline to
go out hlnting for delegates to the
convention. Writing from st. Louis
to decline an invitation to speak in
President, Senator Reed said;
IT am still old.fashioned enough to
believe that the presidency should
seek the man. not the man seek the
presidency"
Senator Reed insists that his atti
tude toward public Office has not
changed since he made his announce"
ment some time ago he would not be
a candidate to succeed himself as
Senator.
when I said was not a candidate
for any Office" Senator Reed said re-
Gently, II had only the thought in
mind that after my present term in
the Senate had expired would move
into the home I have bought in Kan.
sas City, get a saddle horse and some
hunting dogs and devote my time to
the practice Of law. reading and
travel"
But if Democrats in other States
desire to form organizations in his
behalf for the 1928 national conven'
ton. Senator Reed will not object.
But his present plans are not to get
into an active campaign himself for
delegates.
The Democratic party, which seem
ed to have reached its lowest ebb In
1924, when in some of the Western
States it practically vanished, had
rebirth during the recent campaign.
There is distinctly improved morale
observable. Their victories at the
polls November have given them
new zest and the thought that per
haps after all the Democratic presl.
dental nomination in 1928 may be OF
some value. Much, of course, will de-
pend on how we'll they are able to
keen aWay from the factional strife
which developed in Madison Square
Garden two and a half years ago.
1 II II
| No man has labored with more ZEAL
longer hours or with more efhclency
! to breathe new life into the party OF
( Thomas jefferson than Representa-
tive William A. Oldfield OF Arkansas.
Democratic whip Of the House ana
chairman Of the Democratic congress
sional committee. More than year
ago, Mr.. Oldfield began travelling
about the country, speaking at NEE.
ings of State organizations, urging
them to get to work among the rank
and file of the voters and, above all
to select the very highest type OF
candidates for Office. He treveled to
the Pacific Coast, into New England
Indeed, into every section OF the
country.
| During the recent campaign, Chair
man Oldfield was constantly on the
| lob. His task was very different from
that of the senatorial campaign man
ayers. In the senatorial election tnls
wear. only seven Democrats were up
for reelection and they We're an IRON,
the solid South, where a RepupIcan
hasn't a "look-in." They could not
lose and could only gainsin the Senate
races. In the House fight, however
the entire membership was up for
reelection. MIR. Oldf1eld and his com
mittee had to see that all the Demo
cratic seats were held and that Wher
ever possible, gains should be MADE
from the Republicans. The Demo
Gratis not only held their own. az
far as numbers are concerned. bu,
they caused the Republicans q ne,
loss of nine or ten seats in the House
bringing the Democratic memoersnii
up to 1874 and reducing the RepuDn
can strength from 247 to 23S.
1t is not often that the District Of
Columbia and it's affairs figure In
statewide political campaign, but Il
happens this year in the State o.
washington. Because Senator Wes
ley L. Jones, Republican, introduced
a bill "by request" in the Sixty -eightf
lCongress, providing for Sunday clos
ing in the National Capital. he was
attacked by his Democratic opponent:
in the senatorial race. Motion picture
theater programs carried the slogan
"If YOU want this theater closed, vote
for Senator Jonesw The inferenc,
was, of course, If they did not wan
the theater closed, the patrons woult
vote for A. Scott Bullitt, the Demo
cratic candidate for the Senate. Tht
campaign was bitter and personal tt
a great degree, and the injection O.
the Districts affairs into the f1gh
was only one phase. How many vote:
it affected, it Is difficult to estimate
Senator Jones finally won by some
II, 900 votes over Bullitt.
Senator Jones explained that thu
bill for Sunday closing in the Distric
could not by the widest stretch o.
imagination apply to any of thu
States, on the Atlantic or Pacific
coast; that he had himself been op
posed to the closing Of the moving
picture houses on Sunday and had 81
told the authors of the bill at tht
time he introduced 1t, and that hi
had refused to reintroduce thA bill II
the present Congress. But the cam
paign went gayly on against him.
The Washington Senator has beer
one of the leading "drys" Of the Sen
ate. The vets had a great deal to d.
with the strenuous fight which wa
made against his reelection. Tht
drys will chalk up the Senator's vic
tory a. q. defeat Of the wets.
+
Now that Gov. John j. Blaine o
| Wisconsin has been overwhelming.
l IL 70 fe,
speculation as to what Is to be tn,
political layout in the Badger Stat
: during the next few years. Gov
J Blaine has twice been chief executive
Of his State. He has been. g. La. Fol
letta man and owes much to the lat,