Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-24
Politics at Large
By C.. Could Lincoln.

The preconvention campaign for the
Republican. as well as the Democratic
nomination for President. continues to
simmer. 1t may be months before 1t
comes to the boiling point. But 1t
surely will boil. Secretary Herbert e..
Hoover of the Department of Com
merce Is not going out on a limb.
| Talk of his resignation from the cabi-
| net at an early date in order that
| he may get into the race for the Re
| publican nomination Is premature, to
| say the least. And Vice President
| Dawes now comes along with the
| statement that he is not candidate
| for the nomination. AS a matter Of
| fact. with the exception Of former
| Gov. Lowden, none OF the Republi.
can possibilities is yet an open, avowed
and active candidate for the nomina-
ton. There Is Senator Charles Cur
| it's Of Kansas. Republican leader Of
! the Senate, who recently has declared
that he will not permit his name to
be used in connection with the nom
| ination and the Kansas delegation to
| the Republican national convention
next year. But Senator Curtis goes
further and says he wants to know
more about what the President is go
ing to do, and whether he may not
yet be drafted for the place.
There are other Republicans, how
ever, who are confident that the Pres
ident is really out Of the picture. They
point to the fact that he has smiled
upon the world much more genially
since he made his famous 10-word
statement. They look upon him as
having come to a momentous decision
and as rejoicing in having that de-
cision behind him. Yet the talk of
drafting the President still continues
From Texas comes the latest plea for
his denomination. Texas Republicans,
according to Col. Harvey II. Haines
of Amarillo, Tex, who was candidate
for governor last year, while in Wash
ington recently insisted that Texas
Republicans have no second choice for
the presidential nomination and they
are first, last and all the time for
President Coolidge. The President, he
said, can have the votes of the Texas
delegation in the convention If he
wants them. Texans hope he will
want them. Col. Haines would make
no prediction as to the Republican
nominee if the President persisted in
his withdrawal from the race. He did
say, however, that the Texas Republi-
cans would get together and stick to-
gether in support Of a candidate at
the convention.
Col. Haines took fling at the critics
of Texas Republicanism. He resented
the suggestion that the Republican
party In the Lone Star State Is made
up Of Office holders. He pointed out
that of six members of the State steer
ing committee, who also are members
of the State Republican committee.
three are sons of Confederate veterans
and all are engaged in private bust
ness and have declined Office repeated
ly when it was offered them by the
Federal Government. Col. Haines call.
ed attention to the fact that immigra-
ton from the North into Texas is
bringing many Republicans into the
State.
The colonel believes that 1t Is i'm
material whom the Democrats nomi-
nate, which is a Republican way of re-
garding the situation, but he does be-
lieve, too, that If the Democrats nomi-
nate a wet. many Democratic voters
in Texas will go fishing election day.
Indeed, his prediction is that there will
| be more fishing done on that one day
than in six months preceding. The
State is particularly dry in its sym.
pathies. Col. Haines did not mention
the name of Gov. AL Smith. but doubt
less he had the New York Governor
| in mind in making this statement.
On the other hand, there are many
indications that the politicians in the
South are getting ready to swallow
| Gov. Smith wetness and Catholicism
| included. They have about reached the
conclusion that 1t is the best way out
Of their difficulties. and If they are
| not successful at the polls next year,
at least they will have cleared the
decks for 1882.
Until the nomination Of Catholic
shall have been actually accomplished
| it is impossible to say how strong
would be the religious upheaval with
its reaction at the polls. No one really
| knows. Many guesses are made. Many
men believe that it would be great
mistake to stir up the issue in this
country. and that its after affects
would he serious for the country.
| Big Bill Thompson, mayor OF Chi
cago, and Gov. Len Small have set
tongues wagging in Illinois. Their
recent conference and subsequent an
nouncements to the effect they had
formed an offensive and defensive al
lance to bring about the nomination
Of candidates for office and for dele
gate to the Republican national con-
vention who stand for their platform
of America first" etc, took many
Of the politicians by surprise. They
have been friends and they have been
enemies. That Is nothing new in IL
linois politics. The mayor has denied
that he has presidential aspirations, or
desire to have an Illinois delegation
at the Republican national convention
instructed for himself. But the gov
ernor has not yet denied that he is to
be candidate to succeed himself. IL
linois politics today are about as clear
as mud. With Thompson and Small
controlling great blocks of votes. and
with Lowden and Dawes possible con-
tenders for the presidential nomlna-
ton, and in and out with the mayor
and the governor. no one knows what
to think yet. 1t is a safe bet, how
ever, that before the smoke clears
away some plan will have been
evolved that will assign to these lead
ers each his own particular place. IL
linois has still to settle its senatorial
row or rather the Senate has still to
deal with the seating of SenatOr-elect
Frank l.. Smith Gov. Small backed
Col Smith strongly in past months,
appointing him to fill the unexpired
term of the late Senator William B.
Mckinley. At the time there were
many predictions that the governor
was laying his lines for renomina-
ton and reelection.
Gov. Zimmerman of Wisconsin has
been having his troubles with the
State LEGISLATURE. He was elected
last year by combination of pro-
gressives and stalwarts, the latter
seeking in this way to smash the La
Toilette organization. The governor,
as n candidate, pronounced him a real
original La Toilette man. He made
strong appeal to many of the Ger
man American voters, and with stall
wart aid he was put across. defeating
the La Toilette organization candidate,
Ekern. But, according to reports