Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-06
Politics at Large
By C. Could Lincoln.

Frank o. Lowden. former Governor
of Illinois, unsuccessful candidate for
the presidential nomination in 1920,
might have been Vice President OF
the United States today il he had not
turned down the nomination for that
Office rendered him by the Cleveland
convention in 1924. When he sent
his telegram to the last Republican
national convention refusing to go on
the ticket with President Coolidge,
some of the long distance prognosti-
Gators said he would be a candidate
for the presidential nominal on in
1928. They were right. He is.
When Coy. Lowden told the Iowa
committee that waited on him in Chi.
cago that he was willing to run if it
/ turned out that a number of the
Western agricultural States wanted
him. he started the ball rolling.
Frankly there are astute politicians
from the Middle West now i'm Wash
! ington who believe the LoWden boom
will get very little distance. They in
sist that there is nothing really back
of the movement for LoWdeu-Ihat
is, nothing really substantial in the
political world. They do not see the
local politicians in the Western States
/ lining up for Lowden al this stage Of
the game, the county chairman and
others. They admit he will have the
support Of some of the professional
farm orga aizers, because he has made
himself solid witch them by favoring
the McNary- Haugen bill. They see
Iowa tavoring his nomination. and
possibly TIE DakotQs. but little else.
1t is scarcely likely that Lowden will
make any appeal TO the people of Wis
conSin. lie has been too recently a
conservative. His interest in farm
relief. his frequent speeches and con
terences with farmers through the
West has given Mr.. Lowden standing
as 'the farmers friend" The Nc.
Nary Haugen bill has it's enemies
among the farmers of the West, just
as II has its friends.
X X X X
One thing this early announcement
OF the Lowden candidacy viii do. i'm
all probability-it will give some real
measure of the soreness against
President Coolidge because of his veto
of the McNary Haugen bill. Up TO
now there has been a lot of conject ure
and little real knowledge.
Mr.. Lowden is a genial, kindly.
clever gentleman. He is not the cru.
sading type. As leader of an
agrarian revolt in the Republican
party he does not fit into the picture.
Nor is it certain that there is the
necessary fuel to feed the fires of
such a revolt and make it successful.
The Lowden candidacy. it has been
suggested In some quarters, may
serve to smoke out President Cool
idge--make him show his hand But
in all probability the President will
keep right on saying nothing about
1928, Mr.. Lowden or no Mr.. Lowdeu.
If the LOwden boom peters out, as it
may, then the demand for President
Coolidge's denomination will be all the
more active. If Mr.. Lowden gains so
little ground as to appear almost
negligible there will be no occasion
for anybody to say anything. There
is always the possibility, however.
that now one candidate has come into
the open for the Republican presi-
dental nomination others will be
thrust forward by willing friends. If
Lowden fails to be drawing card
there is the chance that his farm sup.
port may transfer its affections to
Vice President Dawes.
AIR. Lowden has one serious OBJ
stacle to his successful candidacy
whether President Coolidge be in or
out of the picture next year. He
must live down the Missouri delegate
scandal which was turned up by the
Kenyon committee of the Senate dur
ing the preconvention campaign i'm
1920. At that time I4owden money
was, without Mr.. Lowdens personal
knowledge, nishandled TO give him
delegation from Missouri. 1t was the
principal factor in his failure to win
the nomination.
Whatever his farmer friends may
think about that incident, the Demo
Gratis are not likely to let it be for
gotten. They will dig it up and shake
it out in the broad daylight. Sena-
tor Jim Reed of Missouri, who has
become the searcher-out of campaign
corruption of the Senate, is not over
looking it.
Wilson Democrats in Kansas. while
they will support the favorite son
candidacy of Representative Ayres of
that State at the opening Of the next
Democratic national convention in all
probability, are not looking so much
askance at Senator Reed as they did
a few years and even few months
ago. One of the Kansas Democratic
leaders admits that If Gov. Al Smith
is not nominated for President, Reed
is the most likely man. This is a
good deal of an admission from such
a source. The opposition of the Will
son men and women is the most seri-
GUS obstacle which Reed has to face
In the next convention. This same
Democratic leader believes that Gov.
smith will be nominated if the two
thirds rule for nominating a presiden-
tlal candidate is done away with and
majority rule is substituted when the
convention meets. If the two-thirds
rule prevails. then he sees Smith
turned down and Reed as the nominee
OF the party.
The failure OF Smith to be nomi.
mated, if he does fail, will be a severe
blow to the Democratic cause in the
North and East, If he is not nomi-
mated, 1t will be because he is a Cath
oilc and a wet. The backbone of
the Democratic party in those sec
tons OF the country is the Irish
Catholic voters. They say they are
tired of being dictated to by the Demo
Gratis of the South, and if Smith is not
good enough for the party, then they
see no reason why they should labor
for the party.
Gov. Smiths answer to the Marshall
letter in the Atlantic Monthly, asking
whether, as Catholic. he can give
prior allegiance to the Constitution Of
the United States. is expected soon.
IL VIII probably write an important
page IN political history.
x X x
An exhaustive comparison of ap-
preparations made BY Congress in 13-
year periods from 1880 until the pres
emf year has been made by Senator
curtis OF Kansas, Republican leader
Of the Senate. 1t win be used nv The
Kansas Senator to refute charges nv
the Democrats that, in spite of the
boosted Coolidge economy, appropria-