Evening star., 1927-10-05
Politics at Large
BY C.. Gould Lincoln.

| HdIle III TIE IilluOiS pIeSiucHIldl pIcl'
erential primary in order to prevent
former Gov. Frank o. Lowden from
winning control of the States delega
ton to the Republican national con
vention next year scarcely comes as
a surprise. 1t is definite announce
ment, however, Of the fact that big
Bill will do his utmost to prevent the
nomination of Mr.. IoWden. His en-
nifty to the former governor is of long
standing, dating back to the war days
when Mayor Thompson was charged
with being pro-German and when Gov
LoWden threatened to order out the
State National Guard to bring about
q better condition in Chicago. 1t is
a definite announcement, too, that in
all probability Mr.. LOWden cannot
have solid delegation from his home
State when he goes into the Republi
can national convention seeking the
party nomination. Mayor Thompson
is political power, the political pow.
er, in Chicago today. With the or
ganiZation back of him it Is recog.
nized that his chances of controlling
a large slice of the Republican dele
CATION are bright.
While Mayor Thompson's statement
from Chicago was merely to the effect
that he would enter his name in the
presidential primary if it appeared
that there was any danger of Lowden S
being the only name on the ballot. it
has been widely believed in Chicago
that the mayor himself has political
ambitions, which would carry him be
yond the State His recent swing
through the West, ostensibly in the
interest of flood control, has been
interpreted as an effort to bring him
before the attention of the voters out
side of his own State. He denied at
the time that he was in any sense a
presidential candidate. But his recent
declaration that he would get into the
primaries for the presidential prefer
ence of Illinois Republicans gives
color to the suspicion that the mayor
has visualized himself as a factor in
national politics. If not as the nom
inee for President. then possibly as
the nominee of the party for Vice
President.
When the primary fights are actu-
ally under way next year. it may hap
pen that the name of Herbert Hoover,
| Secretary of Commerce, or of Charles
Evans Hughes of New York, or of
the other Republican possibilities, will
be entered in the Illinois primary.
Now that Mr.. Lowden apparently has
| given his assent to the use of his
name in the State primary, the entry
of outsiders into the race might not
| be considered exactly Chubby" but
there is no reason why outsiders
| should not come in. 1t may happen
that Mayor Thompson will decide that
he can better checkmate Mr.. Lowden
by throwing his support to another
candidate. But the mayor has been
and is shouting for America first"'
| favor entry of the United States into
the League of Nations, under any
conditions or reservations, or into the
| World Court, should be OStraciZed. He
| campaigned vigorously last year for
| the nomination of Senator-elect Frank
l.. Smith against the late Senator
William B. Mckinley. on the ground
| that Mckinley had voted in the Senate
| for adherence to the World Court.
This rather removes the likelihood of
| ThOmpson's throwing his support to
either Mr.. Hoover or Mr.. Hughes,
both of whom in the past have been
sympathetic with the idea that Amer
lea should enter the World Court and
the League of Nations.
| Mr.. LoWden's S apparent Willingness to
have his name entered in the Illinois
primary will be taken as assent for
the use of his name in other primary
States, where his friends are already
at work for him. Within few
months, indeed. all the potential can
didates, who have modestly insisted
they are not candidates" for the
presidential nomination, must show
their hands. Either they will seek
| the preference of the party voters in
| tot
| Out in Indiana the fight waged by
Attorney General Gilliom against the
Ku Klux Klan and the Anti-Saloon
League, so far as it dominates politics
and nominations and appointments to
office, goes merrily along. But Mr..
Gilliom, who is Republican and re-
garded as a possible cleanup man"
at a juncture when Republicans are
in bad order in Indiana, has recently
taken a rap at the Democrats, who
go about the State holding their noses
because of the Republican mess, due
in part to the activities of certain un-
scrupulous leaders or former leaders
of the Klan. Mr.. Gilliom has sought
to tie the Klan label on the Democrats
also. He wants the Democrats to
state just how they stand in relation
| to the hooded organization. The
| Democrats, on the other hand, are
endeavoring to make honesty in gov
ernment their issue in the State cam.
paign next year. But the attorney
general insists they be more specific.
He says that the Klan has it's birth in
the South, where the Democrats pre-
vail; that Senator Heflin Of Alabama
has toured Indiana attacking AL
Smith to give impetus to the klan
movement here"
This has not pleased the Indiana
Democrats. Indeed, the Democratic
State chairman. r. Earl Peters, has
replied to Mr.. Gilliom, charging him
with attempting to becloud the issues
and asserting that the Republicans
and not the Democrats have been the
beneficiary of Klan activity in politics.
Mr.. Gilliom had referred to the fact
that d. G. Stephenson, former grand
dragon of the Klan in Indiana, had
once sought the Democratic nomina-
| tion for the House in the first con-
gressional district. 1.-THE good Demo-
Gratis of the first district defeated his
| (Stephenson's) presumptuous ambi.
tions overwhelmingly" Mr.. Peters
| pointed out.
AL Smith for President sentiment has
| been found to exist in Colorado, ac-
cording to latest reports, in no small
lquantity. It is predicted that the New
| York governor will have perhaps half
| the delegation to the Democratic con-
vention friendly to him. This in spite
of the fact that Colorado is rated as
strongly dry and Notwithstanding the
opposition Of the Klan group. There
Is a considerable group of Catholics
in the State which has voted the
Democratic ticket in the past. No
other Democratic presidential candi-
date has been put prominently before
the voters of the State for considera-
ton, which may explain some of the
apparent Smith strength. Here and
there is discussion of Gov. Ritchie,
but he, too, is ''wet,' and Senator
Walsh of Montana. who is Catholic
and dry. Some Of the prOgreSsiYe