Evening star., 1927-11-02
Politics at Large
By C.. Could Lincoln.

IOr t1e present. oeIdtoF Iclci ANoi
beck, senior Senator and an inhuen-
tial Republican leader OF the state,
has publicly declared his allegiance
to the Lowden- en-for-President camp.
Senator McMaster, the Junior Senator.
while a personal friend of Senator
Norris of Nebraska, has not yet an
no Lnced himse'. for Norris for Presi-
dent as the group of Republican Pro
gressive Senators now meeting con-
stantly in Washington would like him
to do.
The fact of the matter is that the
Lowden movement gained consider
able headway in South Dakota last
Summer. after President Coolidge
issued his Il do not choose" statement
in the Black Hills. There is a group
of Progressive leaders in the State.
among them Senator Norbeck, which
has pretty well dominated the delega.
tions to The Republican national CON
ventions in recent years. In 1920
many of these Progressives got behind
Gen. Leonard Wood for the presiden.
tial nomination, as the friend of Presi.
dent Roosevelt. In a three-cornered
primary. Gen. Wood won the delega.
ton, with Hiram johnson running
second and Lowden third. Four years
later, the Progressives in South
Dakota undertook to give Senator
Hiram Johnson of California the dele.
cation, and did so. This was the only
presidential primary State which John.
son won in 1924, and his presidential
boom did not get far at the time.
1t is more or less the same group
OF Progressives in South Dakota
which gave Wood and then johnson
the delegations in 1920 and 1924 that
is now backing the Lowden movement.
A number of Progressive newspapers
in the State have become more or less
committed to the condidacy of Mr..
LOwden. The difficulty which the
Norris movement will face in South
T. ,kota Is not that the Progressives
are opposed to Senator Norris. but
that the Norris movement has come
so late. Had his candidacy been
launched three or four months ago,
the whole situation probably would be
much different today. Lowden was
picked then by the Progressives in the
State as more nearly representing
their views than any other man who
stood a chance for the presidential
nomination.
In South Dakota the Republicans
generally have accepted the Presi-
dents Black Hills statement as re-
moving him definitely from the presi.
dental race next year. The people
of the State wish a Western man
named for President. il they can have
him. Lowden or Dawes. Curtis or
Norris, probably would please them.
The farm organizations are not in
clined to Secretary Hoover. although
he would have support in the cities.
+ **
Senator Curtis of Kansas. Repub.
lican leader of the Senate, has been
deluged with congratulatory letters
and kilograms since he entered his
Indian pony in the presidential sweep
stakes of 1928. They have run into
the hundreds and even thousa nds. and
come from all parts of the country.
During meeting of the officers and
members of the executive committee
of the Farmers Union, the Farm Bu.
reau and the Kansas Grange, i'm To-
peka last week. some of the officers
made it quite clear that they would
be glad to support Senator Curtis for
the presidential nominal ton. At the
same time they said that they would
not stand for any movement to swing
the Kansas delegation to Mr.. Hoover.
it it was found impossible to nominate
Senator Curtis. Ralph Snyder, head
of the Farm Bureau. and c. f. Brast-
ed OF the Farmers Union were quoted
to that effect. IL they cannot have
Senator Curtis, then they want Frank
o. 'Lowden, they say. t71s~
Nevertheless there is 40 little Hoo
yer sentiment in Kansas. A number
- : L. Il -.
liam Allen White and former Gov.
Henry Allen, are friendly to Mr..
Hoover's candidacy. In Kansas there
is no primary election of delegates.
They are chosen in caucus and con-
vention. That the delegation will be
solid for Senator Curtis Is predicted
with great confidence. But where the
delegation will go if Senator Curtis
cannot be nominated is another ques-
tion.
"And, again, l return to the funda-
mentals of democratic government. If
we are to maintain and promote these
ideals we must maintain two-party
government. And party government
means organization, it means loyalty,
it means discipline, it means princi-
pies, it means courage and RESPONSE
bility in government. That is why
I am a partisan member of my party"
That sounds as though it might have
come from as strong a partisan as the
late Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of
Massachusetts,. AS matter of fact,
it is part of a speech delivered by Her.
bert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce
and potential nominee of the Republi.
can party, in J J Angeles. September
2, 1926. Yet MIR. Hoover Is sometimes
accused by his enemies on the ground
that he is not a partisan and does not
play politics as the politicians want
the game played.
Col. Robert n. Harper, assistant
treasurer of the Democratic national
committee, who has been attending
the American Bankers Association
convention in Houston, Tex, has de-
clared in an interview there for the
nomination of Gov. AL Smith of New
York for President next year.
"If we believe in the principles Of
the Democratic party" said Col.
Harper, I'VE should back the only
Democrat who has a chance to be the
next President. That man is Al
Smith of New York
Col. Harper would pick Representa-.
tive Cordell Hull of Tennessee, former
chairman of the Democratic national
committee, as running mate for
Gov. Smith. Col. Harper is confident
that Gov. Smith would be stronger in
the States of the South than many Of
his opponents admit. The colonel him.
self is from Virginia. He takes no
stock in the prejudice against Smith
because of his af1iliation with the
Catholic Church.
"Any citizen ~has a right to be
President" he said. "What could be
better proof Of our vaunted boasts OF
American being the land of oppor-
tunity for the common man than the
election of a man who says his only
college degree is F.. s. NJ. from Fulton
Street Market. Smith Is veritable
dynamo of governmental energy.
~ Of hs