Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-26
Expediency Held Chief Issue
In Alabama's Ban ON Heflin

Emphasis Is placed on expediency
in the arguments by which Alabama
Democrats action in reading Senator
J. Thomas Helm out Of the party is
condemned or approved. Those who
express disapproval of the action feel
1t was not sufficiently inclusive or decry
1t as opening the way to division within
the party.
1T is the only possible ruling which
the executive committee could have
made" in the opinion of the Birming-
ham News, "if the Democratic party in
Alabama is to be maintained as a well
knit and cohesive organization func-
toning as its founders mean 1t to flnc-
ton. . Somewhere some satiriSt
has said that martyrs are the happiest
people II that be true, these persons
who f1nd themselves out of tune with
the rank and file may ind great 10y in
following the torch famed, albeit
futilely, by Prof. Brown of Virginia in
his onslaught against Mr.. John Garland
Pollard Of Virginia"
y r
Having exercised his freedom of
choice and action" says the Atlanta
Constitution of Senator Heflin, che
must admit the right of the party to
exercise the same freedom. He still has
liberty to take his case directly to the
people, as he did last year, when they
repudiated 1t at the polls by majority
OF 1887 for Smith over Hoover"
We note with deep sorrow" .satiri-
cally remarks the Little Rock Arkansas
Democrat, that the Democratic ex-
ecutive committee of Alabama is num-
bered among those organizations whose
appreciation Of true service Is at
best but nickelplated. Senator
Hefiin has poured out his hearts blood.
What Is his reward? He is
kicked out Of the Democratic party in
Alabama. BaSeleSS ingratitude, we
call 1t; baSeless ingratitude"
Supporting the disciplinary measure,
the Montgomery Advertiser AYERS that
the Democratic party is entitled to
ordinary protection, and that protection
consists In denying boilers the special
privilege of contending for high Demo-
cratic honors until they have first
given reasonable assurance that they
will not use the power the desired
honorS would confer to eviscerate the
Democracy at the next election"
Results will TELL" in the Judgment of
the Lynchburg News, which argues:
"Unquestionably, II his defeat in the
primary was certain or reasonably to
be expected. it would have been better
to let him in. If, however, 1t was con-
Sidered much safer to bar him from
the primary because easier to defeat
him as an independent, the action
taken was the expedient action. In
other words, 1t Is case Of being JUS
titled by results, and for results we will
have to wait. In the meantime. it
seems wiser to admit that possibly those
on the scene have better opportunities
for judging than those at this distance
from it,
The Admission Star, on the other
hand, holds that from a standpoint of
party eXpediency their action will be
open to question" but 1t comedies that
ut remains to be seen whether Hefiin
and Locke can wean away q sufficient
number of votes from the Democracy
to join with the Republicans and pre-
sent formidable opposition in the gem
eral election next Fall" The Memphis
Commercial Appeal calls the action
poor politics." predicting that strife
and disSenSion are to be prolonged"
The Richmond News Leader calls it
"unwise," with the conclusion that "if
the Senator Is put In position where
no can pretend to be a martyr he will
attract the support of many ignorant
people and will revive antagonisms that
are best forgotten"
Alabama Democrats take question:
able grounds. both on principle and in
policy" declares the ;tNew Orleans
Tribune. with the Suggestion that 1T
would "sympathi1e with anything that
would shelye the more conspicuous of
concludes: Aside from the academic
discussion, the practical question is
WhethaEk or not the exclusion Of Helm
s-s.;aL sssEsss, ~ .SsxYEeas Ease y.