Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-07
The Political Mill
BY C. Could Lincoln.


publican nomination for the Senate.
But that's not patch on the excitement
expected next year when the city under
takes to elect mayor. 1t is three years
since William Hale (Big bill) Thompson
was reelected mayor Of Chicago. He
was at the height of his power in those
days. He even had, according to some
of his friends. presidential aspirations.
He travelled about the country with
big following In his train, ostenSibly for
furthering the improvement Of the Mis-
Sisstppi waterway and the prevention
of river floods. But all that is in the
past. According to common report, he
Is broken man, broken in health and
in influence. Yet he is still mayor Of
Chicago. He and his faction got a ter
rihle drubbing two zee ago In the
when the Deneen and reform forces put
ter candidate across with lead OF
$4,000 votes. There are those about
the City Hall who still talk about big
BIZ for a fourth term as mayor. But
there must be a big change In the situa-
ton If anything like that Is to occur.
Big Bill has been conspicuous by his
failure to show actively In this present
campaign. The factions he controlled,
however, have allied themselves with
Mrs. Mccormick.
"Stop Thompsonism now" however,
Is q slogan in many Of the city wards,
where the Republicans are fighting to
elect ward committeeman. Despite the
victory Of Deneen and the reform ele-
ment in the election Of States at
torney in 1928, the old City Hall crowd
continued to control the city Republic
an committee through the. election of
majority of the ward committeeman.
And the City Hall crowd is battling all
over again to keep control. Its oppo-
nents are declaring that a victory by
the City Hall crowd might mean an
other term for Thompson as mayor, and
using that argument to bolster up the
opposition.
Big Bill" used to make a lot of noise
with his attacks on King George of
England. He was violent in his oppo-
sition, too to the entrance of the United
States into the World Court. But since
1873 ana because OF various difficulties
In which he has become involved, Big
Bill has been little heard Of.
\ 4 ~
Chicago is to have another World Fair
IN 1888. 1t plans to make 1t the great
est thing of the kind ever produced.
Whoever is elected mayor next year will
be the mayor of Chicago during the
period of the fair. Chicagoans are par
ticularly anxious that an outstanding
man be selected for the mayoralty for
that reason, If for no other. They want
an able and distinguished man to be
most OF the world and its representatives
at the fair. This may not fill the speci-
flcations of many Of the smaller frv
among the politicians and the precinct
workers, who think more of jobs and
m11uence' in a town where racketeerinp
ana bootlegging have been reduced to a
f1ne art than they do of distinguished
front" But whatever the more politi-
call y-minded and in1uence-seekine NAV
desire, there is going to be a real effort
70 md able men for the job of mayor
next year, both on the part of the
Democrats and the Republicans. ac-
cordtng to present reports.
y
The political mill is constantly pro-
duclng new griSt. The man who was
nominated four years ago by the Renub-
leans for the Senate and who was later
elected, Frank l.. Smith. but who was
turned down by the Senate because of
ms campaign expenditures and because
OF some OF the contributions to his war
chest, is now seeking to stage political
comeback. While Mrs. Mccormick, the
present Representative at large, is striv-
the nomination for Representative at
won four years ago, Smith is seeking
the nomination for Representative at
large. Incidentally, Mr.. Smith made
his campaign for the Senate in 1925 on
one tssue-opposition to the World
Court, the issue which Mrs. Mccormick
has chosen for her own.
Illinois must nominate and elect two
Representative at large. Mrs. McCor-
mick is not candidate to succeed her
self. The other sitting Representative
q q De- arl
two places % Republicans are striving.
Two of the 23 those receiving the largest
number of votes and the second largest,
will be nominated Tuesday The lead
ers in the race are five, among them
Mr.. Smith The others are Justus L.
Johnson Of Aurora, Mr. Yates Of Spring.
field, who has been a member of the
House and also Governor of Illinois and
is at present member of the House;
Julius Klein and George Foss Of Chi
cago. Nj. FoSs was a member Of the
House for 20 years, but for the last 10
years he has been practicing law in
Chicago. Yates ran third in the pri-
maries two years ago. but he was Sc
lected by the Republican State COM
mittee to fill the vacancy on the ticket
caused by the death of Representative
at large Rathbone, who died after he
had been nominated and before the
election in 1928.
Report has it that big Bill" Thomp-
son did move In the present primary
campaign, though quietly, in the In
terest of Frank L. Smith and demanded
that the City Hall organization indorse
Smiths candidacy. But the county
chairman. Barnard A. Snow, kicked,
holding that the organization had bur-
dens enough to carry and that in
dorsement of Smith would not aid the
organization. So the City Hall or
ganization has not Endorsed any one
gossip has it that Mr.. Smith, If he
succeeds in getting himself nominated
and elected Representative at-large,
will be candidate for governor in 1882.
Perhaps he would like to make a try
for the Senate again. He sought vim
dication at the hands of the voters in
1928, after the Senate had declined to
seat him, but was defeated for the
nomination by Senator Glenn.
Indiana, which has figured unfor-
tunately in a lot of political scandals
in recent years, is getting ready for
the primary elections, which take
place there on May 6. The period for
filing nominating papers has just
closed. There is no senatorial or gu
bernatortal election In the HooS1er
State this year, but the entire delega-
ton In the House Is to be nominated
and elected and also many county and
State Offices must be filled. The Re
publicans have had their troubles in
Indiana. The Democratic hopes are
high. The Democrats believe that
they will be able to increase their
strength in the House. None of the
three sitting Democrats have OPPOSE
ton for denomination. AS they were
elected in 1928 in spite of the Hoover
landslide, their prospects for being re-
turned this Fall are good. Among