Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-08
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

It has been charged that politics had
lot to do with the appointment of
Judge John j. Parker of North Caro-
lima to the Supreme Court. The charge
has not been substantiated. The Demo-
Gratis of North Carolina were as strong
| in support of the appointment of the
| judge, who is Republican, as
were the Republicans themselves. But
| whether politics had anything to do
| with his appointment or not, politics
played great part in the rejection of
Judge Parker's nomination by the
Senate. Some of it was strict party
politics and some of it was group poll
tics" Senators were influenced by the
| labor group and by the colored group.
| Others were glad to hit at Mr.. Hoover
| and some Of them took the traditional
Democratic position. which is to oppose
anything emanating from a Republi-
can President. The vote in the Senate
| on the Parker nomination demon
strated again the Importance which
group politics" Is assuming in this
country and the lightness of the regular
political party ties. The Republicans
ostensibly have lead of 16 votes over
the combined opposition. which includes
the Farmer-Labor Senator. In the
| older days of party regularity, when 1t
meant more to be q Democrat or to
be Republican than 1t does today.
this lead in the Senate would have
| assured the confirmation of an APP
| po1ntment sent in by a Republican
President unless there was some strong
personal objection on the part of one
| or more OF the Republican Senators to
+ the appointee.
X u X X
The VQtaTc ond tbair tot {,,as
in Congress, apparently are swayed
! more today by their feelings over eco
| nomic issues, over labor questions, over
the prohibition issue, over racial issues
| than over the principles" of the Demo-
cratic or Republican parties. Perhaps
1t would be more correct to say that
| this is true of the Senate to greater
| extent than it is of the House, where
party regularity is more in evidence.
| The issues that millions of Americans
are interested in have not become party
issues; they cut across both parties, as
| does prohibition, for example, and
neither party has seized upon them and
| Rugged them to its bosom. In 1924
there was talk of new party, liberal
party, just as there was talk of new
party, q progressive party, in 1912. But
so far the old political lines have still
held to the extent no new major party
has been formed. How long they can
hold under the assault of group politics
remains to be seen. If a. great issue
should really divide once more the two
old parties, the situation might be
greatly changed.
Senator McMaster of South Dakota
is the first of the "Sons of Wild Jack
asses" to stand the test of the primary
elections this year. He has won the
nomination on the Republican ticket to
succeed himself in the Senate, although
his lead was perilously small over his
conservative opponent, Danforth. But
win is win in the game of politics
as 1t is in all other games. There is
not the slightest doubt that the forces
of conservatism lined up pretty solidly
against McMaster ir the contest. He
is to be opposed in the senatorial cleo
ton next November by Gov. w. ]. Bu-
low, Democrat and present chief ex-
ecutive of the State. Naturally the
Progressive Republicans in the Senate
are pleased with the outcome. The
chief issue raised in the campaign by
Senator McMaster's opponent was the
coalition" which has raised hob with
the regular Republican control of the
Senate during the last year. The Dem
ocrats appear to be satisfied, too. In
the first place they are glad TO see the
rumpus between the Republican fac
tons in South Dakota In the second
across their own candidate for the Sen
ate in November. If Gov. Bulow could
carry the State in the gubernatorial
race, why not in the senatorial contest?
McMaster, however, is likely to be
tough candidate to beat If the Re
publican regulars in any considerable
number, however, should prefer to vote
for Democrat rather than for an in
surgent Republican, he may have a
hard time.
Former President Calvin Coolidge has
published letter in the Boston Herald
highly commencing William M. Butler,
one of the Republican candidates for
the senatorial nomination in the Bay
State. Why shouldn't he? Mr.. Butler
ran the Coolidge campaign in 1924 very
successfully and has been a stanch
friend Of Mr.. Coolidge for years. Mr..
Butler has announced himself dry and
a supporter of the eighteenth amend
ment and its enforcement He is OPP
posed by a wet, Eben Draper. Despite
the fact that Massachusetts, is sup
posed to be in revolt against the prohi-
bition laws, the odds appear to favor
Mr.. Buffers nomination over Mr..
Draper by q considerable margin. After
he Is nominated, however, it will be an
other thing to elect him. A great deal
is likely to depend upon whom the
Democrats pick to run for the Senate.
There is q lot Of pulling and hauling
going on in the Democratic ranks over
the nominations for both Senator and
governor this year. Marcus A. Coolidge
Is an active candidate for the senatorial
nomination and Is travelling about the
State lot making contacts But there
are others among the Democrats who
would like to sit in the Senate, too. In
the end, Senator David I. Walsh may
have to aid in the selection of the
candidate, Just as he will have to help
put him across in the November cleo
ton. Senator Walsh is the bright out
standing political figure in Massa-
chusetts today, now that Mr.. Coolidge
has declared he does not intend to run
for public office again.
~ IL
The drys in New Jersey are likely to
oe between the devil and the deep blue
sea. Much depends upon the state
ment which Dwight w. Morrow makes
In regard to the prohibition issue. II
he goes wet" as his friends insist
he will, the drys will have to determine
whether they will support wet Demo-
crat, a wet Republican, or place an in
dependent dry in the field. Most of the
drys are Republicans in Jersey. Just
as they are in New York. Doubtless
the dry Republicans can cause lot of
trouble by placing an independent
ticket in the field In the Fall. Former
Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, an
other candidate for the Republican SEN
atorial nomination, has deserted the dry
cause and Is persona non grata to the
drvs, UP in New York In 1925 the dry
Republicans put an independent dry in
the field and brought about the election
of a Democratic Senator over former