Evening star., 1930-12-15
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.


House, goes out of Office, having failed
to be renominated by his party. For
% years the late Senator Lee Slater
Overman, served side by side with SEN
ator Simmons. Three days ago he died.
The old order paSseth. In place of
Senator Simmons there comes to the
Senate Josiah w. Bailey, able lawyer
and speaker, who won the Democratic
nomination over the veteran Senator
in the primary last Summer. Already
the successor of Senator Overman has
been chosen by Gov. Gardner. Cameron
Morrison, selected for the appointment,
served as Governor from 1920 to 1924.
Senator Overman'S term of Office has
still two years to run, and it is under
stood that Gov. Morrison will hold on
until the elections are staged in 1882.
He had expected to be a candidate for
the Overman seat in that year in any
event. He will doubtless be a candidate
for election when the time rolls around
X
Morrison becomes the senior Of the
two Senators who will serve in the
Seventy-second Congress, though only a
few months will separate them in the
matter of service. Morrison was a sup
porter OF Bailey in the senatorial pri-
mary this year against the veteran
Senator Simmons. The issue was party
loyalty, with the refusal of Senator
Simmons to support the Democratic
national ticket headed by AL Smith in
1928 the major matter of contention.
In other words, the two new Senators
belong to the faction in the State which
stood for Smith in 1929 against the
Simmons leadership. Senator Overman,
who followed Senator Simmons so long
in North Carolina political battles, left
afrR. 4
the Democratic ticket.
Both Of the new Senators from North
Carolina have the reputation of being
aggressive political leaders. They will
have to start at the bottom of the sena-
torial ladder when they reach Washing
ton, it Is true, but there are plenty of
North Carolinians ready to predict they
will make their mark in the Senate be-
fore they have been there long. North
Carolina, however, in the interim will
lose important committee assignments
in the Senate which have been held by
Simmons and Overman. Senator Sim
mons is the ranking Democratic men,
Der OF the Senate Finance Committee.
He was chairman of the committee dur
ing the Wilson administration and the
last Democratic tariff act bears his
name and that Of the late Senator Un-
derwood of Alabama. Senator Over
man was ranking Democratic member
of the Senate committees on appropria-
tions, judiciary and rules, all important
committees.
Mr.. Morrison Is expected here to take
the cath of Office as fast as trains can
bring him, perhaps today or tomorrow.
He will arrive in time to take part in
the expected fight over the nomination
0f or1ly Tsvzo oI, oR 1~I1 g.
N. c., to be a member of the Federal
Power Commission. The Senate Inter-
state Commerce Committee had Mr..
McNinch before it Friday. He was the
anti-Smith Democratic leader in North
Carolina in 1928 and he is violently op-
posed by the Democrats who followed
Smith in that campaign. Senator Robin
son, Of Arkansas, Democratic leader of
the Senate and the running mate Of AL
Smith two years ago, has announced
that he proposes to fight the appoint
ment of McNinch If 1t is reported to the
Senate. Senator Simmons is still In the
Senate and 1t is understood will strongly
support the confirmation of McNinch.
The row over the McNinch nomination
is merely the aftermath of the struggle
which has been going on in North
Carolina against Senator Simmons and
his leadership for the last couple of
years. The anti-Simmons Democrats
have for years sought to gain the
ascendency over the veteran leader,
who dominated Democratic politics for
more than a quarter of century. His
declination to follow Smith gave them
the chance which they had been look
ing for.
Just when 1t seemed as though Chi
cago might be able to "lose" Big Bill
Thompson from the Office of mayor in
the election next Spring, things are
looking up for the mayor. The Demo-
Gratis are divided among themselves
and the Republicans have so far shown
no ability to get together and GUST Big
Bill from the City Hall Added to that
it now appears that Thompson Is to
succeed in putting through his big lot
terry scheme to aid unemployment and
build up trade for many of the stores
in Chicago. He devised the plan of
having each purchaser Of goods given
a coupon bearing a number. These
numbers were to play their part in a
great lottery with $4,000 as the prize.
The merchants would be called upon
to put up the prize money, since it was
planned to boost their business, stimu-
late trade and do away with unem-
ployment. The Federal Government,
through the Post Office Department,
froWned on the scheme, but Thompson
amended the plan in some particulars
and the department reversed its first
decision. This lottery may aid Bill
Thompson in his campaign for re-elec-
ton. Big Bill also has been relieved
Of a great burden when the Superior
Court decided in his favor in the ia
nous suit brought against him by the
Chicago Tribune, which was to cost
him a million dollars or more. Then
he had his appendix out, and, from
a sick man, is now in the saddle again.
The Democrats in Chicago have been
unable so far to agree on a candidate
for mayor. Anton Cermac, better
known as "Tony," who was reelected
last month president of the Cook Coun-
ty board and is chairman of the county
Democratic committee, is a candidate.
Michael L. Igoe, however, a power in
the party organization and Democratic
national committeeman, is not yet will
ing to assent to the nomination of
Cermac. There has been talk also of
nominating Col. A. A. Sprague, a sue
ceSsful business man, who was the
Democratic nominee for the Senate sew
eral years ago. Sprague, however, is
not willing to enter a free-for-an race
for the nomination. The Republicans
who are opposed to Thompson and his
city hall crowd are expected to place
a candidate in the field for the mayoral-
ty nomination. There is talk, too, of
Charles Barrett, another of the city
politicians, making the race.
Perhaps the faction which follows
Senator Charles S. Deneen, who retires
from the Senate next March, will put
a candidate in the field. Indeed, it is
entirely likely it will do SO, provided
there seems to be a chance of success.
The suggestion has been made that
perhaps Senator Deneen himself might
become a candidate for mayor of the
{ol hi fonfiOY1 nO,,Id