Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-02
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

Rarely has there been a more bitter
intraparty struggle than the cam
paign which is being waged today IN
North Carolina over the Democratic
senatorial nomination. Senator SIM
mons, veteran Democratic leader. is
fighting with his back to the wall TO
win denomination. Aligned against
him are political enemies which he mas
made during his long career in the
Senate and House, plus some OF ms
former lieutenants who parted with
him because of his opposition IN 1873
to the Democratic national ticket
headed by former Gov. Alfred E. smith
of New York. The feeling aroused
in the Tar Heel State Is intense. Sen
ator Simmons, who has never run away
from a fight in his long career, mas &C
cepted the issue. He has interpreted
ii as an effort to turn the democracy
of his State over to Tammany and the
vets. Notwithstanding the fact that his
chief opponent, Josiah w. Bailey, is an
ardent dry Mr.. Bailey, however, fol-
lowed the wing of his party which
remained regular i'll 1928.
* X x
Another issue has been interjected
into the senatorial race. however. The
Simmons supporters claim that a large
number of Negro voters have been
registered in the Democratic primary
this year and that they are aligned
with the Bailey support. In North
Carolina, although Negroes have par
ticipated to some extent in elections,
heretofore few of them have been regis
tered as Democrats. 1t is the old race
issue. therefore, which has raised its
head again there Thirty years or more
ago Senator Simmons won his first
great fight in the State when he stood
for white supremacy. And now the
same issue has been raised for him
again. The Bailey people admittedly
do not like the issue a little bit. They
are doing all they can to offset the
assaults of the Simmons leaders by
declaring that it was through the action
of Democrats who, like Senator SIM
mons, opposed Al Smith in 1928 that
the State was carried for President
Hoover. Then they point to the So
called De Priest incident. when the
wife of the only Negro member of the
House was entertained at tea by Mrs.
Hoover in the White House last year.
And so you have it.
x x X
President Hoover carried North Caro-
lima by more than 81 900 votes two
years ago At the same time the
Democratic candidate for governor was
elected with majority OF $4,000. So
deeply did the issue of 1928 cut into
the Democratic ranks of North Caro-
lima. More Democrats, however, voted
for Smith than for Hoover, many thou
sands more. If all the supporters Of
Smith in the 1923 election, therefore,
should vote for Bailey. Simmons would
necessarily be defeated. But 1t Is not
likely to work that way. Senator Sim
mons has large personal following in
49, - IzH 40 an
emies in his long career in the Senate
he has also made many friends.
This has been bad year, however
so far for political veterans who have
had to go to the polls. Take the case
of Senator Charles S. Deneen of Illi-
Ruth Hanna Mccormick in the pri-
mary in April for the senatorial nomi
nation of the Republican party. Then
no i'll Pennsylvania Secretary James J.
Davis of the Department of Labor, who
never before ran for elective Office, took
Senator Joseph r. Grundy for ride
in the senatorial primary there, de-
feating the veteran political boss by
upward of 100000 votes. And in the
same primary Clifford Pinchot, kind
of political pariah in the Keystone
State, despite the fact he once before
was elected governor, succeeded appar-
emily in winning the gubernatorial
nomination from Francis Skunk Brown,
who had organization support of the
strongest kind. Mr.. Brown and his
friends are still contesting the Pinchot
election, but it looks as though Pinchot
had won the victory.
X X X
It was only a little more than a year
ago when political wiseacres were pull
ing long faces and talking about what
a drubbing the people of the Southern
States would give to the Democratic
leaders in Congress who had supported
Al Smith. But it does not seem to
have worked out so badly after all for
the Democrats who remained regular"
in the 1923 contest. Senator Harris of
Georgia. Senator Glass of Virginia,
Senator Harrison of Mississippi and
Senator Sheppard of Texas all seem to
be doing we'll Harris. will probably
have no opposition in his race for re-
nomination. Glass is entirely without
opposition, Notwithstanding the threats
of the anti-Smith Democrats in 1929,
and Senator Pat Harrison will swim
along in the Senate again as easily as
though there had never been a con-
test over AL Smith in 1928. Senator
Sheppard may have opposition, but he
appears to be in fair way to win
easily.
The voters out in Iowa today are de-
termining whether Representative Dick
inson or Gov. Hammill shall have the
Republican senatorial nomination. Most
of the political observers are inclined
to give Dickinson the edge in this tight,
although Gov. Hammill has a strong fol-
lowing. There are two other candidates
for the nomination, but they are not
likely to figure, except as they draw
votes from one or the other of the
principal contestants. One of them is
Maj Frank Lund. who managed Brook
hart'S campaign for the senatorial NOM
ination against the late Senator Cum
Minis in 1926. Senator Brookhart, how
ever has kept clear out of the present
primary campaign and instead of going
out to Iowa to take part has been in the
South for some time. 1t has been gener-
ally reported, however, that Senator
Brookhart would prefer the nomination
of Dickinson rather than of Gov.
Hammill.
In a measure the tariff bill has been
mixed up in the campaign for senatorial
nomination in Iowa. Gov, Hammill
started out by denouncing the tariff bill
as 1t passed the House, declaring that
If enacted into law it would place adj
ditional billions of cost upon the Amer
lean people. He has modified his at
tacks somewhat, however, on the tariff
in recent weeks and cut down a great
deal the amount he figured it would
originally tax the American consumers.
Dickinson on the other hand has sup
ported the tariff in the main, holding
that it will. through increased rates
on agricultural products. help the farm
ers Both Hsmmill and Dickinson have
declared their loyalty to President Hoo
yer and the success of either of them