Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-11
The Political Mill
By C. Gould Lincoln.

Senator william J. Harris of Georgia
has successfully weathered the storm
which this year has blown over the
Southern States, eliminating from the
next Senate three, and possibly four, of
the sitting Senators. Senator Harris
defeated handily former Gov. John M.
Slayton for the Democratic nomination
| for the Senate in yesterdays primary,
running ahead of his opponent in prac-
| tically all parts Of the State. The Har-
ris-Siayton campaign measured up in
bitterness with the campaigns waged
| for the Democratic senatorial nominal
| lions in North Carolina, South Carolina
and Louisiana.
+ #% 4
With the primaries, so far as the
Senate Is concerned, practically at an
end. it Is clear that there Is to be q
tremendous turnover in senatorial labor
circles when the next Congress comes
| into existence March 4, 1881. An even
dozen of the Senators now sitting will
| be missing, due to primary defeats and
to the determination OF Senator'S not
| to seek reelection. One sitting Senator,
Senator Brock, Democrat, OF Tennes-
see, is running this year, but only Tor
the short term which ends March 3,
| 1891. so he, too, will not be q member
of the next Congress. 1t is probable
that q number of other Senator'S who
have been renominatSd will be defeated
by their opponents at the polls in No
yember. swelling still further the list
of absent faces in the Senate when
that body conVeneS for the next Con-
gress.
Those Senators who have been de-
feated for denomination In the party
Grundy Pennsylvania, Republicans,
and Simmons, North Carolina; Rams
dell. Louisiana, and BleaSe, South Car
olina. Democrats. Seven Senator'S have
decided not to be candidates for the
Senate in the next Congress. SIX OF
them are Republicans: Baird, New Jer-
sey; Gillett, Massachusetts,; Gotf, west
Virginia. Gould, Maine; PhippS, Colo
RADIO, and Sullivan, wyoming. Senator
Brock of Tennessee, Democrat, Is the
seventh who made no race Tor the next
Senate. If elected in November for the
short term, the remainder Of the term
of the late Senator Tyson, he still goes
out of Office along with the six Repub-
licanS who have not sought re-electlon
for the next Congress.
4 "a
II the Democrats are to win control
of the Senate, there must be ire
mendous Democratic sweep all over the
country. The Senate today is COM
posed of Sc Republicans, 80 Democrats
and l Farmer-Labor Senator. II the
Democrats could win nine of the seats
now held by Republicans and continue
to hold all their own seats, the count
would be 48 Democratic Senator'S, AZ
Republican and 1 Farmer-Labor. II
Senator ShipStead of Minnesota, the
Oh ct UnfQ
with the Republicans for organization
purposes, with the aid of the vote OF
the Vice President cast to break a tie,
the Republicans might still be able to
organize the Senate and name the
standing committees. III the Demo-
Gratis won 10 seats held by the Repub-
licans and lost none of their own, they
would have a real majority OF one vote
in the upper house.
With only "a Senate seats contested
for in the November elections, 1t is
going to be a dificult task for the
Democrats to win control, an almost
impossible task In the first place, the
Democrats will, in all probability, lose
the seat now held by Senator Steck OF
Iowa, who is opposed by Representa-
tive Dickinson, q popular Republican
in a State that Is Overwhelmingly Re-
publican. Also they will have their
work cut out for them in the Montana
election, where Senator Walsh Is OPP
posed by a really strong Republican
candidate this year, Judge Galen OF
the State Supreme Court.
4 + \
Democratic leaders figure they will
be able to win in Massachusetts,, Rhode
Island, Kentucky, West Virginia, Della
ware, Oklahoma, Illinois and probably
South Dakota and Colorado, and posi-
bly, in wyoming and Ohio. That's the
crop of Democratic possibilities so far
as the Senate Is concerned, with the
exception of Nebraska, where former
Senator Hitchcock is running against
Senator George Norris. But Democratic
leaders do not figure on winning Ne
braska.
The Democrats do not figure they
have a show to defeat Borah in Idaho,
Allen and Capper in Kansas. Couzens
in Michigan, Morrow in New Jersey,
Keyes in New Hampshire or McNary In
oregon. They talk of carrying Mime
sofa, but the chances are that either
the Republican, Schall, or the Farmer
Labor candidate. Lundeen, will win
there.
Therefore, II the Democrats win in
the IL States set down as probabilities
and possibilities, they will have a net
gain of not more than nine seats and
possibly only eight From present APP
pearances, the Democrats must come
through this senatorial campaign with
every break in their favor If they are to
have control Of the Senate. One or two
slip-ups and they have no chance at
all of controlling the Senate.
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New
York. frequently mentioned as the prob
able nominee of the Democrats for
President in 1892, provided he is re-
elected Governor of New York this Fall
and his health continues good, has
come out fatty for repeal of the eight
zenith amendment in a letter to Senator
WAGNER, slated to be chairman Of the
Democratic State convention. This Is
the first definite and public statement
from Gov. Roosevelt aligning himself
in favor of repeal. His letter places
him pretty much in the some posi-
ton as Dwight w. Morrow, who won
the Republican nomination for Senator
in New Jersey. Gov. Roosevelt says he
Is fatty opposed TO the return of the
saloon and that the States which wish
to be dry should be safeguarded against
an inflow of liquor from wet neighbors.
Outside of the solid South" the
Democratic party is becoming more and
more aligned with the prohibition
cause, and Gov. Roosevelt'S announce
ment is but another indication of this
fact. In Illinois the Democrats are
enthusiastically backing former Senator
], Ham" Lewis, running as an extreme
wet against Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCor-
mick Republican, who has straddled
the issue, and Mrs. O'Neill, the indie
pendent dry Republican candidate.
Ohio Democrats claim they have q
chance to elect former Representative
Robert ]. Buckley, wet, to the Senate
over the dry Senator McCulloch next