Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-01
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

" NOUGH of the Summers primary
! l. elections have occurred to per-
NIT a partial estimate of what
IL is abroad in the land politically.
The results do not wholly live
up to some expectations earlier put out
| by the neutrality-suspicious. cheer
| full from their point of view, sad from
the Republican standpoint. The Demo-
Gratis told us during February and
March, just before the years political
events were beginning, that there was
an angry spirit abroad in the land, a
mood of sullenneSs, of discomfort with
what is.
Predicated upon that belief the Demo-
Gratis told us, and have not yet abated
their predictions, that they are going
In November to make sensational gains
in both chambers of Congress. They
said and still say they will gain any
where from to s Senators, and
gain anywhere from 80 to so members
Of the House Of Representatives. These
predictions and expectations are based
on the theory that there Is an angry
mood among the people.
Mood Of Discomfort ID Factor.
Now, q popular mood OF discomfort
is definite factor in politics. 1t arises
once in 50 often from causes various
and not always identif1able. When it
gets under way 1t is about as formi-
dable thing as there is in politics.
Commonly 1t expresses itself in a dis
position to turn the ms out" 1t ex-
presses itself, not necessarily by voting
for anybody in particular or for any
party, not necessarily in favor of any
body or anything-but rather in voting
against the party that Is in power,
against the Gins" In the present stu
alton such a mood, If it exists, would
detonate politically to the advantage of
the Democrats, obviously-that Is, 1t
would explode to the advantage of the
Democrats in the November general
election.
But also the mood, If it exists, would
show itself likewise in the party pri-
marieS now taking place in the various
States at the rate of, roughly, one or
two each week.
Is there such a mood? We have had
so far two quite important State pri-
marieS in Pennsylvania and Illinois, and
three fairly important ones In Oregon,
Indiana and South Dakota.
In Pennsylvania the rule seemed to
work. The "In," as respects United
States Senator, was Joseph r. Grundy
and he was turned out Also in Penn
sylvania the nomination for governor
went to an outsider, Clifford Pinchot, a
candidate without any permanent or
ganization of his own, without any re-
lation to the existing political organiza-
tons of the State-the equivalent, for
Pennsylvania, Of a Western insurgent
Republican.
Also Worked in Illinois.
In Illinois. likewise, the rule seemed
| to work. A United States Senator.
Charles S. Deneen, the leading Repub-
lican in the State (unless we except
ex-Gov. Frank o. Lowden and for
mer Vice President and present AmbaS-
sador Charles G. Dawes was denied re-
nomination. Senator Deneen has been
leading figure in Illinois politics for
more than generation. He has been
| governor of the State; he Is, in that
State, almost a symbol of his party.
He was denied denomination and the
| prize was given to a woman, Mrs. Ruth
Hanna Mccormick. Reports now from
| Illinois bear out the theory that Deneen
was denied his denomination largely as
a result of the sort of public mood here
described. Some Of the reports say that
many persons voted for Mrs. Mccormick
in a spirit less of voting for her than
Of voting against Deneen.
Some Of the reports go so far as to
suggest that many persons voted for
Mrs. Mccormick who have a funda-
mental hesitancy about having woman
! La VAC NCAAdLC akAQ WIAOB bIAClC1O1C1 WILL
| not vote for her in the November cleo
ton. OF there are such there can
hardly be enough to endanger Mrs
Mccormick in November for it is diff
cult to imagine so consistently Republic
can State as Illinois going Demo-
cratic)
In the other States the rule did not
seem to work. In Oregon, Senator
Charles L McNary got his denomination
practically without opposition. In South
Dakota. Senator William H. McMaster
got his denomination; he had to fight
hard for 1t, but he got it.
In Indiana there was no contest for
Senator. There were, however, pri-
maries for the nomination of members
of the House of Representatives.
And when we come to consider the
results of the primaries to nominate
members of the House, as distinct from
| the Senate, we get clue to what Is
abroad in the land. 1t is not exactly
what the Democrats think 1t is.
Republicans Win House Seats.
In every State where Republican
| members of the House of Representa-
tives have come up in primaries for
denomination they have won. In Illinois
II Republican members of the House
ran for denomination and all won,
except one, as to whom a contest is
pending. In Pennsylvania "a Republic
can members of the House of Repre-
sentativeS ran for denomination. In
Indiana 10 Republican members of the
House of Representatives ran for re-
nomination and all won. In oregon
three ran and all were successful.
In short, in primaries up to date, an
aggregate of nearly 10 Republican
members of the House of Representa-
tives have gone before their constitu-
encies for denomination and have been
given it.
The Republican members Of the
House, in sum, have a practically per-
| feet score in winning denomination
whereas out of four Senators who have
run for denomination, two have lost.
Here in the distinction made by the
voters between Senators and members
of the House, we find a clue to what
| has really happened, key to the ex-
ceptionally discriminating mood now in
which the public is.
Crouch Directed Against Senators.
II anything whatever Is to be inter-
preted from these figures, 1t Is not what
the Democrats have been saying, and
| it does not necessarily give much COM
| fort to Democrats So far as there Is
a political Crouch" abroad in the land,
| it seems to be directed not against Re-
publicans as Republicans, but against
Senators as Senators-probably against
Senators regardless of party, although
no Democratic Senators have yet come
up for denomination.
To put 1t very plainly, the Senate is
unpopular. There Is no evidence that
the House of Representatives is unpop-
ular or that the Republican admins