Evening star., 1930-06-23
The Political Mill
By C. Gould Lincoln.


G. Bascom Slemp. long q power in
the Republican organization Of the
South, has declined to be q candidate
for the House in the ninth Virginia con-
gressional district. For IA years Mr..
Slemp represented the district in the
House until he retired voluntarily
number of years ago and became sec
retary to the President in the Coolidge
administration. He had been nomi-
mated by the Republican convention of
the district some time ago and had
terday. He gave business commitments
as his reason for declining. Mr..
Slemp'S decision, it is believed, prac-
tically ends chance of the Republicans
carving that district next November.
REPRESENTATIVE Shaffer, Republican,
who was swept into Office in the Hoover
landslide in 1928, also has declined
to run.
The Republicans apparently have not
been able to consolidate the gains made
by them in Dixieland in 1928. There
was much talk year ago OF building
up a real Republican party in the South
following the victory of the @. Q. p.
national ticket in four of the States
of the Democratic solid South" and
the election of number of members Of
the House in Virginia, North Carolina
and Kentucky. The chances now ap-
pear that the Democrats will regain
practically all, If not all, of the States
they lost in these regions two years
ago, The rout of the Republicans in
the South began in Virginia a year ago
when the coalition between the G. o. p.
and the anti-Smith Democrats failed to
make any headway at all. Ever since
tha Uirrinia State alaPfi0p the SuiOC
back to the regular Democratic organi-
cation in the South has become more
and more pronounced. The success of
the regular Democrats in diSciplining
Senator Furnifold M. Simmons of North
Carolina for his opposition to the
Smith-Robinson ticket two years ago is
one of the latest evidences of the gath
ering strength of the old Democratic
organization of the South, which has
held that section of the country in line
ever since the days of the reconstruc-
ton until the debacle Of 1928.
During the coming month the Demo-
Gratis Of Texas, one of the four States
which went Republican in the last
presidential election, are to try their
hand at dealing with the leading
'bolter" there, State Senator Thomas
B. Love, former Democratic national
| committeeman of the Lone Star State
! Love is a candidate for the Democratic
nomination for governor. In August,
the Democrats of Alabama will hold a
primary and Senator Tom" Heflin will
not be permitted to run because of his
desertion of the party'S national ticket
two years ago. In November they will
strive to beat Hef1in running as an in
| dependent Democrat for the Senate,
Despite Senator Helms undoubted
campaign abilities, it looks now as
though the regulars might be able to
take his measure. Certainly they have
been greatly encouraged by the result
of the senatorial primary held recently
in North Carolina.
If the Republican party has gained
in the South because of changes in the
industrial and economic conditions in
that section of the country, as has been
claimed, these gains have been jolted
by the financial and business depression
that has stirred the country during the
last eight months This depression has
been a real handicap to the Republic
ans. And the South appears to have
returned to the old lone party" idea
pretty effectually.
X y \
Mayor Broening of Baltimore, candi-
| date for the Republican gubernatorial
nomination in Maryland, may cause
Gov. Ritchie some worry If Broening is
nominated. His election as mayor OF
the Democratic stronghold of Maryland
was one of the sensations of that day.
Gov. Ritchie is widely popular In his
State. But his tenure of office has
! lasted for many years and critics say
| that apparently 1t is the purpose Of the
governor and his friends to make 1t a
| life Job for him. AS a matter OF fact,
! the decision of Gov. Ritchie to seek re-
! election as Governor of Maryland has
| been construed in many quarters to
mean that the governor intends to
make a strong bid for the Democratic
nomination for President in 1882.
The Democratic party nominated a
wet" in 1928, and Notwithstanding the
| fact he was defeated. Gov. Smith polled
more than 100000 votes, greater
vote than any Democrat victor or van
ouished, ever polled before. Gov.
| Ritchie has been preaching States
rights and the return of the control of
the liquor traffic to States year in and
| year out. He and his friends Loyalty
supported Al Smith in his efforts first
| to be nominated for President and then
in the campaign for election. Ritchie
is believed to have had his eye on the
year 1882 for long time. 1t will be
| strange if there is not a strong effort
made to bring about his nomination at
| the next Democratic national conven-
| ton. Whether the Democrats will
agree to take another wet presidential
candidate for their standard bearer re-
mains to be seen. The prohibition
| issue cuts squarely across the party
| lines today. Not a little will depend
upon the way sentiment develops
| throughout the country in regard to ma
tional prohibition.
X X n
The Democratic party is dry today
! in the South. Beyond the confines OF
! Dixieland, however, the party shows a
i preponderance of wet sentiment. This
/ is true even in States OF the West, which
has been considered arid territory. The
! truth of the matter Is that IN many
! of the Western States the Democratic
| party has been fiat on its back in re-
! cent years, and those who have re-
manned faithful are many of them wet
AL Smith had the support for the presi-
Dental nomination in 1928 of practi-
| cally all of the Western Democratic
| delegations at the Houston convention
In the North and East, the Democratic
| party Is admittedly wet, for example
! in New York, in Pennsylvania, where
! the State convention recently adopted
wet platform; in Massachusetts,, in
Rhode Island and in Connecticut, not
| to mention New Jersey. Unless the ma
tional party is ready to take a presi-
Dental candidate from the South, the
Democrats are likely to have wet cam
didate. That appears to be the logic
of the situation. 1t is true that there
are outstanding Democrats from the
West who are dry one of them being
Senator Thomas j. Walsh of Montana.
But it is quite clear that If the Demo-
Gratis of the South decide to kick in
with tho HIHnrtnr,. c,An Anr than mill rkn,, 4