Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-17
"Cassandra. "

Cassandra of the G. o. P. Whether the
Republicans will believe his prophecies
of disaster to come any more than the
Trojans put faith in those Of the daugh-
ter of King Priam is another matter
The California Senator, however, who
locker, who long ago marked his own
course, and prefers to follow it in his
own way" looks darkly on the future
of his party. He warns the G.. o. P.
chieftains that they must not belittle
the conference of the Progressives,
which, by the way, Senator Johnson
did not himself attend.
The warning to the Republicans, how
ever. is given a practical twist by the
California Senator. If, he says, the Re-
publicans wish success at the polls in
the coming national election, they
should give heed to the demands Of
those who are troubled over the I'M
employment situation, the power prob
lem, representative government. What
ever the philosophy of Senator John
son, he at least is one who may warn
the Republicans of possible division and
defeat with accurate knowledge Of past
history. The California Senator not
only was the running mate Of the late
President Theodore Roosevelt in the
days of the Bull Moose party, but he
also is credited with having given the
coup de grace to the candidacy Of
Charles Evans Hughes, the Republican
nominee for President in 1916.
Can any one imagine" Mr.. johnson
asks, the standpat wing Of either party
Republican or Democratic-meeting
together with earnest and able experts
and publicly discussing economic ques-
tions?"
The Democratic leaders, it is true,
held a meeting here not long ago and
listened to a discussion Of economic
problems by Chairman John j. Raskob
of the Democratic National Committee
Mr.. Raskob did not overlook the tariff,
the five-day work week, big business ana
the Sherman antitrust law and social
problems of all kinds. But Mr.. Raskoos
discussion Of these matters, it appears,
did not run along the same lines as the
discussion Of similar topics at the Pro-
eressiye Conference-eXcept, perhaps,
in so far as the five-day work week Is
concerned. That Is one issue to which
Mr.. Raskob has chung firmly for year
or So In the Democratic meeting Mr..
Raskob was the only speaker who talked
at length Oh. any economic subject-un-
less. indeed, the question OF national
prohibition be deemed an economic sub
ject. That question, thrown into the
Democratic mseting by Mr.. Raskoo
himself, quite eclipsed every other SUD-
iect brought forward by the chairman.
It was in vain that he pleaded that the
platform of the Democratic party
should be more and better picnics. one
group seemed to consider that picnic
without LIQUOR was no picnic, and the
other, that picnics with liquor would be
the ruination OF the American people
The Republican regulars, having CD
served the turmoil into which their
Democratic brethren were thrown when
they sought to discuss the problems OF
the day, under the leadership OF Mr.
Raskob, hastened to announce that
there would be no Republican meeting
but that everything would be left for
the consideration Of the Republican
National Convention, more than year
in the future. 1t was left for the Pro-
eressive wings Of both the old parties,
meeting last week, to talk for two days
about public questions without discuss
ing prohibition. That in itself is a
triumph. What other group Of Amer
leans ever gathers nowadays without
getting to an expression Of views on
home brew, bootlegging and whatnot?
The Senator from California calls at
tention Of the Republican leaders TO
the fact that in 1880 the G. o. P. lost
New York Illinois, Massachusetts,, Ohio
and other States which are usually re-
garded as strongly Republican. His
! contention Is that unless the Republic
ans give serious attention to public
problems of the day they are likely to
. lose these states and others in the cleo
ton next year. Senator Johnson main
tains that it is not enough for the Re-
publicans to ''resolute" in national con-
! vention once every four years, or for the
/ Democrats to do the same.
Gandhi weighs only SO pounds. 1t is
! +nn ,,tninint Of his u,nrde that cnilrte