Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-09
The Pc litical Mill


tional Committee arrived and also de-
parted, though not without kicking up
good deal Of political dust. The
"Progressives" are to be here WedneS-
day and Thursday to frame a program
Of legislation for which they will fight
in the next Congress. It Is to be BIZ
partisan, or rather tri-partisan, con-
ference, including representatives OF the
Republican, Democratic and Farmer
Labor parties. The Progressives are not
likely to tackle the prohibition issue,
although 1t would be refreshing II they
did, and perhaps quite as exciting as
the Democratic National Committee
meeting. When you are q Progressive,
however, nothing as banal and antiquatd
as prohibition Is given q premier place
on a program. This conference is to
deal with sterner stuff. 1t takes UP I'M
employment, water power and the public
utilities and return to constitutional
government" Wiser than their Demo-
cratic friends, the Progressives are I'M
likely to tackle anything like prohibition
over which there would surely be a
division, for example with Wheeler of
Montana and Blaine of Wisconsin taking
the opposition to national prohibition
and Norris Of Nebraska and Borah of
Idaho demanding a retention of the
dry laws.
The Progressive group intends, if 1t
can, to make the most of the fact that
1t holds the balance of power in the
next Congress. 1t will hold this bal
ance of power not only in the Senate,
as 1t did in the last Congress, but also
in the House. In view of the hatred
OF the Progressive for President
Hoover there Is to be an attempt TO
line the Democrats up in the House
and in the Senate firmly for the Pro-
gressive program for which, It may be
expected, President Hoover will have
little use. Some of the Progressives
were disguised because the Democrats
IN the Senate at the session just closed
preferred to get something done in the
way OF legislation and did not play the
progressive game, which looked to the
docking OF important measures and
the forcing of q special session. But
no less were some of the regular DEM
ocrats disguised with the Progressives
and the criticism of the Democratic
leadership voiced by T,rogressives In the
senate during the last week or two of
the session. Some Of the regular DEM
ocratS have about reached the conclu-
sion, held by regular Republicans for
some time, that the Progressive outfit
mas one purpose particularly in mind
TO stir up trouble. With a general cleo
ton coming on, the Democrats may de-
sire to stir up trouble for the Republic
can administration, but they feel It
necessary also to take a constructive
position on important matters, since if
they do not, they may lose caste with
the general voting public. How far,
therefore. the Progressives are to be
successful In their efforts at the corl-
ing session OF Congress to form a coali-
ton against the Hoover administration
remains to be seen. Regular Demo-
cratic Senators are saying they do not
intend TO keep on forever making it
possible for Progressives to get the
headlines In the newspapers.
\ 4
On the Democratic side of the Senate
chamber there Is a sprinkling of Pro-
greSsives as well as on the Republican.
although the Republicans In this Pro-
gresstve group are the more numerous.
wheeler OF Montana, who ran in 1924
Ior Vice President on the Progressive
ticket with the late Senator Robert M.
La Toilette of Wisconsin, Is prominent
In the group and Democrat. Then
there are Dill Of Washington, who would
ike to be the Democratic nominee for
Vice President on a ticket with Gov.
FRANKLIN d. Roosevelt, and the new
Senator-elect Costigan Of Colorado, who
at one time was considered enough of
q Republican TO be appointed to the
Tartn Commission by the late President
WOODROW wilson as representative of
the q. Q. p, although he was q Wilson
man. There are few others who lean
toward the Progressive group What
these Progressive Democrats would do
IN the event the next national election
should bring about the election of a
democratic President and at the same
time the election Of a Democratic House
and Senate, remains to be seen. Some
OF the regular Democrats do not regard
these Progressives as real Democrats,
put as sharpshooters, who might do to
the Democratic administration what
the Progressive Republicans In the
senate have been doing to the Hoover
administration.
X + X
Warren r. Austin, Republican, Of
Vermont, Is to be the newest" Sena-
tor. He was nominated in a special
primary election last week over Senator
Frank Charles Partridge. A Repub-
lican nomination in Vermont is equiv
alent to election, just as surely as a
Democratic nomination in Mississippi
or Alabama. Vermont is zone party"
State. Since the birth Of the Repub-
ltcan party, it has consistently elected
Republican Governors, Senators and
Representatives, and has invariably cast
its electoral vote for Republican nomi-
neeS for President. The people take
pride in their allegiance to the g. o. p.
They did not fail when the late William
Howard Taft was running for Presi-
dent against Roosevelt and Wilson. Mr..
Austin's nomination was an upset for
the old order of things, however. Sena-
tor Partridge had been appointed by
Gov. Weeks to fill the vacancy in the
Senate temporarily. He had the sup
port for the nomination of former Gov
Redf1eld Proctor and of the old guard
generally in the State. In a measure
the Austin nomination will be called q
young guard victory. What this may
mean for the future cannot be foretold
exactly. Austin did not adopt any
planks in his platform which would be
upsetting to the regular G. o. P.'s. He
stood for prohibition, for the World
Court, retention Of the primary system
and equal rights for women. His stand
on these subjects is the same as that
Of Vice President Curtis and Senator
Capper Of Kansas, who are as regular as
clock work. 1t Is true that the Anti
Saloon League gave Partridge prefer
ence over Austin. But the latter
nevertheless declared himself for the
strict enforcement of the eighteenth
seriously put forward by the Austin
people was that on a roll call of the
Senate, Austin would be second to an
swer, after Ashurst, the Democrat, while
Partridge would not be reached until
sixty-third on the list. Let the voice
of Vermont be heard at the beginning
of every important role call, the Austin
people said.
X
The Democrats in 1920 nominated
Jimmy Cox of Ohio for President.
Cox was regarded as "wet," and was
fought bitterly in the Democratic Ma
tional Convention by the late William
Jennings Bryan. Four years later the
then outstanding dry candidate, Will