Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-14
The Pre.Convention Turmoil.

This is the winter of discomfort" in
politics. 1t is normal condition, this
being the season just ahead of the
preparatory period preceding the quad
/ rennial conventions and the subsequent
campaign for the presidency. Every
! four years this peculiar situation &C.
ours, with political leaders maneuver-
ing for position, sending up trial bal
looms as it were Practically everything
| that is done in Congress, whether in
| terms of action or in mere words, is
for political effect" The Congressional
Record is to be read as a digest of
partisanship, sometimes requiring key
for understanding. but still fairly plain
to the rank If not the file of the po-
litical forces.
Just now an exchange of letters be-
tween Chairman Raskob of the Demo-
Kent, political writer of note, holds
interest as the most entertaining hap
pening for some time. Mr.. Kent objects
to the mortgage grip which Mr.. Raskob,
he says, has upon the Democratic party
through his holding of its notes, for
money loaned, large money used in the
campaign of 1928. Mr.. Raskob rejoins
in terms of vigorous and indignant de-
NAL of any ownership" or creditorship.
Mr.. Kent replies with even more specific
charge and pointed personal references.
This correspondence is distressing to
the Democrats, but greatly heartening
to the Republicans, who have had really
little to gladden. them for some time.
Almost simultaneously with the Kent
Raskob outbreak of feeling comes a
demand from former Gov. Smith of
New York that the executive director
of the Republican National Committee,
Mr.. Lucas, make amends for a certain
bit of campaign literature" which was
spread in Nebraska in the course of the
canvass in that State, with Senator
Norris running as Republican despite
his support of the Democratic presi-
dental ticket in 1923. This was a car
toon based upon an alleged statement
by Gov. Smith in letter to the Joel
I
was undeniably fake and was so de-
nounced at the time. The former Gov
ernor, whose political position is just
now in some degree of dubiety, wants
as many "retractions" circulated as
the original cartoon, namely, eight hun
bred thousand. This is a specific re-
quirement which will probably not be
granted.
Next there is lettsr from this same
MIR. Lucas as executive director of the
Republican National Committee, which
has just been sent out to Republican
precinct leaders throughout the coun-
try, appealing to them not to permit the
Democrats to break down the peoples
confidence in Herbert Hoover and
thereby elect a Democrat in 1892"
That, of course, will draw fire from
Democratic headquarters, perhaps from
the well advertised publicity bureau Of
the National Democratic Committee,
the director of which has been pre-
sented in full-length portrait to the
public by the same Mr.. Kent who is
now swapping letters with Mr.. Raskob.
OF course, the Senate Is contributing
richly to the midseason pre-convention
preliminary product of political litera
ture. Indeed it is acting as a sort of
clearing house for all this exchange of
notes. 1t gives publicity to them through
the columns of the Congressional
Record so that he who runs his eye
through the pages of that compendium
of American letters will have no diff
Guilty in keeping up with the times. 1t
is indeed altogether lively season.