Evening star., 1931-06-22
The Political Mill
BY C. Could Lincoln.

President Hoovers recent Western
trip, although not intended as po-
litical venture, is not without its po-
litical effects. From Indiana, where
he addressed 5000 Hoosiers at dinner
given by the Republican Editorial AS
sociation Of the State, comes the report
that the President has put heart into
the rank and file of the Republicans
and further that he has brought to-
| gether old enemies in the party. In
diana saw a revolt last year, when the
Democrats turned out several sitting
members Of the House and took a ma
| jority Of the delegation to the new Con-
gress. But the Republicans are report
ed to be perking up since the Presl-
dents visit and planning to go forward
with an active campaign next year.
The great gathering at the dinner ad-
dressed by the President was not made
lup of office holders, but Of the rank
and file Of the party. They liked what
the President said.
X X X
Senator "Jirn" Watson, the Repub-
| lican leader of the Senate, the present
idol of the Republicans of the yHoosier
State, is going to make the race TO
succeed himself next year. He is a
veteran of many political campaigns,
most of which he has won. NotW1tn-
standing the feeling Of political unrest
in Indiana, Senator Watson is not go
| ing to turn his back on the situation
and take it sitting. down. An editorial
from the Terre Haute Tribune rather
sums up the way the HooSier Repupnc-
ans look at Watson today, published
under date Of June Is. It said, in part:
Senator James E. Watson yesterday
made the first public utterance by MIN
regarding his senatorial intentions Tor
! 1892. The Senator grew jocose on the
subject, saying that we have depression,
but that the whole world has 1t. he
said: We have got the Democrats call
| ing it depression" When they had IL,
| by the eternal, we called it "a panic.
by his announcement. the Senator,
doubtless intended to silence those who
have been suggesting that he lay OF IN
| 1892 and conserve his forces Tor tne
battle of 1884, on the theory that 81
| is going to be Democratic year IN
Indiana. His reply to this Is: i've been
| beaten before. am candidate Tor
| the senatorial nomination in '32' The
war horse of Indiana politics scents the
! battle from afar. He is not turning
back. No one ever questioned Senator
| Watson's political acunen and sagacity,
and his position in this matter will stir
/ the imagination of every one who cher
ishes a good political battle. Senator
i Watson obviously Is not dismayed for
| moment by the fact that there may
be untoward conditions which may
presage defeat"
| Political observers in Indiana insist
| that President Hoover is going to have
/ the Indiana delegation to the Republi-
| IL
! idly for him. They say that the Presi-
dents visit and his speech and recep-
tion in the State have practically been
notice to the other possible candidates
/ for the Republican nomination for
! President they might as well not bother
with Indiana. In 1928, when there
was a free-for-all struggle for the Re
publican presidential nomination, with
| former President Coolidge out OF the
| picture. Senator Jim Watson went into
| the primary and won by some 25,O0O
votes over Candidate Hoover. The
President had a real fight on his hands
| in that primary. and the run he made
! against the fayorite son candidate,
! Senator Watson, was remarkable unoer
the circumstances. It developd he had
| many strong friends in the State, and
he still has. Senator Watson has aided
himself with many of his former po-
manner in which he has turned to and
given his support to the Hoover admin
istration. If he doesn't run for the
Senate next year it will be because
many of them wish him to get into the
race for the vice presidency. At pres
ent Senator Watson Is pooh-poohing
the suggestion that he become candi-
date for that Office. But If there should
be real movement for him in the ma
1an
dent Curtis should decide next Winter
not to seek reelection, it would put a
very different face on the matter.
**
Speaking of the Vice President, Mr.
Curtis is at present cut in his home
State, Kansas, delivering addresses in
many cities and touring the various Sec
tions of the State. He is looking
cve-" the political situation. Kansas
/; also staged a political revolt last year,
because of a number of things, and
elected a Democratic Senator and a
Democratic government. The principal
trouble was because the Republicans fell
cut and fought a bitter factional war,
, although the Democrats attribute the
results to the unpopularity Of the Hoo
yer administrator and the depression"
The Vice President is torn between two
loves. He may run for Vice President
again If he so desires, as has been made
perfectly clear to him by President Hoo
yer. Or he may, if he desires seek to
win back his old seat in the Senate,
running against the present incumbent
Democrat, McGill He has said he
will make his decision next Winter and
not before. A number of his friends
are urging him to go out for the Sen
ate. They feel that there is little doubt
he can turn the trick if he does. There
are others, less friendly, who say he
should run for Vice President on the
| theory that not to do so would be like
deserting the ship with hard cam
paign ahead. Some of these advisers
would like to put Henry Allen in the
| race again for the Senats, believing
that he would make a far better run
next year than he did in 1928, when he
, was i'll and unable to be in the State
for the most important part Of the cam
paign. Senator Curtis will remain in
Kansas another two weeks and then go
to New England for the Summer
months and back to Kansas in Sep
| tenber to- give the situation the once
over again before making his decision.
e
A lot has been said about the Presi-
dents speech in Indiana as outlining a
platform on which he may run for
President next year, and not so much
about his speech in Illinois, where he
rededicated the tomb of Abraham Lin
coln.s It was his Illinois speech, how
ever, which caught the eye and the
fancy of the dry leaders. The President
in that speech pictured Lincoln as de-
voted to the Constitution and the prin-
ciple that the United States is coun-
try governed by law. The drys see a
strong law enforcement" including
the enforcement of the prohibition laws,
trend in the speech and like it. And,
by the way, it is going to take a lot
of prying to take away from President