Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-19
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

The primaries held in the NTH New
Jersey congressional district on Tues>
day have decreed that the vets are to
gain another House seat, irrespective Of
Republican or Democratic victory. The
late Representative Alderman, whose
death made the seat vacant, was q dry.
The Republicans have nominated Dom
aid Mclean, In q four cornered race,
and Mclean is an avowed opponent Of
national prohibition. The Democrats,
on the other hand, have nominated
PERCY Stewart Who also has announced
himself in favor of q change In the
eighteenth amendment. The election
takes place Jon Tuesday. December i,
and will determine whether this hither-
to strongly Republican district Is to be
Democrats, as it did In the recent
Rubernatorial election when Harry
Moore, the Democratic candidate, car
ried 1t by some 10000 votes. Alderman
carried the district last year by an
almost two-to-one vote. But the late
Representative had q strong personal
following In the district, which Mclean
has vet to obtain. A victory for the
Republicans there win be heartening to
the Republicans and in some measure
give the lie to the claim Of the Demo-
Gratis that New Jersey Is safely Demo-
cratic, q claim which they made FOL-
lowing the election Of Moore by an
unheard-of Democratic majority.
- ~
Two other House vacancies, one in
New Hampshire and the other in the
Wurzbach district in Texas, are still to
be filled. The Democrats insist they
will carry the Texas district, notwith-
standing the fact that on the ballot
will be several Democrats and one Re-
publican candidate when the election
takes place. The New Hampshire cleo
ton has aroused q great deal OF interest
in the first district OF that State. Five
Republicans are already in the race for
the nomination to succeed the late Rep
resentative Fletcher Hale. and 1t Is also
possible that In the case Of q deadlock in
the party convention, to be held there
on December 4. compromise candidate,
a dark horse not yet mentioned, may be
the outcome. It has been suggested In
some quarters that II q compromise
candidate must be selected the Repub-
licans might turn to former Gov. Hunt
ley Spaulding. However, that Is still
remote contingency. One other former
Governor, John H. Bartlett, who IN the
Coolidge administration was First
Assistant Postmaster General. Is an out
standing candidate for the nomination.
He has four competitors, Ferdinand
Hartford, mayor of Portsmouth; State
Senator Hart, Secretary Of State Fuller
and Mayor Trudel of Manchester.
Trudel Is of French descent, and the
French vote in New Hampshire Is strong,
for the French Americans make up
about % per cent of the population OF
the State. The Democrats have pur-
suaded former Representative Rogers to
enter the lists against John Hurley, an
attorney In Manchester, who early an
nounced his candidacy.
A new biography Of Gov. Franklin d.
Roosevelt of New York, by Ernest K.
Lindley, just off the press, has set
tongues wagging. In this volume is
found the basis, it is said, of the OPP
position now reported to exist on the
part of Chairman John j. RaSkob to
the nomination Of Roosevelt. Gov.
Roosevelt, the book asserts was Op-
posed to the selection of Raskob to
head the national committee although
Alfred E. Smith. the presidential
nominee. insisted upon Raskob as his
campaign manager; According to the
book Roosevelt "tactfully suggested
very prominent Catholic, Raskob would
intensity the prejudices against Smith
in the South and West without helping
him on either score\ in the East. He
questioned whether some Of the dyed-in-
the-wool Democrats would respond
favorably to q Republican in the purely
party post. and most significantly sug-
gested that the corporation with which
Raskob was identified was too big
Smith ruled out these misgiviugs. He
and most of his Kitchen cabinet
Catholic and q wet the fact that Ras-
kob was also both would make little
difference"
In another part OF this new Roose-
welt book much attention is paid to the
fact that Gov Smith made strong per-
sonal appeal to Roosevelt to become e.
candidate for Governor Of New York
although on account Of his health
Roosevelt sought to decline the Demo-
cratic nomination. The book says, for
example, that in a long-distance tele-
phone conversation with Roosevelt at
told you I wasn't going to put this on
a personal basis. but I've got to-
While the book may be used to bolster
I'D the cause of the Roosevelt preSi-
Dental boom. it may arouse the further
enmity of the Roosevelt opposition. But
perhaps the Roosevelt forces, believing
they must face this opposition anyway.
prefer to bring it out into the open at
this time.
Democrats throughout the country
ruith intaraSt tho lIInnbao11
party to which Gov. Roosevelt invited
his old friend AL Smith yesterday.
Gov. Smith Is much sought after these
dayS by prospective Democratic candi-
dates for the presidential nomination.
perhaps with the idea not only of win
ming his support. but also for the pur-
pose of learning whether the former
Governor is DESTROYS of becoming a can
iidate himself for the presidential
Gov. Richie Of Maryland called upon
smith in New York and had a long
talk with him. AS far as can be
learned, however, Gov. Richie obtained
no promise of support from the former
New York Governor. The Smith
Richie meeting was interpreted in
some Roosevelt quarters as the begin
ming Of a "stop Roosevelt" movement.
GOV. Smith. however, still maintains his
silence as 10 MS plans 1OE nSAC year.
Nor did he break that silence. so
far as could be learned, at his luncheon
party with Roosevelt yesterday. Both
men insisted they talked about State
finances. And perhaps they did. A
discussion of the national political sit
uation might be far too delicate a SUBJ
ject to come up between them.
X
Another drive by the vets, or some of
the vets, in the Republican party to
get Senator Tess of Ohio out of his
Craftsmanship of the Republican Ma
tional Committee Is on, following an
exchange of letters between former Sen
n4nr WA dcwnrfh of New York MrinRinQ