Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-28
The Political Mill
BY C. Could Lincoln.

By q. Gould Lincoln.
Senator George H. Moses has stirred
the ire of the Western and possibly the
Southern members Of the Upper House
OF Congress by advocating the formation
OF New England bloc in Congress. The
New Hampshire Senator has the ability
to insert pin pricks which irritate. He
does SO at more or less regular intervals.
His proposal Of q New England bloc,
however, Is in measure calculated to
onset the Progressive bloc from the
West. His New England bloc would GER
tainly be conservative affair when
compared to the Western bloc. If it act
ed with unanimity and was as willing
to hop from one side Of the fence to the
other as the Western bloc has shown it
self on occasion it might add to the con-
fusion of national politics, which already
is chaotic enough. But II Senator
Moses proposal is correctly interpreted
the New England bloc would stand like
rock against socialistic tendencies and
proposals. and particularly against raids
upon the Treasury by blocs representing
the West and the South. If there is to
be bloc of New England members of
Congress who stands out as a possible
leader more prominently than Senator
Moses himself? He has had longer serv-
ice in the Senate than any of the others
with the exception of Senator Hale of
Maine. In debate, although he is not
addicted to long speeches nor does he
speak often, he is one of the ablest
members Of the Senate.
4 4
1t was certain that sooner or later
the New Hampshire Senator's proposal
would draw fire. Senator Thomas j.
Walsh of Montana, Democrat, and
counted among the progressive group
has risen to the bait, and through the
Democratic National Committee has put
forward q statement denouncing the
suggestion that New England needed a
bloc in Congress, but more particularly
crfticizing the language used by Sena-
tor Moses In discussing the assaults
upon the Treasury by other blocs of
legislators. It may be expected that
some of the Progressive Republicans
from the West will make answer to the
Moses suggestion, too. He has been a
group, "Sons of the Wild. Jackasses, -
for long time and has baited them
often.
George Moses has broken out again
against the West and inferentially the
South" said Senator Walsh In his
blast, s."that is, the section in which
agriculture is the primary industry. He
wants New England bloc In Congress
representing, he says, its 'self-support-
ing, self-respecting' people, who do not
''yammer at the gates OF Congress to
which individuals should do for them
selves An 'impudent minority, 'She as
serts, keep in constant peril from Slegis-
lation millions of dollars invested by
those same self-supporting, self-respect-
ing New England people. Considering
that they have been time out of mind
and still are. persistent beggars for
tariff favors, out of which they have
made those imperiled millions, it might
be retorted that the impudence is rather
to be found in the Moses screed than
in the unspecified efforts of the people
accused to save themselves from the
depression from which they have been
suffering for 10 years, and which, their
representatives warned, would, un-
remedied, eventually involve the whole
country"
There are six States in the New Eng
land group, having a dozen Senators
and 80 members of the House. The
New England groups in both bodies
have been generally closely knit and
have acted pretty much as a bloc in
Congress when New England interests
were involved, constituting in reality a
bloc, whether formally dubbed bloc
or not. The great majority of the New
Englanders in Congress have been and
are Republicans. For example of the
II Senators from that section, 10 are
Republican and 2 are Democratic, and
both of the Democrats are from one
State, Massachusetts.
n x X
The so-called Coolidge boom for the
Republican nomination for President is
not making much Roadway among the
responsible leaders of the G. o. P. In
the first place, they cannot be con-
vinced that the former President would
permit himself to be entered in the
race for the nomination or that he
could be drafted. Secondly, they take
the position that the party must sink
or swim with the Republican admins
tration in the coming national election.
To eliminate the head of the admins
tration, they say, would cause bewilder-
ment among the voters which would
harm the chances of the G. o. P. rather
than help them. One of these Re-
publican leaders, writing recently to
friend in Ohio, who also has been active
in Republican politics and Is member
of family which has held high Office,
discussed the situation very frankly.
The Ohio friend had suggested that the
thing to do was to draft Mr.. Coolidge
the Republican leader replied:
You are an old politician and
good one, and think. you will agree
with me, when you study the situation,
IN the statement that there will be no
chance to nominate anybody next year
but Hoover. In the first place, the
South VIII come up solid for him. You
know all about that situation and I
need not state it further with any de-
gree of particularly. Secondly, do
not think that Coolidge has any no.
ton OF being the candidate, nor do
/ think that he could be either coaxed
or driven into a candidacy.
I'm the next place, when the fellows
meet in convention anywhere in the
country the first thing that they do is
to tndorse the administration. 1t is a
very difncult thing to indorSe the adj
ministration and at the same time con-
denim the head of it, and If they do
not indorse the administration we
haven't a. thing to stand on in the
campaign"
This Is frank speaking on the part
Of politician who has long since ceased
to fool himself about politics. He
continues:
The real truth about it is that, when
properly understood. the administration
ss a whole has done pretty well under
the extreme conditions that have con-
frcnted it. I am fully aware of the
situation you describe and I have no
doubt that Congress is entitled to it's
share of censure. At least it probably
suffers in the public mind, for the pub
lie does not understand the very adverse
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