Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-11
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

! ing SO fast that some of the friends
I OF the New York Governor are wonder
! ing If it would not be as we'll to put the
brakes on for time. They fear that
! # their candidate gets so far out in
! front of the rest of the candidates he
may become the target for all kinds
of shafts. There is, of course, another
school OF thought which holds that If
! he gets far enough out in front he will
never be oYertaken. That, after all,
seems to be the wisest course of action
| for any candidate. The days of the
! dark horse in the presidential race may
! have passed, with the greater facilities
| OF communication, which makes a cam
! didate familiar to the people of Cali
| fornla as well as to the people of Maine
and Florida, and the presidential
preferential primary in an appre-
clabIe number of the States.
! Senator Dill of Washington, who has
| just returned from Europe, is sure that
| the West will be strongly for the re-
| nomination of the New York Governor
| There are rumCrS that Senator Dill
/ would like very much to be the rum
ming mate of the New York Governor.
| But, whether he would or not, Senator
! Dill is only one of the Western Demo-
! Gratis who would like TO see the nomi-
nation of Roosevelt for President, be-
! leylng he - aid run strongly in the
| States the other side of the Mississippi
River as well as in the Middle West.
! Senator CaraWay of Arkansas, after
| qualifying his remarks by saying that
| Of course he would support Senator
Robinson, the Democratic leader OF the
| Senate and his colleague from Arkan-
| sas, declared himself strongly for the
New York Governor if Robinson should
/ be out Of the running in the national
| convention.
1t appears to be only a question Of
! time before many Of the most important
! Democrats of New York get on the
/ Roosevelt band wagon. 1t is known
! that many Of them, who have so far
not come forward with open support of
the Governors nomination, are merely
/ blding their time and will take their
/ cue from the Governor himself as to
the proper time to announce them
selves. At present there is talk of
/ owen d. Young among some of the
! Democrats in New York City But
most of their comment is along the line
of what fine President he would make
! If only he could be nominated. They
do not expect, in other words, that he
Will be the choice of the convention.
! Others continue 10 talk Of Al Smith,
are plenty who believe that in the end
1t VIII be Alfred E. Smith who places
the name OF Franklin D. Roosevelt in
nomination Of the Democratic conven-
( ton And If Gov Smith does that
thing, what a roar will 90 up from
the dc!egates Under such circum-
stances there is little doubt that Roose-
Welt would be the party choice on the
iIrst ballot,
r -
The drys are losing no time getting
ready for the campaign next year.
Their new experimentation has al
ready announced plans for a wide cam
palgn in the interest of the eighteenth
amendment beginning this Summer
Senator BOrah of Idaho and Senator
Sheppard Of Texas have been men
toned as probable campaignerS for the
cause. But it may be said that Sen
atOr BOrah, who is leaving Washington
today to g to Idaho, with a few stops
on the way, has not agreed to make a
campaign Tor the dry org niZation al
though, If opportunity presents. he may
turn loose a speech now and then.
There has been a lot of talk about
what Senator BOrah may and may not
Go III the coming national campaign
He was a bulwark of strength in the
Hoover campaign in 1923. What he
VIII do II Mr. Hoover Is nominated nett
year IS the conundrum which some Of
the politicians have sought to solve
But If President Hoover is the candi-
date on the Republican ticket against
Democrat who favors revision or re-
peal Of the eighteenth amendment. the
chances a.e that the Idaho Senator will
be found in support of the Republican
national ticket. He has, it is true.
cvN'jF Il ,s-,,-r
number of questions. But on the other
hand he has found himself more and
more in accord with the administration
III its foreign ponCieS-cXcept indeed
with regard to the recognition of the
Russian government As chairman Of
the Foreign Relations Committee. the
Idaho Senator tak-S the keenest inter-
est in the relations of this Government
with those Of Europe, Asia and South
America. He recently gave his approval
to the Stimson policy with regard to
Central America and American inter-
ference there. There is reason to be-
lieve that Senator Borah and the ad-
mlnistration are looking at the present
situation in Europe and the reparations
problem, not TO mention the debts of
European nations to the United States
through much the same glasses.
*%
The Democrats, or perhaps 1t IS more
proper to say many of the Democrats,
having made up their minds to nomi-
nate wet candidate for President,
are nevertheless intent upon getting
something into the p5rty platform
which shall take prohibition out CT
politics" as If such a thing were really
possible, Senator Robert J. Buckley
OF Ohio. q serious opponent of the
eighteenth amendment, and elected as
such in the campaign Of 1880, has ad-
vanced a plan which he seems to think
would be satisfactory to the drys and
the vets alike. In recent speech in
St Louis, he said: The quickest way to
dispose of this question would be
through the submission by Congress of
an amendment to restore to the States
their proper authority over the regula-
ZION Of intoxicating beverages. the rati-
flcation of such an amendment to be
voted on by constitutional conventions
in the several States rather than by the
legislatures. The question would thus
be made a strictly ncn-partisan matter
since the proposed conventions would
deal with only the single question of
ratifying or refusing to ratify. The
election Of the delegates to the conven-
tons would be a national referendum
on the eighteenth amendment"
In the opinion of Senator Buckley,
unless some such plan is adopted, there
is grave danger that when the voters
go to the polls next year, they will be
influenced by considerations of whether
the candidates are wet or dry and will
lose sight of some of the important
economic questions of the day. But if
Senator Buckley believes that the dryS
will be satisfied to have his suggestion
Pn1hnHlnH in 6n 10 not mol
platform he has another guess coming.
The drys are against referendums and
the resubmission of the eighteenth
amendment. Any political party that
advocates resubmission in any form will
be regarded as wet" by the militant