Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-09
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

While Jouett Shouse. chairman of
the Executive Committee of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, is out beat
ing the Republicans in the West, Rob-
ert II. Lucas, the executive director OF
the Republican National Committee,
has turned his guns on that Democratic
stronghold. the South. Mr.. Lucas is
himself a native of Kentucky. He has
seen his own State turn more and
more TO Republicanism and he believes
that eventually the Southern States,
as distinguished from the border"
States, will incline toward the G. o. p.
In an address broadcasted last night
over the Dixie Network" OF the Co
lumbia BroadcaSting System, Mr.. Lucas
described the Republican party as a
real friend of the South and the Demo-
cratic party as bereft of constructive
program. This is something of a new
note in politics. The Southern poll
ticians-Democratic- been so ac-
customed to denounce the G. o. P. as
the enemy of their section of the coun-
try that this kind of talk from q Re-
publican leader will be derided.
4 r
The first thing Mr.. Lucas hit upon
as blessing to the South, brought by
the Republican party, was the protec-
tive tariff. This will be vigorously
denied by the Democrats, but Mr.. Lucas
made a pretty good argument that the
protective tariff system has done a lot
for Southern industries. He pointed
out that the tariff cannot be discrimi-
natory against the South, and that the
same rate Of tariff duty which protects
the steel mills of Pittsburgh also pro-
tectS the steel mills of Birmingham,
Ala. He went further and showed that
the same tariff duty that protects New
England textile mills protects those of
North Carolina and Georgia, and that
the duty on sugar net only takes care
of the sugar industry in Colorado and
Michigan, but also of the sugar industry
of louisiana Whenever an industry in
the South has needed protection, MI
Lucas said, the Republicans have given
it protection. He mentioned as South
ern industry which had received this
protection the peanut industry Of Viz
ginia. The Republican tariff on citrus
fruits, he said, takes care of the oranges
and lemons and grapefruit in Florida
just as 1t does the fruit produced in
California.
To cap his argument that the Repub-
lican tariff is a benefit to the South,
Mr.. Lucas pointed out that during the
consideration of the Smoot Hawley
tariff bill, now the law which is Yio-
lently attacked by the Democratic lead
ers as the source of all evil in this
country, a fetal of 526 Democratic votes
were cast for increases in rates over the
Republican tariff law Of 1922, and 484
Democratic votes cast against decreases
in rates of the 1922 law. Seven Demo-
cratic Senators voted for the Smoot-
Hawley tariff bill en- its final passage
four of whom were from Southern
States. Surely" said Mr.. Lucas. mo
one questions the integrity of these
Democratic Senators or contends that
they would support tariff rates and a
tariff bill which would discriminate
against Southern interests and South
ern people"
The South. Mr.. Lucas insisted, has In
reality been built up under Republican
rule. No one will deny, he said, that
the South has developed tremendously,
both industrially and agriculturally,
along with the rest of the country. The
@. o. p, he argued, has been a friend,
not foe, of the South. He pictured
President Hoover as a real friend of
the Southern States and the Southern
people. The Democratic party he said,
has turned away from the old stand
ard of individual initiative and enter
prise and is attempting to force the
Federal Government to take over the
activities of private industry and the
functions of State and local govern
ments. The Republican party has pro-.
vided all the legislation for immigration
restriction, which Mr.. Lucas insisted
should have the support of the South.
And he took a crack at Tammany, It's
strong position in the Democratic party
and its opposition to immigration re-
striction, in this connection. His final
indictment of the Democratic headers,
however. was that they have promised
constructive program in each sue
ceeding campaign and continue to
make the Samo promise, without pro-
ducing anything. He asked why the
people of the South should continue an
alliance with a party so bankrupt and
so disorganized that it cannot present
to the American people a concrete state
ment as to what it will do in the event
It Is given control OF the Federal
Government"
Chairman John j. Raskob Of the
Democratic National Committee, how
ever, has made a number OF SuggeS-
tons to the members of his committee
and to the party at large in his address
to the committee at its meeting here
March 5 and more recently In his let
ter to the individual members OF the
National Committee. But other Demo-
cratic leaders fell upon these sugges-
lions like a ton of brick" The favor
tie form of criticism leveled against
the Raskob suggestions, outside OF the
suggestion for handling the liquor
traffic by the "home rule" method, is
that Mr. Raskob Is reactionary and
republican. If the chairman OF the
Democratic National Organization can
get no further than this with pro-
gram for his party, who can? the Re-
publican critics are asking. Mr.. Ras-
kob, in his recent letter to the COM
mite emen, called attention to the
chasm which is dividing the Northern
and Southern wings of the Democracy
today. This, he said. must be bridged.
It is his contention that his home rule
plan for handling the prohibition ques-
ton is the solution OF the dif1culty.
So far the Southern leaders have de-
rided the plan.
~ X
Senator George w. Norris Of Ne
braska has taken sides with the South
ern Democrats against Mr.. RaSkob and
his recommendations. The Nebraska
Senator is, 1t seems, looking to the
Democratic party for his candidate for
President in 1892 since he apparently
expects the denomination of President
Hoover and has declared that third
party is not feasible now. He is I'M
dertaking to head on Mr.. Raskob's !
plan to place a home rule" plank |
in the Democratic national plat |
form and also to prevent Mr.. Raskob
from nominating Democrat who, |
Senator Norris insists, stands with Mr.. !
Hoover on water power and other eco
nomic questions. Senator Norris does |
not name this Democratic candidate |