Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-01
The Political Mill
By C.. Gould Lincoln.

The governors, particularly those whit
are presidential possibilities, are to b.
ION parade" at French Lick Springs
Ind, for the next few days. offending
the Governors Conference. Already The
dispatches from Indiana indicate that
| Gov. Franklin d. Roosevelt has beer
warmly received by leading Democrat!
Of the HooZier State. II the reports are
correct, these Democrats are perfectly
| willing to accept Roosevelt as the
Democratic nominee for President next
year, notwithstanding the fact that
Indiana has reputation for being one
Of the dryest of the dry Of all the States
| and Roosevelt has declared against 9
| continuance of national prohibition a:
1t is now carried on. The truth Of the
| Gratis in dry as we'll as in wet States
have for the most part come to the
conclusion that the next nominee Of
their party is to be for revision if not
repeal of the national dry laws, in
| Guiding the eighteenth amendment
| They are casting about fer the man
whom they believe will be the strong
est candidate throughout the country
against the prospective candidate of the
G. o. President Herbert Hoover.
There are other prominent Democratic
Governors at French Lick Springs
among them Gov. Albert C. Ritchie OF
Maryland and Gov. George White OF
Ohio, both of whom, and particularly
, the former have been widely discussed
as presidential possibilities. At the
Governors Conference the participants
are expected to keep away from po-
litical subjects and to discuss the va
rious problems which confront the
country and the individual States in a
non partisan manner. If the confer
ence degenerated into political debate
obviously its purpose would suffer con-
| siderably. However, with the presiden-
| tial campaign only a year in the future
| and with the friends of the various
candidates already actively at work for
them, 1t is impossible TO put the soft
pedal on politics at such gathering
indiana, one of the pivotal States in
q national election, in 1928 went
strongly against Alfred E. Smith, the
,, Democratic nominee, and for President
Hoover. Even at the time there was
strong sentiment against the Repub-
lican party within the Hoosier State, a
sentiment which seems to have in
creased rather than diminished. 1t
was the elimination of long list OF
scandals involving Republicans promi-
IGIlU Ill O1llSldl lllC Va l4lC oIdIC anu
the party organization. But in 1928
this was temporarily forgotten in the
presidential struggle. The Democratic
leaders in Indiana in 1928 did not fool
themselves about what was going to
happen there on election day. The fact
that these leaders now look with much
approval on the possible selection of
Gov. Roosevelt to head the ticket Of the
party next year is not. therefore, with
out considerable significance. If they
approve him. they think they could
carry Indiana for MIN. That, after all,
is likely to be the final test among the
Democratic leaders in all the States.
x 4 4
Among the Republican Governors at
tending the conference at French Lick
Springs is Gov. Pinchot of Pennsyl-
vAnia, so far the Republican Governor
about whose head the presidential bee
is reported to be buzzing. The Penn
sylvania Governor is to talk about his
favorite subject, Timber Needs of the
Future" but it is reported that he may
break out about public utilities, his
campaign issue when he ran last year
for Governor of Pennsylvania, and the
issue about which the progressives in
both parties are all stirred up when
they think Of the national campaign
next year. This is a subject also on
which Gov. Roosevelt is laying particu-
lar stress. and his stand on the water
power question has given him a great
boost in the western part OF the country.
Out of Kansas. home of tornadoes,
sunhowers, prohibition and lot of
other things, comes a suggestion that
the Democratic friends of Jouett
Shouse, chairman of the Democratic
Executive Committee of the National
Committee, would be mighty fine can
didate for President for the Demo-
cratic party next year. This sugges-
ton does not come, it Is well under
stood, with any approval of Mr.. Shouse
himself. who has tried hard to squelch
mention Of his name in connection
with the presidential nomination. Mr.
Shouse, however, was member of the
House number of years ago from
Kansas and later he was an Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury in the Will
son administration. For two years he
has been prominently in the public eye
as the director of the Democratic forces
seeking to build up the party for the
next national campaign He has
Travelled over the country from one
end to the other many times and is
widely known and liked by a great
many Of the Democratic leaders. 1t is
the contention of Mr.. Shouse, however,
that he and his organization are not
interested in Democratic presidential
candidates. and will not be SO inter-
ested until after the nomination has
been made in national convention next
year. His job he insists, is to build
up the Democratic party, not to take
sides in any pre-convefltlon fights for
Sal akAr til, l.,
tend to get into the field as candidate
himself, notwithstanding the publicity
which is being given to an incipient
boom for him in Kansas. Kansas,
however. is one of the Western States
which the Democrats are looking to
with keen interest. 1t tore loose and
elected a Democratic Senator and a
Democratic Governor in 1890. Things
have not improved politically for the
G. o. P. since then. Rather, there has
been a new revolt because the Repub-
licans in Congress would not put
through legislation giving some relief
to the independent oil producers. OF
whom there are great many in Kan
SIS. Mr.. Shouse may be counted upon
to do all in his power to bring Kansas
to vote for the next Democratic presi-
dental nominee. but he has taken a
firm stand against having himself
boosted for the nomination.
X 4
From every angle it is growing more
and more apparent thst the big talking
point of the Democrats in the next ma
ttonal campaign Is to be the depression
of business and unemployment in this
country, which started with the stock
market crash in 1929. Prohibition will
have its part in the campaign, particu-
lsrly in States where there is strone
opposition to the eighteenth amend.
| ment. But depression is to be the mair
line of attack on the G. o. P. and the
| Hoover administration. Today the
Democratic Publicity Bureau is sendinf