Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-13
The Political Mill
By C. Gould Lincoln.

one-third of the membership of the
Upper House, is year in the future,
many of the incumbents who must go
before their constituents for renomina-
ton and reelection will put In good
bit of time during the coming Sum-
mer and Fall strengthening II they can,
their political fences. OF the 80 Sem
ators who come up for reelection II
are Republicans and is are Democrats.
They have, 1t Is true, long session of
the new Congress before them in adj
vance of their going to the polls, and
what they do. or their political parties
do, In that session Of the Congress may
have a bearing on the results. Also,
next year comes the presidential cleo
ton. A decided Democratic swing in
the national election very likely would
give the Democrats q real ma jority in
the Senate in the Seventy-third Con-
gress, Many of the States in which
Senators are to be elected next year
are real backgrounds.
X X 4
Republican Senators who have fig
ured Importantly in the @. O. p. or
ganization of the Senate are compelled
to offer themselves again or step aside
for some other Republican candidates.
Among them are Senator James E.
Watson of Indiana, Republican leader of
the Senate, and Senator George Moses
of New Hampshire, President Pro Tenn
pore of the Senate. Both Senator Wesley
l.. Jones of washington, chairman of
the Appropriations Committee, and Sem
ator Reed Smoot Of Utah, who heads
the Committee on Finance, are up for
reelection. Any one of these gentle
men may face real battle next year
if a Democratic trend comparable to
that in 1880 manifests itself. Senator
Moses has been considering retirement
from the Senate to accept a $75, 000-a-
year job, but more recently it has been
asserted by his friends that he will
seek reelection. He may have strong
opposition from the present Governor
of New Hampshire, Winant, who won
the gubernatorial race in 1880 over the
opposition of the Moses faction in the
State. 1t would require tremendous
turnover to elect Democrat to the
Senate in New Hampshire, however, no
matter who the Republican nominee
happens to be. Senator Jones must
run in a State which already has
one Democratic Senator, Dill. He has
always been an ardent dry. The vets
in Washington have been going strong
during the last year.
X
In Indiana Senator Watson stands
today at the top of the Republican
heap. The Hoosier delegation at the
next Republican National Convention is
likely to put him forward as a candi-
date for the vice presidential nominal
ton, unless it shall have been deter
mined in advance by the powers that be
that the ticket is again to be Hoover
and Curtis. There has been q revolt
against things Republican in Indiana.
Last year the Democrats took several
congressional seats away from the
G. o. P. But, despite the Democratic
trend. Watson will be a hard man to
beat for Seantor. Reed Smoot came
to the Senate first in 1903 and today
he outrankS all other Senators In length
OF service. He is likely 70 be selected
next year.
Four Of the so-called Republican Pro-
greSsiveS are to seek re-elecfi0n< Blaine
Of wisconsin, Brookhart Of lowe. Nor
beck of South Dakota and Nve Of North
Dakota. The Republican regulars may
put candidates in the Geld egainst
Blaine, Brookhart and Nye next year
in the primary contests There Is
always such row in Wisconsin. Blaine
belongs To- the La Toilette camp The
La Follettes, Senator and Covernor. are
expected to back him. Brookhaxk will
be hard man to beat, especially IL
farm conditions do not improve greatly
in the next year. Senator Nye. chair
man OF the Senate Campaign Investi-
eating Committee, will IN all probability
find a regular Republican camping on
ms tran when ne goes back there to
run for denomination Efforts have
already been made by some of the reg
ulars in the Senate to injure his chances
next year.
The Democrats hold one Senate seat
now which they may lose next year.
Senator McGil defeated Henry Allen
last year, largely because of fierce Re-
publican opposition to Allen. If Vice
President Curtis gets into the Senate
race, there seems every prospect that
McGill will not be reelected, and it is
not unlikely that the Republicans may
regain this seat anyway, especially If the
Republican national ticket goes over well
in the Sunf1ower State. Senator Wagner
of New York is another Democrat who
comes up for reelection in State
which Is by no means a Democratic
stronghold, particularly in presidential
year. He won from former Senator
WadSwortil in 1926, when Wadsworth
came out for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment and the dry Republicans
put an independent candidate in the
field. Wagner has made a good record
in the Senate, and has q reputation for
being a keen student Of employment
conditions. He will be hard man TO
defeat IN all probability.
Among the younger Republican Sem
ators who must put up a fight for their
seats are Senator Bingham OF Con-
necticut, which elected Democratic
Governor last year, and Senator Glenn
Of Illinois. Although Illinois is usually
an overwhelmingly Republican State, 1t
now has new Democratic Senator and
a new Democratic mayor Of Chicago.
Senator James j. Davis of Pennsyl-
vania, If he decides to run again, is
likely to find himself in contest with
Maj. Gen. Smedley d. Butler, United
States Marine Corps, who is soon to re-
tire and who has admitted he would
like to try for the Senate seat Colorado i
elected a Democratic Senator in 1880,
Senator Costigan, and the Democrats
will make strong effort next year to
take the seat now held by Senator
Waterman, Republican. Indeed, the
Democrats have chances to pick up half
dozen Senate seats now held by the
Republicans, II things are going their
way at election time.
X \
Announcement by Archie Roosevelt,
brother of Mrs. Nicholas Longworth,
that Mrs. Longworth will not be a can
didate for the seat In the House held
by the late Speaker Longworth, is in
line with what was expected by many
of the friends of the widow of the
Speaker. She has never sought political
office, although she has been rated q
political power in Washington There |
are many Republicans who would like
to see her enter the lists, because she |