Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-16
The Political Mill
BY G.. Could Lincoln.

more courage. The Idaho Senator, in
an article in the current issue OF Col
! lier's, gives his version of why States
men Straddle." He lays the blame par
ticularly on party loyalty" week
ago, in an article attacking the direct
primary system, Gov. Smith insisted
| there was not enough party loyalty and
that minority groups, nor parties, were
making towards out Of public men, par
! ticularly those in Congress.
Senator Borah complained bitterly be-
cause the issues of today are not really
faced by the political parties and by
| their leaders. To quote from the Idaho
| Senator: 1.-THE questions which meet the
people every hour of the day In their
struggle for success are sidestepped,
straddled or ignored. The public prints
are filled with explanations that leaders
did not mean this or did not
mean that. When Mr.. Hoover was
understood to have made a clear,
positive declaration after the Wick
/ ersham report Con prohibition), a
perfect yell of terror soon went up for
| fear that he had imperiled party sue
cess. To such a pass has party pusil-
! President must have no convictions or
no decided views on any great prob
! lem"
! Perhaps If Mr. Borah had had the
! framing of the agenda of the recent
| Progressive conference he would not
! have left out the question of national
prohibition. The Idaho Senator does
not hesitate to take a stand on public
questions, prohibition among them. He
was one of a handful of Senators who
voted against the soldiers bonus loan
| bill when that measure was put through
of IF ct Cnrorrncc His
article in Golfers seems to take a
( decided stand in favor of having the
| political parties and the political Lead
ers take one side or the other of the
prohibition issue. If that is Mr.. Borah's
attitude, 1t is one that will meet the
approval Of John j. Raskob, chairman
| Of the Democratic National Committee,
who recently, according to Senator
Joe" Robinson of Arkansas, Democratic
| leader Of the Senate, "precipitated
crisis" in the Democratic party by
calling for a showdown on the prohibit
ton question. Both the old parties so
| far have been afraid to tackle the
prohibition question. 1t cuts across
both parties, just as the slavery ques-
| ton cut across the old Democratic and
| Wing parties in pre-Civil War days,
when those parties undertook to prove,
| through their leaders, that the slavery
question was not an issue and not
properly in politics any way. AS Sen
ator Borah pointed out, in the end the
people themselves made the issue in
| 1860. Perhaps, as he says, they will do
| 1t again, not only in regard to prohibit
ton, but other policies.
* X X
The Progressive Conference which
was held here last week promises to
have rather far-reaching political con-
! sequences. 1t has been ridiculed in
many quarters. Bone of the criticisms
| leveled at the eonference have been its
| failure to bring out concrete bills for
! introduction in the next Congress and
| the determination of the conference to
set up committees to study" many of
| the problems which were discussed in
! the conference. The attacks made by
! Senator Norris, Senator Borah and
others of the Progressive group on the
Hoover commissions are rather dis
| counted by the fact that when the Pro-
! gressiYes themselves come to grips with
public questions, they, too, set up COM
mittees or commissions-they are one
and the same thing-to investigate be-
! fore decision is reached.
X X X X
The Democrats have looked with
| longing eyes to the Republican Progress
sive camp for years. They have not
been able to forget that break be-
tween the regular Republicans and the
| ProgressiveS in 1912 gave them their
first Democratic President in a score
| of syears. The Democrats are intent
upon electing Chief Executive next
! year. They are not particular whether
| this desired end is brought about
! through a split among the Republicans,
with a third Progressive party organ
lied, or is brought about through
union Of the Republican Progressive
forces with the Democratic party. Prob
| ably they would prefer the latter, Tor
| it might mean the permanent increase
in the numbers of Democratic voters
and the building up of a stronger party
! organization in many of the States OF
the West. The Republican Progressive
| leaders, from Norris and Borah down
| the line, have insisted that a new lib
eral party is. not the answer to the
present political situation and that they
are not going to attempt third party.
Since that is the case, the Democrats
are out to WOO the Republican Progress
siyes to their own party fold, If they
| can.
x x X *
Just before the Congress adjourned
March ito be exact, on March 8
former Representative George M
| Pritchard of North Carolina, the Re
| publican nominee for the Senate in
the 1880 campaign, filed q contest
against Senator Josiah w. Bailey, the
Democrat who won by upward of
100, 900 votes. No one believes that Mr..
Pritchard will be able to upset the re-
suit of the election. But there is some
likelihood, it is said, that an inquiry
into the senatorial primary and cleo
ton in North Carolina may show up
soL,
embarrassing to the Democratic organ
ization in the Tar Heel State. The Nye
Investigating Committee dipped into
North Cardinals senatorial primary
and election little last Fall The in
curry by the Senate Committee on
Privileges and Elections, however, may
be a different kind of an affair The
subcommittee is headed by Senator
George H. Moses of New Hampshire,
regular of regulars among the Repub-
licans.
On the surface it looks as though
the contest now filed against Senator
Bailey is a reprisal because of the atti-
tude of the Democrats in the Senate
toward the appointment of former
Representative Jonas of North Caro-
lima, Republican, to be United States
attorney for the western district of
the State. Senator Cameron Morrison
led the fight against confirmation of
Mr.. Jonas appointment, and in the
short session was able to hold up
action in the Senate itself. Mr.. Jonas
is now serving under a recess appoint
ment given him by President Hoover.
Unless he is confirmed by the Senate
when it meets again, however, he will
receive no pay. It looks as though Mr..
Jonas appears to be fairly sure of con-
firmation, although in the next Senate
the party lines will be closely drawn,
with the Republicans having only an
even half of the Senate seats The
fling of the contest hW MI. Pritchard