Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-21
The Political Mill
BY C. Could Lincoln.

The cost Of campaigning for seats
In the House seems in way to so very
much higher. For example, up in
Pennsylvania the State legislature has
so far wrestled in vain with q bill for
redistricting the Keystone State, and
there have been hints that Gov. Pin
c.lot might veto the bill, anyway. Penn
sylvania loses two seats in the House
under the new apportionment. which
gees into effect with the Sevonty-third
Congress. If Pennsylvania fails to re-
district, then members of the House
from that State will be elected "at
large"-will be erected in a State wide
contest. In 1926, the candidates for
senatorial nominations and election, on
the Republican side, for there Is no
other in Pennsylvania, expended and
had expended tor them huge sums OF
money. Ware, the successful candidate,
was denied seat In the Senate. Last
year 1t was shown that very large sums
OF money had been expended by candi-
dates seeking the Republican nomination
for Senator in Pennsylvania, with for
mer Senator Joe" Grundy putting up
100000 of his own money In his own
campaign.
In Pennsylvania, under the new ap-
portionment Of the House seats to the
States, "a Representatives viii be
elected. II these 81 members Of the
House must be chosen in a State wide
election, instead of in the congressional
districts, what will be the cost OF the
nominations and elections to the House
In Pennsylvania in 1899? Considering
how much 1t costs to nominate and
elect one Senator in that State, the
next year seems to promise q lot of
money to the workers. Perhaps the
House will feel compelled to set up a
Campaign Investigating Committee, as
the Senate has done in recent elections.
Pennsylvania is not the only State in
which redistricting bills have so far
failed to be enacted into law. Massa-
chuSetts Is another example.
One thing seems certain. If Penn
sylvania fails to redistrict and the
House delegation is chosen at large,
Democrats need not apply. Not in
Pennsylvania. That is, not unless there
is a political unheaval that will send
the Keystone to the Democratic column,
which does not seem possible, despite
conditions of business and unemploy-
ment. In the present House, elected In
1880, there are three Democratic mem
hers from Pennsylvania. In the last
Congress there were no Democrats, the
Republicans having made clean sweep
in the Hoover landslide. But If no re-
districting bill goes through the d. =
crate might uoll kfca oaod .iru ~
three seats they will hold in the pres
ent Congress.
There are lots Of possibilities Of con-
Germ to the politicians II Pennsylvania
should fail to redistrict. The law there
provides that delegates to the national
political conventions shall be elected by
districts. Pennsylvania, next to New
York, has the largest delegation In the
Republican national convention, and
also in the Democratic convention. u
there are no districts how are these
delegations TO be chosen2 The law does
not seem to contemplate their selection
at large. 1t would be q grotesque situa-
ton II the Pennsylvania delegation was
denied admission to the Republican ma
tional convention next year.
~ 4
There IS another angle The vets
have been insisting for long time that
they hold the whip hand in Pennsyl-
vania. In the primary there would be
nothing to prevent great wet ticket
for the whole Pennsylvania State dele
cation to the House IL there were no
districts, with the drys putting up an
opposing ticket. Many of the Penn
sylyania members today are wet, but
not all Of them. The contest for the
EIosaea oaafo IN IA IL ~al<xa,x
provide q grand wet and dry row. Bill
Ware was nominated and elected to the
Senate in 1926 as a wringing wet. Sen
ator James j. Davis said little or moth
ing about prohibition in his campaign
last year. The vets put up a candidate
against him, but got nowhere, forDavis
had the backing Of the Vare Philadel-
phia organization and of the organiza-
ton out in Pittsburgh.
~ &A
Perhaps Gov. Clifford Pinchot and the
State Legislature will solve the present
difficulty and get together on O redis.
tricting bill. If they do, Pennsylvania
will elect its members Of the House a
usual. If reports be true, Gov. Pinchot
would like to 90 to the next Republican
National Convention with the Key
stone State delegation solidly behind
him. The presidential bee is said to BIZ
buzzing about the Governors head, par.
ticulariy with the Progressives In the
Republican party rising up against the
Hoover administration. Gov. Pinchot
was prominent member OF the ole
Roosevelt tennis cabinet, Progressive
from the heels up or the head down
He has twice been able to win the Re-
publican nomination for Governor, de-
hi Il nj Ha -
many factions, especially that Of Mr.
Ware. In each case Pinchot came
through a winner because of divisions
in the ranks of the Republicans, with
three candidates In the field. II re.
ports be true, the Governor is ready
to lead a revolt against the usual order
in the G. o. p, which would be the
denomination of President Hoover. II
has been said that he was CONSIDERING
going into presidential preferential pri-
maries in a number of States. But the
Governor has given no confirmation to
these reports. He does not wear his
political plans on his sleeve for all to
read who wish. Last year he made nc
announcement Of his candidacy fol-
Governor until the last minute and
after Ware and Grundy had fallen out
and the vets were sure to have ticket
In the field. Last year 1t was thought
for a time that Pinchot had senatorial
aspirations. But ii he had he switched
at the last moment. His mind may turn
to the Senate again next year, where
Senator James j. Davis must come up
for reelection.
X \
BY the way, Senator Davis insists that
he is to be candidate to succeed him
self next year and that all the reports
which were published a few weeks ago
to the effect that he was through with
the Senate and might go into the
movies were unfounded. He does not
seem likely to have been scared of by
the suggestion that Mai. Gen. Smedley
D. Butler, United States Marine Corps,
may get into the race. Also, there is
every reason to believe that Gen. Butler