Evening star., 1932-12-12
The Political Mill
By C. Gould Lincoln.


second Congress. II the Democrats be-
lieved after the recent election that
they would have things their own way
in the Congress before March 4 as well
as after it, they are finding out their
mistake. The Democratic program for
the short session, including farm relief,
prohibition repeal and reform and
numerous other important measures Is
not making that progress which was
hoped. Speaker Garner put the matter
to the test on the opening day OF the
session, last Monday, when he insisted
on bringing up resolution for straight
out repeal of the eighteenth amend
ment. 1t lost-by only six votes, it Is
true-but q miss is as good as mile.
4 Il 4
In the meantime the Democrats have
decreed war on all presidential appoint
ments at this session of Congress. ex-
cept those which are merely routine
promotions In the Army, Navy, Marine
Corps and the Coast Guard, and others
that may be absolutely essential. Tnij
was to be expected. It has almost IN
variably happened in lame duck" ses-
sions of the Congress, when the de-
feated President has sent nominations
to the Senate for confirmation. Never
theless, the attitude of the Democratic
Senators, taken in party caucus, Is not
likely to bring about Republican CO.
operation with The Democratic ideas on
legislation at this session. 1t may even
lead to retaliatory tactics. None OF
which Is particularly in the interest OF
the country, which is entitled to con-
sideration before the political parties,
After all, the Nation, having elected a
Democratic Congress and President. is
entitled to have them on the job at the
earliest possible moment, so that the
campaign pledges may be carried out,
at least IN some degree.
X X 4 4
The country certainly gave evidence
in the recent elections that it still sticks
to its old two-party political plan of
operation. The minor parties were
poorly supported, very poorly. Much
was expected of the Socialist candidate
for President, Norman Thomas. He had
as much advertising in the press, almost,
as the candidates of the major political
parties. When the votes were counted,
however, Mr.. Thomas was discovered
to have received smaller percentage
Of the total vote than cast for the
Socialist presidential candidate in any
contest for the last 80 years, except in
1928. Thomas received this year about
2.3 per cent of the total vote cast. Four
years ago the Socialist vote was only
Z per cent. But in 1920 Debs, Social
ist candidate, polled 3.4 per cent of the
total vote, and in 1915 Benson had 3
per cent, while in 1912, Debs received
s per cent. In 1924, the Socialist party
in many Of the States supported the
late Senator Robert M. La Toilette, an
independent candidate for President.
The Communist candidate, Foster,
according to the statisticians, increased
his vote this year from one-eighth of
one per cent to one-fifth of one Der
cent. as compared with the vote cast
for him In 1928. The Communist vote
however, is so small, even in these days
Of hard times and distress in the great
industrial centers and the agricultural
regions as to be almost negligible. The
encouraging thing for the American
people and the American system lies
in the fact that the people went to the
polls in an orderly way and voted their
preference and showed no inclination
to drift away into smaller blocs or to
support the candidates of parties which
would undertake to upset the present
form Of Government if they were placed
in control
y X
Al Smith Is the white hope of the
Democrats in New York who are hope
ful Of upsetting Tammany grip-aS
Tammany Is now constituted and con-
trolled-on the government of the
greater city. Whether former Gov.
Smith can be prevailed upon to be-
come a candidate for mayor Of New
York next year remains to be seen
An fT1NFn ctrfp VrrIYnbar ~ ofr r.
lieve, however, that Mr.. Smith might
well take the lead in the matter Of re-
organizing the government Of the city.
That he could be nominated and elected
no one seems to doubt. Boss Curry of
Tammany succeeded, after Jimmie"
Walker took himself out of the pic
ture, in bringing about the nomination
of Surrogate O'Brien for the mayoralty.
Thereby Tammany was able to hold on
to the city government for at least q
year more.
Mr.. Curry, however, has had q ter
rible time during the present year
His prestige as leader has had one
shock after another. In the first in
stance he tried, at least on the sur
face, to defeat Gov. Roosevelt for the
presidential nomination. Then he tried
to beat Lehman for the gubernatorial
nomination. But Roosevelt and Smith
combined to put Lehman across and
Curry had another bump. With Roose-
velt going to the White House and Leh-
man to Albany as Governor, things do
not look any too bright for the Tam
many leader.
Acting Mayor Joseph v. Mckee. who
has certainly shown up Walker in an
AL lob IA,
the Legislative Investigating Commit
tee and Judge Samuel seabury, its
counsel was totally unacceptable tC
Curry and the Tanlmany leaders. So
he was side-tracked. McKee's friends
and admirers are grooming him now
for q contest for mayor next year, hop
ing for Republican support-perhaps a
fusion ticket-to defeat Tammany. Nc
Kee comes from the Bronx and Is a
Roosevelt adherent. Undoubtedly, how
ever, II Smith became a candidate for
the nomination MIR. Mckee would not
permit himself to be put forward al
all. Smith has a great following among
the rank and file of Tammany. He Is
tremendously popular with all classes
of people in the city. who believe that
he would give them clean govern
ment, that he would bring about econ
omy in government expenditures, and
that he would take no orders from
Tammany. The idea that Al Smith
would take orders from John F. Curry
provided Smith were mayor and Curry
remained at Tammany leader, seems al
most ludicrous. 1t just wouldn't hap
pen. As matter of fact, If Smith be-
came mayor of New York, 1t wouldn't
much matter whether Curry stayed on
as Tammany boss or not.
X r
Col. Bennett Clark, Senator-elec
from Missouri, is likely to come to
Washington to take up his duties be-
fore the close of the present short ses-
sion of Congress, if reports are true.
Senator Harry B. Hawes, who did not
seek denomination, is expected to re-
sign his seat about February l, and so
make way for the appointment of Col.
Clark by the new Democratic Governor
to fill the vacancy until Clark's own
far,,, haOfpr op March IF this course