Evening star., 1932-03-31
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

BY q. Could Lincoln.
Just when his political fortunes
appeared to be at low ebb. Speaker John
". Garner arises in the House and de-
livers a speech declaring patriotically
for balanced budget, regainS his lead
erShip OF the House Democrats and puts
himself again in the limelight as a
dominant force in the Democratic
party. The political dopesters are
busily trying now to figure out whether
Mr.. Garner has become once more a
potential figure in the Democratic race
for the presidential nomination. His
presidential boom. which sprang up
with mushroom like rapidity after he
had become Speaker OF the House and
had demonstrated his ability to lead the
Democrats in support OF the Hoover
reconstruction program, took an awful
flop last week, Then the House Demo-
Gratis, all except about 40. ran out on
the Speaker and the Ways and Means
Committee in the fight over the manu-
facturers' sales tax in the revenue bill.
1t was widely heralded that NL. Gar
ner was no longer a serious contender
for the presidential nomination. But
today. with dramatic sucdenness. the
Speaker has emerged again on top of
the House heap.
1t is quite true that when Mr.. Gar
ner arose Tuesday to address the House
the way had been cleared for him.
The House members who ran away
from the Ways and Means Committee
revenue bill, and were even threaten
ing to make no serious attempt to bal
ance the Government budget, had been
hearing from the country. The dollar
was Slumping, the stock market had
taken a new nose dive and all had
happened because the House had been
going through it's strange antics. 1t
Is possible that the House would have
acted just as it did in support Of the
Ways and Means Committees substi-
tute program for the manufacturers
tax had Mr.. Garner made no speech
in the House. But the Speaker. nev-
ertheless, must be given full credit for
the appeal he made to the House, and
for the immediate response which his
appeal to balance the budget brought
There is no recollection of any such
demand by a Speaker of the House
that the membership rise and be
counted for or against proposal
except, Of course, when an actual vote
was being taken.
The late Speaker Champ Clark of
Missouri, Democrat, and the late Speak
er Nicholas Longworth of Ohio, Repub-
lican. both took the floor on impor-
tant questions and addressed the House
while they were occupants of the chair
Speaker Clark made an appeal to the
House to stand by the legislation pro-
viding for free passage of the Panama
Canal by American merchant vessels
President Woodrow Wilson maintained
at the time that this was discrimina-
ton in favor of American vessels and
violative of the understanding and
agreement this country had with
Great Britain and other nations
| Wilson won out in the House Speaker
Longworth opposed the Coolidge ad-
ministration and stood by the proposal
made by the House for cruiser build
ing program and was largely successful
Whether the black eye HANDED the
Garner presidential boom can be wiped
out entirely by the reversal OF form OF
the Democrats in the House remains to
be seen. The damage may have been
done. The Speakers friends, however
are confident that their candidate has
staged comeback that is effective.
While Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt OF
New York continues to garner harvest
of delegates to the Democratic national
convention, the talk of Newton D
Baker of Ohio, wilson's Secretary Of
War, as the man who, after all. VII
prove to be. the Democratic nominee
continues Mr.. Baker, on the surface
is not moving finger to get the noml-
nation. But some of his friends are
I becoming more and more active, and II
reports be true, Mr.. Baker is having
plenty of conferences with regard tC
the nomination. Ohio, mother Of
Presidents" is not yet out of the pic
ture for the Democratic nomination
Ohio was a pivotal State III 1916 when
! Woodrow Wilson carried it agains;
! Chief Justice Hughes and lost New
York to the Chief Justice.
* x x x
Iowa Democrats in party convention
on Tuesday chose their delegates tC
the national convention and instructed
them for Roosevelt This was done over
the objection of Smith and Murray ad-
herents and is rated victory fol
Roosevelt 1t swells the list of DELE
gates actually chosen and instructed
for the New York Governor to 1l8
These delegates are: Washington, 16
New Hampshire, 8; Minnesota, "a,
lNOl III 1dhOld, w. N1COA6 20, AONd
26. and Alaska, 6. In Geol gia. the dele
gates will have still to be named in
convention, but Roosevelt carried eVery
county in the election of delegates tC
that convention.
x x ~
II Senator Barley Of Kentucky be-
comes temporary chat IN snd ke mt,
speaker of the Democratic National
Convention it may put him in line foI
the nomination for Vice President. H
Vas unter consideration for a similar
nomination in 1923 to run with Alfred
E. Smith. but the nomination finally
went to Senator Robinson of Ark 3nSaS
Democratic leader of the Senate and
permanent chairman of the Houston
Convention. Senator Robinson is men,
toned widely now as possible selection
for permanent chairman of the conven-
tioE out in Chicago next June. Being
permanent chairman of Democratic
National Conventions is quite a habit
with the Democratic leaCer of the S7n-
ate. He serrei in that capacity in San
Fran Hisco in 1920 as well as in Hous-
ton in 1928 Another Senator, Thorn S
j. Walsh of Montana, was the perm9-
nent chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Convention at Madison Square
Garjen in 1924. and a good che irm n
he made under the most trying Circum-
stances chairman e"er faced.
X
What's causing all the delay about
the Dickinson resolution introduced a
month ago i'll the Senate providing for
an investigation OF campaign eXpendi-
lures by Senate Committee? Usually
the Senate doesn't hesitate a moment to
pro, ide for such an Investigating Com
mi-tee. This year it happ MS that the
resolution to create the committee W 9
oHerei by regul?r Republican instead
of by Prog assive Republican or a
Democrat.
A nice row is brewing among the
Democrats over the or9an!2a ton of the
Democratic National Convention. Chair
man John J. Raskob of the Democratic
National Committee wants Jouett
Shouse chairman Of the Executive