Evening star., 1932-08-02
NEW. BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G.. NJ.


1892" and Frederick r. Barkley,
Washington correspondent of the
Baltimore Evening Sun. Cartoons
by R. G. List. Boston: L. G. Page
g. Co.
Reading-Bible reading at that-and
q ready wit stirred up the brew from
which that famous political terment
rose. Not quite easy to see why Sons OF
the Wild Jackass," thrown off by Sena-
ter Moses as appellative to the Progress
sives in Congress, should have raised
so violent storm of protest and indlg-
nant denial from the body so desig-
mated. Not easy to see, since more than
grain of truth sustains the pictur-
esque metaphor.
More wild" certainly, than the rest
of the herd, these Progressive deserters.
these sons" else they would have
STAYED in the home lot, in the secure in
closure so carefully built by the fore
sight and sagacity of the elders. And
even more certainly yet have these
sons" displayed the sturdy and even
sullen tenacity of that creature wnlch
has contributed, in straight lineage, a
perfectly good adjective, mullsn, 10
designate quality OF the human nun
self. Nothing to quarrel about mere.
Quite to the contrary Except tnat;
bent upon disagreement, any Wlsp OF
drifting litter serves in size and SUD
stance to promote the bitterness OF
actual strife.
However, all this Is an old story.
Seemingly an unending story. The mat-
ter of Immediate moment is the Dook,
"Sons of the Wild JackasS." NOBODY
else is quite so up-and-dressed as the
nress correspondent. He has to pc:
Probably that smart saying, culieo
Straight from the Bible itself by TINS
man of Puritan stock, had hardly lett
the lips of Senator Moses oeiore ~
began to settle in the mind OF some
pressnlan of the gallery as nucleus OIL
well, of lust what we have here. A Dook'
an adventure in political ooserVatlon'
description, exposition, forecast.
in substance, "Sons of the Wild jack
asso Is a running history of the progress
sive movement which for 20 years or more
has made its more or less nt1ul way
through the conventional highways SeO
by the two leading parties IN tneir respee-
tive legislative programs, each IN lVS
particular executive leadership. a COIL
crete history, this, since 1t moves Oy
way of a series of biographic stuoies-
studies of those who have given dlrec-
ton and body to the polltlcaI nlo'e-
ment known as progressive:
To set one straight in this pontlcal
adventure Ray Tucker gives running
glimpse of the herd" itself, whose
pastllrage is, in the main, over tine
treat open spaces of the West, with free
TI1nways, mighty rivers, lusty forage
growths, all of liberating effect, all OF
Sustaining and equalizing power: ne
noints unon this mode of life in its
influence upon political thought, upon
economic understanding, upon the IN
stinctiye herd movement toward COM
mon equities of existence. He sketches
the advances made by the Progresslves
upon the common body polite, upon
the recesSions now and then 1orceo
upon them. Having outlined the gen
eral purpose of the body, Win SUCH
important ups and downs as nave De
fallen it, having conservatively pro-
iected into a plausible future, Ray
Tucker and his partner. FREDERICK n.
Barkley, project the geographic studies
by way of which the leaders in Pro-
cressive politics come forward for both
a general overlooking by the reader and
for a closer association than the scat
tered and piecemeal reports OF the daily
press in the nature of its basic purpose
can provide.
it is Moses, the Mule Skinner. Ihen
Norris. "a Valiant Rebel" Borah, the
Rogue Elephant" Johnson, "Old-FaSh-
ioned Progressive" Tom" Walsh, the
SANITY Senator" young Bob" La
toilette, "the Progressives' First Born" /"
Henrik Shipstead, "a Philosopher
Plowman." Cutting "a Blue-blooded
Buccaneer." big Jim" Couzens, the
Scab Millionaire" Dill, the Home
Town Boy Who Made Good" Burt
Wheeler, Montana Maverick" Nye'
"a Village Greeley" Costigan, "a Dy-
late Arcadian." La Guardia, Roster
inc Rebel" A cartoon running along
side each of these SONS"
Very likely you will get slight set
back by these descriptive subtitles'
Sensational press stuff RAY be your
first guess. That, however, is just what
these studies are not. On the contrary,
each is a carefully considered theme,
from which the substance OF the man S
political career has been 1ntellgentIy
and expertly separated from the more
or less concealing outer coats with
which all men, all other animals, TOO,
must save their souls from attack ano
despoilment. Very simple and unpre-
tentious is the approach In every case
of study here. A quite natural man
emerges from it. In some instances
man who presents himself in measure
new pleasingly new, under the wise and
friendly Interpretation OF one or the
other of these authors. I would much
like to name one in particular who
thrives under this comprehending study
But I'm not going to. You Will nnd
hin1-maybe two of him or more.
AS a whole, "SonS Of the Wild jack
assn is outstanding both by virtue OF
its unpartisan treatment ana oy tne
quality and extent of its political grasp.
Hardly to be questioned is the fact that
these authors are in sympathy with the
progressive stand and action. Yet at no
time does this prepossession take on the
bias of prejudice and preference over
the statement Of facts in their actual
form and in their logical sequences.
Herein lies the most OF Its genuine
value. In personality, to be sure, the
book is a pleasing one, communicable,
broad and wayWise study. But under
these externalS lies the essence Of the
whole a fair outlook by competent and
alert political observers upon a political
movement calculated to be of vital i'm
portance to the dominant parties now
in control. Probably modifying in
f1uence, rather than a destructive one,
but an active influence without Ques-
ton.
Only a few months ago book on
the subject of Washington caused a
turmoil of excitement. Scraps of news
from the National Capital are exciting
things that drift all over the Coun-
try for ready seizure by the multitudes
who are eager and curious over the do
<,Fr icl1
celebrity, or military hero, or social die
tator, or other authority at home here
for the time being. SO novels and fash
ion sheets and ~Scial transcripts and Of
fetal snapShoaI ~ 49, :=---OS by the
Washington resr\ ~ himsel1 ana ny
the world at large as we'll. AID this
particular book, the one ssssAA S>--.-.oacd.
caused tremendous stir, s1r-e it pnr-
ported to throw wide open every politi-
cal closet that had hitherto remained
shut and barred to the commonalty. In
cf~ lad