Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-03
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

When Maj Gen. Smedley D. Butler
announced his candidacy for the Re-
publican senatorial nomination vester-
day with the backing of Gov. Clifford
Pinchot it apparently set at rest a
suspicion which has been in the hacks
of the heads of number OF politicians
that the Governor would get into the
senatorial race himself. With sena-
torial aspirations laid aside, lust where
does Gov. Pinchot expect his present
feverish activity against the Hoover
administration to take him? That ,s
the question which some of the poli-
ticians are asking themselves todav
The rumor still persists that the Coz
ernor will undertake to lead a forlorr
hope, backed by progressives. for the
Republican nomination for President
And barring that the Governor might
seek to raise third party standard
For weeks and months he has heen
harping on the need of direct Federal
aid for the unemployed. If he raises
the standard Of revolt, it may be as a
champion OF the unemployed.
~
Gov. Pinchot. however, Is even better
known throughout the country as a
militant dry. When times were mos
porous, he attacked the Republican ad-
ministration in Washington because it
did not better enforce the prohibition
laws, and singled out Andrew w Mel
lon, then Secretary of the Treasury
and head of the department which had
charge of enforcing the dry laws for
special attack. The present Ambassa-
dor to Great Britain, Mr.. Mellon. is a
Pennsylvania, too. Perhaps Gov.
Pinchot feels that with MANY of the
Republican leaders today, including
some Of the members of President Hoo
ver's cabinet, clamoring for a plank in
the Republican national platform to
appease the vets. he can capitalize on
his bone-dry stand when it comes time
for the Republican National Conven-
ton to meet.
Gen. Butler has declared his inten-
ton OF running as a dry. His oppo-
nents so far entered in the race for the
Republican senatorial nomination, which
Is regarded as equivalent to an election
in the great State of Pennsylvania, are
Senator James j. Davis and State Sen
ator George Woodward Both of these
gentlemen have declared their adher-
ence to the wet cause With two vets
to divide the vote, this is Just the kind
of set-up which Gov Pinchot and
the drys have made capital of In the
past. Gov Pinchot tried for the Sen
ate himself back in 1925, when he was
Governor before. At that time he ran
as a bone dry, William S. Ware, the
Philadelphia Republican boss, ran as
wfinging wet and former Senator
George Wharton Pepper was neither
entirely wet nor entirely dry. The re-
suit in that campaign was disastrous
to Pincbot. Ware, the wet, won, al
though he was ultimately denied a seat
on the ground he had been nominated
through the expenditure of too great
sums OF money and through political
corruption. But in 1880 Gov. Pinchot
Waged another three-cornered fight for
the gubernatorial nomination, against
two vets, Brown and Phillips, and won
But the antiPinchot Republicans al
most beat him in the election, for they
went over in droVes to the Democratic
candidate, who was defeated by about
10000 votes on election, an unpre-
cedentedly small Republican majority
in the second most populous State in
the Union.
The Pennsylvania p. imary falls in
April and with the wet and dry issue
involved in the senz torial race the cleo
ton will have more than ordinary in
tereSt. There has been much talk
about the great gain in the wet senti-
ment in the country. Here is a chance
to demonstrate it, if the vets are able
to do SO. 1t is true that other issues
will be involved and other interests.
Pinchot will attack the Philadelphia
organization, it may be supposed, in
backing his candidate for the sepa-
torial nomination. And where will
former Senator Joseph r. Grundy, head
of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION for so many years in the past,
be found? Mr.. Grundy has helped out
Gov Pinchot in the past He has no
love for Senator Davis, who defeated
him by considerable vote in the last
senatorial primary in Pennsylvania
Indeed, Mr.. Grundy is credited with
having aided Gov. Pinchot in his own
fight fer the Republican nomination in
1890 very materially.
Gov. Pinchot has still two more years
as Governor of Pennsylvania. his term
not ending until January, 1896 He
does not have to get into the presiden-
tisl race if he does not wish to do So
Nor does he have TO re.inqu!sh his
present Office If he desires to make a
bid for the presidential nomination.
The Republican regulars in the Sen
ate did not wait this year for a Repub-
lican Progressive or a Democrat to call
for the setting up of a Campaign In
vestigating Committee Senator Dick
inson of Iowa has come forward with
much such a resolution as was pre-
sented by Senator George w. Norris of
Nebraska and which brought about the
appointment of the Nye Committee in
1880. 1t was foregone conclusion that
Campaign Investigation Committee
would be set up this year. In 1928 the
Steiwer Committee was appointed to
inquire into presidential campaign ex-
penditureS and the committee called
before it the various Republican can
dldateS for the presidential nomination
as well as the Democratic candidates.
Among those who appeared was Presi-
dent Hoover This year, If a Senate
committee is appointed as it is expected
to be, the pre-convention campaigns of
the Democrats will probably contain
the greatest amount of interest. since
there are dozen or more candidates
for the presidential nomination on that
side of the fence
The resolution which resulted in the
appointment of the Steiwer Committee
in 1880 was offered by the Democratic
leader of the Senate, Robinson of Ar
kansas. The Dickinson resolution
which is before the Senate Privileges
and Elections Committee for considera
ton, calls for the appointment of
special committee of five Senators to
be appointed by the Vice President. lust
as the earlier committees were an
pointed. Dickinson is not a candi-
date for election this year, having been
elected only couple of years ago and
with long service still ahead of him
He is eligible for appointment as chair
man of the special committee if the
practice of the Senate Is followed
which usually accords chairmanship
to the author of a resolution unless
he prefers not to serve. In 1880 SEN
ator Norris was a candidate for re-
election and in 1928 Senator Robinson
was candidate for the presidential
nomi alton and was finally Nominated
fnT rr.l--