Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-14
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

Tonight is Victory" night for the
Democrats in all parts Of the United
States and the District of Columbia.
They begin their drive to raise the
81 500 900 fund to wipe out the present
deficit coming over from the last cam
paign, to carry on until after the ma
tional convention is held in June, and
to get running start on the presiden-
tial campaign. A half hundred din
nerS are to be held in 80 States and the
District Of Columbia. Here in Wash
ington the Democrats are permitted 10
contribute their money to the party
cause, but not to vote for President and
Vice President. There Is no other
capital city in an important nation IN
the world where the residents are dis
franchised as they are in the Capital
of the United States. Probably that Is
because the people in no other capital
city would submit to such disfranchise-
ment. An attempt to cut of the people
of Paris or London or Berlin, for ex-
ample, from representation in their
National Legislatures and national gov
ernments would not get very far.
The victory dinner given by the
Democrats in New York City will at
tract wide attention. Gov. Roosevelt
is to be present and q principal speaker.
AS the leading candidate for the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination today
what he says will be given careful con-
sideration. His will, Of course, be O.
political speech. Whether he will con-
tent himself with lambasting the Re-
publican administration or present an
affirmative program, kind OF platform
on which he might run If he were
nominated for President. remains to be
seen. II Gov. Roosevelt should do as
Gov. Richie of Maryland did at the
victory dinner given in Baltimore on
January 7, he will formally announce
his own candidacy for the Democratic
presidential nomination. Gov. Roose-
welt will sit at the same dinner table
with Chairman John j. RaSkob OF the
Democratic National Committee. Mr..
RaSkob recently at a meeting OF the
Democratic National Committee here
Indignantly denied that he was part
Of faction in the national organiZa-
ton that was opposing any candidate
for the presidential nomination. He
spoke in particular reference to pub
lished reports calling attention to an
alleged Smith Raskob" faction, OPP
posed to the nomination of Roosevelt
for President But notwithstanding
these denials Of Mr. Raskob, according
to those who should know, has not
believed that Roosevelt should be the
party candidate for President this year.
Martin L. Dayey, former member of
the House from Ohio, who has constl-
tuted himself head of movement for
the drafting of Newton D. Baker Of
Cleveland as the Democratic presidential
is out with another statement
today, in which he makes, in effect, the
suggestion that former Gov. Alfred (.
Smith permit himself to be used to
stop the onward rush of Roosevelt
bringing about deadlock in the ma
tional convention. Then, according to
Mr.. Davey, the Democrats will turn, as
the sunf1ower does to the sun, to New
ton D. Baker. Mr.. Davey says, it is
true, that Gov. Smith may himself de-
eide to be a candidate, and If he Is
nominated that he, Davey, will be glad
to support Smith. But Mr.. pavey also
suggests that Gov. Smith could never
get the nomination on account of the
two-thirds rule OF the Democratic Ma
tional Convention for the nomination
of presidential candidates. He con-
tinues
Whatever happens, the leaders ought
not to permit long continued dead
lock. with its resulting bitterness and
deStructiveness, as we had in 1924.
am sure that the opportunity to win
this years election has SO impressed
itself upon the leaders of the Demo-
cratic party that both they and all Of
the delegates, will meet with a deter
mination to avoid any prolonged fight
in the convention.
This very situation, it seems to me,
points logically to the nomtpation of
Newton D. Baker. There are powerful
arguments supporting this theory. He
has not participated in any of the fac
tional differences of the party 1.-The sup
porters of Gov. Smith have the most
cordial friendliness toward Mr.. Baker
and the followers of all the other poten-
tial candidates hold him in the same
high esteem and affection.
Newton D. Baker can harmonic the
party to a remarkable degree. Practi-
cally all Democrats can unite on him
with enthusiasm and confidence and
pride. In the logic of probabilities, Mr.
Baker will be, the next Democratic
nominee for President"
Mr. Baker, however, has done pretty
nearly everything he possibly can to
take himself voluntarily out of the
presidential picture. He has turned
cold shoulder to the many friends
who have urged him to become candi-
date He has practically declared him.
self in favor of the United States enter
ing the League of Nations and has
record Of supporting foreign debt can
collation.. 1t may be that Mr.. Baker
eventually will become the nominee of
the Democratic party for President,
but it will be better for MIR. Baker if
he Is not the compromise candidate of
the national convention after a bitter
wrangle,' with Smith and Roosevelt
heading different factions. At pres
ent Mr.. Baker is prominently mentioned
as g. probable appointee to the Su-
preme Court to succeed Justice Holmes.
4 4 a
Every time that Senator Hiram
Johnson of California gets a boost in
the newspapers for the Republican
presidential nomination against Presi-
dent Hoover friends of Senator Will
liam E. Borah of Idaho crop UP with
reports that they are about to launch
q campaign for the Idaho Senator in
number of States. 1t Is said, now. to
be the purpose of the Borah people to
enter Senator Borah in contests for
delegates to the Republican national
convention in those States which do
not require by law the assent of the
proposed candidates for such action.
BY this route Senator Borah may de-
cline to formally announce his candi-
dacy while at the same time benefiting
from the efforts Of his friends. The
Borah supporters say that In this way
they will be able also to test out senti-
ment among the voters.
n
Senator johnson. like the tar baby, is
saying nothing, nothing at all. He de-
clines to talk politics for publication.
He may or he may not accede to the re-
quest of the Senators from North Da-
kota to go into the presidential primary
in that State. 1t Is said, however, that
one of the factors which is holding SEN
ator Johnson back from the presidential
race is the fact that sufficient money to