Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-09-26
The National Progressive League.

In an appeal to voters generally TO
"forget party labels" and support the
Roosevelt Garner ticket the newly or
ganized National Progressive League
makes its bow to the public today. OF
course, the league does not ask the
Democrats to forget their party label.
The appeal Is to the Republicans. The
bait is the promise of the Roosevelt
Garner ticket that there will be new
deal" If Gov. Roosevelt is elected Presi-
dent and Speaker Garner becomes Vice
President. The new deal" will be lot
Of new faces In Nigh governmental posi-
tons, new faces that belong to deserv-
ing Democrats. Outside Of kicking the
"inS" out and Q lot Of glittering generali-
ties, there seems to be little In the new
deal that is SO widely advertised.
The National Progressive League Is
headed by that ardent follower of Alfred
Z. Smith in 1928, Senator George w.
Norris of Nebraska, Republican. Sena-
tor Norris is to stump the country for
Roosevelt. He will not conflne his eff
forts to carrying his own State Of Ne
braska for the New Yorker. He Is to
travel from coast to coast, making
speeches along the way for the Demo-
cratic nominee. That is his contribu-
ton this year to the Republican party,
Of which he proudly claims he is bet
ter member than is President Hoover.
When 1t comes to forgetting party
labels, Mr.. Norris surely practices what
he breaches.
The National Progressive League is
made up of Democrats and disgruntled
Republicans. It sees in Gov. Roosevelt
q true progressive. The Democrats In
the league look upon him also as
true Democrat. The league appeals to
the independent voters" Of the coun-
try to get in line back Of the Roosevelt
Garner ticket. While it has some nice
things to say about Gov. Roosevelt, the
main point Of its statement Is bitter
attack on President Hoover and the
Republican administration.
The new league criticizes the Hoover
administration on the ground that 1t
seeks to rebuild the Nations prosperity
from the top down "by showering loans
and subsidies upon the great corpora
lions" Gov. Roosevelt, 1t asserts, will
build from the bottom up. Senator
Norris and others Of the group now
forming this league have been advo-
Gates Of a Federal Government 'dole"
to the unemployed by whatever name 1t
may be called. That may be what they
mean when they say they believe IN
building from the bottom up.
Undoubtedly the effort Of the Pro-
rressive League will be to halt the flow
of voters to the ticket headed by Nor
man Thomas, the Socialist candidate.
The Democrats are threatened in some
States by the intention Of many OF
their own to 20 over to the Socialist
ticket, thereby splitting the opposition
to the Hoover Curtis ticket. Mr..
Thomas has no more use for the Roose-
velt-Garner ticket than he has for the
Hoover Curtis ticket. He says quite
frankly in his actresses that the Demo-
cratic party has nothing to offer that
goes anywhere near the root Of the
Nations present difficulties. This is
the kind OF talk that Senator Norris
will set himself to overcome In his
swing around the country. It will be
Init Observe however how
much Of his time Is given to praising
Roosevelt and how much Is given to
lan,taStinQ the Republicans.