Evening star., 1932-04-21
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

The leading Democratic candidate
for the presidential nomination, Gov
,lnklin D. Roosevelt of NewYork, ad-
i-l;ts that he is seeking harmony for
the Democratic party. He might have
it, but probably not at the price of his
own nomination, according to Demo-
Gratis who are opposing Roosevelt for the
presidency. The bitter-enders against
Roosevelt insist that harmony can be
had only by the elimination of Roose-
velt from the presidential picture. And
many of these opponents of Roosevelt
are Just as willing to have Al Smith
out of the race. too Coy. RooSevelt's
speech in st. Paul Monday night. he
says. was bid for party harmony. He's
quite right to seek party harmony,
especially If he is to be the Democratic
nominee for President this year Gov.
Roosevelt's speech in st. Paul, which
had been hearalded as fighting reply
to Al Smiths attack on the Governor
mild sort of an affair. His only men,
ton Of Mr. Smith was a complimentary
one in connection with the water
power question.
Doubtless Gov Roosevelt was po-
litically wise when he put the soft
pedal on his speech replying to his
critics. including Smith. At least it
does not make it impossible for Smith
and his other critics to support Roose-
welt II he be nominated at the Chi
cago convention. A slashing attack
on Smith by the New York Governor
would have thrown the fat in the fire
with a vengeance. 1t remains to be
seen. however, just how long the New
York Governor can continue to turn
riding on top of the Democratic heap.
If he should suffer reVerses in MaSsa-
chusetts and Pennsylvania primaries,
Roosevelt would have > become more
aggressive. The chan>-S ere, however.
that he will get at least al even break
in those primaries, winning in Penn
svlvania, even if he loses in Massa
chusetts.
II harmony is threatened in the
Democratic National Convention, 1t is
pretty well conceded today that har-
mony will prevail in the Republican
national gathering in Chicago, except
fol the prohibition issue, and even on
that question the Republicans are seek
ing a way out satisfactory to all. Pres
ident Hoover, it has been definitely de-
termined by this time in the minds OF
practically all the Republican leaders,
is to have no real opposition for re-
nomination. Furthermore, some OF
the Republicans who were expressing a
hope that something or some one would
turn up to take the nomination away
from the President are changing their
tune. They are expressing the opinion
that perhaps, after all, Mr. Hoover will
make the strongest candidate the party
can put forward. 1t has become in
creasingly evident that the Republican
campaign this year will bear down hard
on the Democrats because they have
not advanced a constructive program"
to help the country out of the moraSs
of business depression. President Hoo
yer, the Republicans will urge, is the
only leader to put forward a real pro-
gram, and, furthermore, the Democrats
in Congress have followed his leader
ship. In this way. the Republicans be-
lieve, they can answer the Democratic
charge that there has been no leader
ship evinced by the Hoover admins
tration. So far as the vice presidential
nomination Is concerned, it looks as
though. in the final showdown, Vice
President Curtis will have no more real
opposition than President Hoover.
X
The drys keep on threatening the
Republicans with all kinds of dire
happenings if the Republican National
Convention undertakes to write into
be deemed wet. The orys in New York
State are particularly vocal in this
matter. Mrs. Leigh Colvin of New
York, attending the meeting CT the
dry women here this week, insi7.s t-1-5
the dry women will SCI uD i
party if the G. O. p. undertake. to FL.
wet plank in its platform. Many CT
the drys hold a resubmiscion CT ref
erendum plank wet" The dry Re
publicans in New York State have
made good in past elections their
threats against wet Republicans. They
refer with pride to the way they
ditched former Senator James w.
Wadsworth because he came out for
back in 1926. And they take credit
to themselves also for the defeat of
Tuttle, the Republican candidate for
Governor in 1890, who lost to Roose-
velt by 725,0 900 votes. Tuttle came out
wet in his campaign for election. Hun
dreds of thousands of Republican
voters. many of them dry. stayed away
from the polls in that election, or. at
least, did not vote in the gubernatorlal
election. Two hundred thousand drys
voted for the dry independent candi-
date.
The Democrats have won a presi-
dental election without carrying New
York State. They turned the trick in
1916. But it does not seem possible for
the Republicans to win without New
York in the coming national election.
What the G. o. P. does about prohibi-
tion in its platform, therefore. is going
to make a lot of difference. There are
many Republican vets in the Empire
State. it is true. but they are less can
tankerous. it appears, than the drys.
THE problem would be solved for the
G. o. P. If the dry leaders in the party
could be persuaded to stand for refer
endum plank So far they have given
little sign of any such compliance with
the demands of the vets and the moists
for such plank.
There Is considerable speculation as
to whether Senator William E. Borah of
Idaho will attend the Republican Ma
tional Convention. He has been an
in-and-outer as an attendant on these
national gatherings. He went to the
in 1920 and in 1928, but he
missed those in 1916 and 1924. In 1920
Borah was an ardent supporter of Sem
ator Hiram johnson of California for
the Republican presidential nomination
and in 1928 he came out for President
Hoover. another Californian, for the
nomination after he got to
kansas City. The Idaho Senator is an
ardent opponent of efforts to place the
G. o. P. in opposition to the eighteenth
without the substitution of
some better plan of liquor control. So
far he has seen no better plan pre-
sented, he says. If he goes to the ma
tional convention this year, the drys
are hoping that he will strenuously
oppose any referendum or other wet
proposal for the platform. He would be
a tower of strength around whom the
drys could rally. In some quarters 1t