Evening star., 1932-03-28
The Political Mill
BY G. Could Lincoln.

lAenI ONcT Tie manufacturers sales LaN
in the revenue bill, must show whether
it can get itself together again. Gen.
orally speaking, the overthrow of the
Democratic leadership of the House
has been interpreted as a black eve
politically for the Democratic party
More particularly it has been looked
upon as a sad blow for the presidential
boom Of Speaker Garner. What is
interesting the politicians on both sides
Of the fence today Is whether the
Democratic leadership in the House can
successfully stage comeback
The Democratic leaders can re-eStab-
lrSh themselves and their party as q
cohesive legislative force II the rank
and file of the Democrats will adhere
to the policy of balancing the Govern
ment budget. This would mean. OF
course, willingness to vote the taxes
requisite to balance the budget. The
Ways and Means Committee is to come
forward within the next few days with
a substitute program for the manu-
facturerS' sales tax. If the Democratic
membership OF the House goes to pieces
over this new proposal, after It has
been carefully weighed by the Demo
cratic leaders, there seems little doubt
but that the Democrats will lose con-
siderable caste with the people gen
orally.
Unfortunately for the Democratic
leaders Of the House, there has been
evidenced by some Of the influential
Democrats in that body a determination
not TO balance the budget, or at least
declarations that it is not necessary Ia
balance the budget. When the chair
man OF the House Committee on Appro-
prlations, Representative Byrns of Ten
nessee. rose in his place last week and
said that he did not subscribe to the
need OF balancing the budget at this
time and that what the Congress should
do was to levy reasonable taxes on wealth
and all those who could afford to pay
taxes and permit the Treasury to take
care of the rest of the deficit and run
ming expenses through the issuance OF
certificates of indebtedness, he wa.
loudly cheered. But after the manufac-
turers' tax had been defeated Speaker
Garner said, in an interview, that il
was essential to balance the budget anc
that 80 per cent OF the House member
ship believed 1t should be done. The
Speaker added that there were still
raise the money. Representative Rainey
Of Illinois, the Democratic leader, ha,
taken the same position In regard Il
balancing the budget. The showdown
will come when the Ways and Mean,
Committee comes forward with its new
proposals for increased taxes viii the
Democrats follow Speaker Garner anc
Mr.. Rainey or Mr.. Byrns?
Representative Crisp OF Georgia. the
acting chairman OF the House Ways anc
Means Committee, has sought to steel
his party in the revenue fight towarc
the enactment of a revenue bill that
Will balance the budget. He has beer
given wide credit, and he should bt
given credit, for patriotic motives IL
his fight for balanced budget. At tn,
same time his course has been wis,
politically.
In the turmoil in the House ovel
the revenue bill and the slaughter o
the Democratic leadership by the Dem.
ocrats themselves, the contest for dele
gates to the Democratic and Republic
an national conventions has beer
pushed aside temporarily in politically
minded Washington. But not for long
This week the Democrats of Maine anC
Iowa, in State conventions, will selec
and possibly instruct their delegates Il
the national convention. The RooSe
velt forces are intent on picking VI
both these delegations. They seem Il
be in fair way to do So too. from
the reports that are coming Out IL
Iowa, the Des Moines Tribune and Reg
lister conducted a Statewide poll no
long ago on presidential preferences
Gov. Roosevelt of New York led all thu
rest, even running ahead of Presiden
Hoover by few votes On the Dem
ocratic side. next to Roosevelt CAM
Gov. Murray Of Oklahoma. but Roose
velt was many thousands of votes Il
the lead of Murray. 1t is not nkel,
that the Murray candidacy will maxi
much appeal to the Iowa State c0lrven
ton, and the Roosevelt people viii asl
that the convention instruct for Roose
welt. Unpledged delegates are the hop
Of the anti-Roosevelt forces. Aligned
for the unpledged delegation will b,
the Smith adherentS as we'll as thu
supporters Of Murray and Newton D
Baker
In Maine Senator Dill of Washing
ton has been slated to address tn,
State convention. Dill is strong sup
porter of the nomination of Gov RooSe
velt. Robert H Jackson, Democratic
national committeeman for New Hamp
shire and secretary Of the Democratic
National Committee, has been at worl
in the Pine Tree State for Roosevelt
Jackson was one Of the Roosevelt lead
ers who carried his candidate to vic
tory in the New Hampshire primar,
early this month over the Smith Cd
position. The Roosevelt Democrats ar,
anxious to line up as many New Eng
land States for the New York Governo
as possible.
Still another poll" shows that tn,
prospects are for battle in the presi
Dental election between President Hoo
yer and Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt o
New York, a poll conducted by tn,
Pathfinder, published here The Path
finder states that more than 235 ,OOC
ballots have been tabulated, cominl
from all the States of the Union ant
the District of Columbia. Presiden
Hoover Is far in the lead He has IFS,
O42 votes and next to him comes Roose
welt with 1896. Speaker Garner i
third, with 1896. Smith has 1929
Murray / SAL and Senator Borah 4.387
Others listed and their votes follow
Gov Richie. Democrat, 1854; Newtor
d. Baker. Democrat. 2,78O; Senato
Johnson, insurgent Republican, 2,13O
Calvin Coolidge. Republican, 1912
Charles G. Dawes, Republican, 1909
Clifford Z. Pinchot, independent Re
publican, 1913; Senator George w
Norris, insurgent Republican. 1895
Norman Thomas, Socialist, 94S: james
A. Reed, Democrat, CSC: William G
McAdoo Democrat, $50; Senator Rob
inson. Democrat. 474, and Owen D
Young Democrat. 449.
The Pathfinder says Of the results o
its poll:
Where is all that supposed opposition
to another term for Hoover? 1t Ger
tainly is not revealed in the Pathfinder
national straw vote, final results o
which are tabulated on this week
cover. The fact that the Presiden
receives more votes than all the Demo
cratic possibilities put together, an,
that he outdistances his nearest rival
Gov. Roosevelt OF New York, to tn
NJ 81