Evening star., 1932-08-22
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

Columbus, Ohio. speech, calls for the
enactment Of pure stocks and bonds
act" to protect the American invest
ing public, a Federal act. comparable
perhaps to the pure food and drugs
act" Well, why Is 1t not just as well
for the Federal Government to pro-
tect the ordinary citizens pocketbook
as well as his stomach2
Republicans have been criticizing
Mr.. Roosevelt and the Democrats gen.
orally because they do not advance any
definite proposals to aid the American
people in the economic depression.
The Democratic nominee, however, has
now come forward with some SPECIFIC
proposals dealing with stock and COM
modify exchanges and with banking.
He may be charged by his Republican
opponents with seeking to have the
Government mix too rar in business.
However, his proposals are for regu-
latory legislation. He does not propose
to have the Government go into the
business of buying and selling stocks,
or grain or cotton, or Of operating
banks. Nevertheless, there Is likely
to be a roar from those who operate
stock and grain exchanges. Roosevelt
may be dubbed again a radical"
The public. however. has had more of
an insight into the way in which the
New York Stock Exchange has been
"rigged'' in the interest of big financial
houses and financiers since the Senate
began early this year its investigation
into short selling and the entire oper-
alton of the Stock Exchange. Without
apology Gov Roosevelt again puts up
a plea for the great mass of Ameri-
can men and women who have been
forgotten by those in power" 1t was a
similar speech last Spring that reused
the ire of Alfred E. Smith and caused
him to deliver scathing attack on
demagogues who sought at this time to
array class against class.
Probably Gov. Roosevelt's Columbus
speech will do more to define the lines
of the campaign than any other speech
he has so far made or will hereafter
make before election day. Also he has
shown q knowledge and familiarity with
Alice in Wonderland" equal to that of
his opponent.
"Vice President Charles Curtis, In the
opinion OF wet Republicans and all
Democrats in New England, has pulled
"boner" in his declaration that he
opposes the repeal of the eighteenth
amendment. Maybe he has and maybe
ne hasn't. He has, however, placed the
Republican national ticket in a pecu-
liar position, with its presidential can
didate declaring that he himself favors
revision Of the Constitution as it re-
lates to prohibition and it's vice presi-
DENTAL candidate saying that he wants
to hang onto the eighteenth amendment
as 1t stands today. OF course, as the
plank dealing with prohibition in the
Republican national platform Is writ
ten, merely pledging the G. o. P. to
submission Of the revision amendment
to the Constitution, any Republican,
including Mr.. Curtis, Is left free to de-
eide whether he wishes to vote for re-
vision or not, after the revision amend
ment shall have been submitted. Mr..
Curtis followed the platform exactly in
that particular. He said that he IA
vored submission. But having submit
ted the amendment, he proposes to
take q club to it and smash it. Mr.,
Hoover, on the other hand, not only
favors submission, but also announces
that he intends to vote for the revision
amendment.
Can the Republican national ticket
win half wet and half dry? Despite
the disapproval of the Republican vets
and the Democrats, Mr.. Curtis was en-
tirely within his rights in his interpre-
tation Of the Republican platform. 1t
scarcely seems possible that he should
nave taken such a step without con-
sulIing Mr.. Hoover and other impor-
tant Republican leaders. Perhaps the
high command in the Republican party,
after having observed the reaction to
Mr.. Hoover's wet stand, believed that
1t would do no harm to let Mr.. Curtis
express his own convictions-dry con-
victions - regarding the eighteenth
amendment. If so, it would indicate
that some Of the Republican leaders
think that this is good strategy. 1t
certainly will give the Democrats a
chance to ring the changes, however.
on q ticket divided against itself on
this prohibition issue.
x
Observe, as contrast, the attitude of
the Democratic presidential nominee.
Gov. Roosevelt, and his running mate,
Speaker Garner, on this prohibition
question. No one could have been
wetter in his remarks than was Speaker
Garner when he went to New York re-
Gently. He positively dripped, so anx-
ious was he to square himself with the
views of Gov. Roose-
welt and not to lose the Democratic
votes in New York and New England.
y X
The Vice President has run true to
form in his declaration favoring the
retention of the eighteenth amendment
and prohibition. 1t is difficult to teach
an old dog new tricks. Mr.. Curtis first
public offlce was prosecuting attorney
in his old home in Kansas. He delights
today in telling how he ran the saloons
and speakeasies out of town within a
few months after he had taken office.
although these institutions for dispens-
ing liquor had flourished notwithstand-
ing the law against them In the city
and State. Mr.. Curtis was talking to
a great crowd of friends and admirers
in Topeka, the capital of the State
which produced Carrie Nation of
hatchet fame, when he made his &C.
ceptance speech on Thursday. Kan
eas has been dry so long that the people
there are used to it and seem to like
prohibition.
Kansas is one OF the States which
the Republicans hope and believe they
can carry. Mr.. Curtis may have had
in mind the dry belt of the Middle
West when he made his speech.
The political drama in New York,
with Mayor Jimmie" Walker of New
York City and Gov. Franklin D. Roose-
welt as principal actors, is slowly play
ing itself out. More and more it looks
as though Gov. Roosevelt would gain
favor through this case, which has
been considered in many quarters as
dangerous stumbling block in his
campaign for the presidency. He has
stuck to the investigation Of Mayor
Walker like q burr. The mayor has
made q sorry spectacle of himself,
much more sorry than before the
Legislative Committee. whose chief
counsel, Judge Samuel Seabury. brought
the charges against Walker. The more
the Walker case Is ventilated the worse
1t Is for the mayor. apparently. In
the end. 1t looks as though even New
York City Democratic will not hold it
up against the Governor II he Gusts
the mayor from his present $4,000 a