Evening star., 1932-04-07
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

primaries Is found In the way the un.
instructed or Hoover delegates to the
Republican National Convention have
apparently defeated in a majority oi
the delegate races the La Toilette Pro-
gressive Republican candidates. Ac-
cording to the returns at hand. the
conservative or regular Republicans
will have l6 OF the delegates to IL for
the Progressives. 1t looks, indeed. as
though the Progressive leaders" some
OF whom we're strongly urged to get
into the fight for the Republican NOM
ination for President this year agains,
President Hoover, had sized the situa-
ton up correctly when they decided
there was no slightest chance for them
In two primary elections in two States
where Mr.. Hoover Is supposed to be
particularly unpopular the Hoover
forces have won apparently. The frs
was North Dakota and the second was
Wisconsin. II Mr.. Hoover can win
in those States against the Progress
Sives, what chance would Progressive
candidates have had in other States
In Wisconsin the Progressives put for
ward Senator George w. Norris of Ne
4braSka as their candidate for President
called the grand old man of the Pro-
gressive forces today. But Senator
Norris has Jared worse In the primary
in Wisconsin this year than he did
four years ago.
The explanation put forward by the
Progressi2es for their defeats In North
Dakota and Wisconsin contests for dele
gates to the Republican National Cen
vention is that the Progressives in large
numbers slipped over to the Democratic
primary and voted there. Some go sc
fer as to argue that the Progressives
will vote the Democratic ticket in No.
vember ana carry these States for the
Hoover opposition. Perhaps they will
But there is still big "if" attached
to that proposition. Wisconsin and
North Dakota have the habit of voting
Republican. and habit is hard thing
to break down.
Hard times apparently have an effect
on Engiish-speaking peoples that is un-
expected IN some quarters. Instead oi
becoming more radical, these people
become more hard-headed, probably be-
cause they wish to hold on to what
they stin possess. This was what hap
pened in Great Britain last year, when
the British people had their backs tc
the wall and determined to balance
their budget, cut down the dole and
increase taxes. They threw out the
radicals and put in national govern
ment, bringing a great influx of Con-
servatives into the House of Commons
Americans may take the same slant
in the coming elections. The Demo
Gratis In Congress who have been in
clined to nfrt with and to follow the
Republican ProgresBives in their attacks
on the Hoover administration and in
support of radical legislation may have
lost caste with the country again. II
was a condition which some of the con-
seryative leaders CT the Democrats in
Congress have feared ever since the
opening OF the new Congress. The
spectacle which the Democrats CT the
House furnished when they deserted
their chosen leaders in the revenue bin
hight recently and ran like a flock OF
sheep behind Representative La Guardia
Of New York. Republican Progressive,
Is something that the Democratic party
is likely to have a hard time to live
down during the coming campaign. II
Is true that they fiocked back to the
standard Of Speaker Garner, seemingly
But the black eye they got in the press
Throughout the crunJry Is a difficult
matter TO erase
The victory of the Roosevelt forces
in Wisconsin over the Smith and anti
Roosevelt Democratic contingent was
impressive. to say the least. If Alfred
Z. Smith can hear any call for his
leadership of the Democratic party In
the primary elections or the State con-
ventions that have been held up to date
he is different from the rest OF the
Democrats. 1t may be urged on behalf
OF Mr.. Smith that he has made no per-
sonai campaign for the nomination and
that he announced he would make NO
such campaign. But in 1923, when the
Smith delegates came tumbling into
the bag so fast. Mr.. Smith stayed right
in New York; where he was Governor,
and made no campaign whatever. 1t
probably has dawned on the Democrats
at large by now that there is no demand
for Mr.. Smith TO lead the party this
year. His defeat in the New Hamp-
shire primaries, in the Maine State con-
vention and then in the Wisconsin
primaries by the present Governor OF
New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt, has
been a blow from which his candidacy
Is not to recover. Suppose he wins an
isolated victory in Massachusetts, on
April 26, when the primaries are held
there, of what use will it be? He has
back of him in Massachusetts, the domi-
nant figures of the Democratic party
OF the Bay State. Senator David I.
Walsh, Senator Marcus A. Coolidge and
Gov. Joseph B. Ely. II Smith can't
win with such support in Massachusetts,
he must be weak there, indeed. And IL
he does win, it will be urged that it was
this strong backing rather than any real
~ r+H n 1f hnt hrnH I'D
victory.
Senator Robert M. La Toilette of
Wisconsin again demonstrated his hold
on the voters of his State in the pri-
mary election. He was leading in the
race for delegates at large, according to
the returns, by big vote. The primary
election returns sent out from Wiscon-
sin, however, so far have given no
chance of q correct estimate of either
Progressive, conservative or Democratic
voting strength. Wisconsin political
leaders in Washington today admitted
they were puzzled by the figures. For
example, with several hundred precincts
yet to be heard from, the reports show
that Progressive Republicans polled
714,512 votes and the conservatives 682,-
695, total OF 1897 ,207. For the Roose-
welt and anti Roosevelt delegates in the
Democratic primary the reports show
that total OF $50 o64 votes were cast
The grand total of these figures is
2.S77,2 ,27i. In the general election in
1928, the contest between Hoover and
Smith, the total vote cast in Wisconsin
was 994, ,464. Admittedly the figures now
given for the primary contest must have
been pyramided many times to reach
proportions SO great. Efforts TO prove
that there has been tremendous in
crease In the Democratic vote cast In
the State must wait until there has
been scme semblance OF correctness In
the totals given for the primaries. Pri-
mary election figures Invariably run be-
hind the votes cast in presidential elec-
tions. Even on the face OF the returns
carried in the reports the Republicans
are more than 100000 votes ahead OF
the Democrats in Wisconsin. however.
President Hoover defeated Smith four
years ago by %, GAG votes in the Badger
State.