Evening star., 1932-02-25
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

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York has dropped the ak on the off,
cial neck Of Sheriff Thomas NJ. Farley
of New York County, one of the big
boys in the Tammany organization.
Up to date, Tammany has been silent
upon the action of the Governor. The
rest of the country is likely to applaud
the removal of Sheriff Farley, who has
been accused Of using his Office to
feather his nest. Gov. Roosevelt based
his action en- the fact that Farley was
unable to explain satisfactorily bank
deposits far in excess of the salary he
received, bank deposits running up to
more than 100000. What Tammany
eventually is going to do about all this
remains to be seen. An open break
with the Governor over the Farley
custer would scarcely tend to give the
Tammany Tiger increased influence in
New York or in the national Demo-
cratic party. AS matter Of fact. Tam
many has been a load rather than
lift to the Democratic national party in
the past. 1t may be expected that the
Tammany leaders will go lightly in
COIlllCIblOAl Will IAlC CRAOSAS AOA
some time to come.
So far the repercusions from the
Farley removal in the rest of the
country have not been loud. Had the
Governor failed, however, to remove the
New York County sheI&d, there prob
ably would have been great roar. with
charges that Roosevelt had bowed to
~. 10 - hox
may yet prove to be important factors
in the campaign for the Democratic
presidential nomination. If Tammany
decides to knife the Governor, that fact
NAV not materialiZe until the Democrats
meet in convention in Chicago. Tam
many is likely to control big bloc of
delegates from New York in that con-
vention. But If the determination OF
Tammany to cut down Gov. Roosevelt
does materialize in that convention, 1t
NAV be a two-edged sword, which will
also cut down presidential candidates
whom Tammany intends to favor.
charge made by the late William
Jennings Bryan in the Democratic
National Convention Of 1912 that the
late Speaker Champ Clark had the
backing of Tammany Hall did much to
ruin the chances Of Clark for the
presidential nomination. If Tammany
turns thumbs down on Gov. Roosevelt
next June and seeks to support some
other candidate, that other candidate
NAV fare much the same fate OF Champ
Clark.
Sneaker John N. Garner, whose presi-
DENTAL boom continues to grow, is still
not a candidate for the nomination,
according to his friends. They con-
tinued to boost him for President, how
ever, and the wonder grows as TO Just
when and how he is to become bona
fide candidate. The presidential noml-
nation has a habit OF going TO candl-
dates. One instance when party
nominated a presidential candldate
without his admitting or announcing
in any way that he was even re-
centive candidate is that of the nomi-
nation Of Chief Justice Charles Evans
Hughes in 1916, when he was an asso-
ciate Justice Of the Supreme Court.
But that seems to be the exception
that proves the rule. Compromise
candidates have been chosen, it Is true,
as in the case Of Harding and Davis,
but both of these gentlemen were
admitted candidates for the nomination
when the national conventions met.
n X
Representative Sam Rayburn Of Tex
as. chosen by the Texas friends OF
Speaker Garner, who are legion, to lead
the fight for the nomination OF the
Speaker, has announced that Mr.. Gar
ner is not a candidate and that he VIII
not be entered in any of the presidential
preferential primaries. Mr.. Rayburn
also telegraphed to Judge G. H. Howard,
at Atlanta, Ga, urging him not to enter
the Georgia primaries as proxy or
representative of Garner in any form
whatever. Howard had proposed to run
as a proxy for Garner, seeking dele
gates to the national convention only to
turn them over to the Speaker when
the convention meets.
The entry Of Garner delegates into
the Georgia fight might have been dis
astrous for the Texan as a matter OF
fact. Georgia Democrats were among
the first to get in line for the nomina-
ton of Gov. Roosevelt of New York.
Practically all of the principal leaders
of the party in the State have come out
for the Roosevelt nomination. To ex-
pect them to shift at this late date
would be to accuse them of double
dealing propenSitieS.
~ ~
Speaker Garner not only is saying
nothing about his presidential nomina-
tion, but up to the present time has
said nothing about prohibition. Per-
haps If he can continue to say nothing
about his candidacy for the presidency;
If he can continue not to be a candi-
date, he will be in a position to say,
WHY should I discuss prohibitions"
Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas, a
backer of the Garner boom and author
of the eighteenth amendment, has
telegraphed drys interested in the atti-
tude of Mr.. Garner toward national
that Mr.. Garner has made
no statement regarding prohibition. 1t
would almost seem that Senator Shep-
pard, the driest of the dryS, is satisfied
with Mr.. Gamers stand on prohibition,
whatever it may be. But Senator
was one Of those. Texas
Democrats who remained regular and
the candidacy of Al Smith in
1928 after the former Governor of
New York had been nominated for
President. II Speaker Garner is to be
nominated in Chicago, the prophecy is
ventured that it will not be because he
is a dry. Indeed, if it develops that
he Is a dry, his chances of nomination
will go glimmering. But then it is not |
expected that he will come forward as
a supporter of the dry cause. Per-
haps he will support a referendum
a resubmission of the eight
eenth amendment to the States. He
voted against its submission in the |
House when the resolution proposing |
the eighteenth amendment was up. |
Since then he voted for the Volstead |
act and other enforcement laws. A
proposal will not satisfy
the dyed-in-the-wool drys. but may
gain the favor of %he vets.
y
Senator Alben W. Barkley Of Ken
lucky. who comes up for reelection this
year in the Blue Grass State. delivered |
an address before joint session of the |
General Assembly of his State the other |
day. The Kentucky Senator discussed |
the problems which confront the Ma