Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-09-26
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

ny Os vOut0 LtuCOtn.
Senator George w. Norris of Ne
braska still believes "tne country need
another Roosevelt'-his remark to ths
Progressive Conference held here NOR,
than year ago. The Nebraska Sena.
tor is chairman of the National Com
mittee Of the National Progressive
League" organized to support the can
didacy Of Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt
of New York for President of thu
United States. The league, which Il
to have headquarters in both Wash.
lngton and New York, officially spring.
TO life today, with a statement of it:
aims-which primarily are to brint
about the defeat of President HerberI
Hoover, If it can be done. Gov. Roose.
welt is the only vehicle at hand t.
bring about this desire OF the Progress.
sive Senator Norris. He tried tn,
same thing with Al Smith in 1928, but
failed.
The names Of men prominent in thu
National Progressive League, included
in the statement just issued, are those
OF Democrats, except for Senator Norris
Henry A. Wallace of Iowa, and a few
others. The Democratic Senator from
Colorado, Mr.. COStigan, is vice chair
man, and Frank Murphy, mayor Of
Detroit and one of Roosevelt's stanch-
est Democratic supporters in the pre-.
convention campaign, are among thu
members listed. OF course, these mer
would be for Roosevelt whether they
We're in the league or not.
The Progressive League, however, L
to be vehicle for a transcontinenta
tour by Senator Norris, speaking ir
many States for the candidacy of Gov
Roosevelt. The Nebraska Senator, who
at least once every six years Is q Re.
publican and runs as such in the Ne.
braska primaries, perhaps did not care
to be billed as a speaker by the Demo
cratic National Committee, hence the
new Progressive League According Il
the statement now issued, the new
league is "non-partisan" in policy anc
It's activities are confined solely to
economic issues. Under this head, how
ever. it includes the election of a Pres
ident Of the United States.
x
The Roosevelt people hope that the
Norris speaking tour will be of real aid
to their candidate for President. They
believe that Norris will help the Demo
cratic ticket greatly In Nebraska, fol-
example, and in many other States OF
the West. Whether the Nebraska Sen
ator can do SO much for the ticket In
the East is another matter. The thing
may cut two ways before the election is
held.
x x ~
Just what is going to happen to the
Republican ProgreSSives if all the Demo
Gratis in the States which have been
sending these Progress1ves to the Sen
ate start voting the Democratic ticket
is something the Progressives may have
to consider before long. Senator Blaine
Of Wisconsin fell by the wayside the
other day when about 10000 Demo
Gratis who have been supporting Pro-
gressive candidates in the Republican
primaries in Wisconsin decided to vote
for the Democratic candidates for the
Senate in the Democratic primary. That
wasn't SO good. Furthermore, what is
going to happen to these Progressive
Republicans if the Democrats come into
power in the Senate? Undoubtedly
Senator Norris, who Is chairman Of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, cares very
many Senators take great deal of sat-
isfaction out of their Senate chairman
ships. If the Democrats come into
power, the senior Democratic Senator
on the committee will supplant Senator
Norris as chairman. Senator La Toilette
of Wisconsin, who is chairman of the
Committee on Manufactures, and Sen
ator Nye of North Dakota. chairman OF
the Public Lands Committee, also will
be out" and these chairmanships will
go to Democrats. Hiram johnson OF
California, chairman of the Commerce
Committee, will be out, and one of his
pet aversions, Senator Borah Of Idaho
must give over the Senate Foreign Re
lations Committee. And once the Demo
Gratis have control of the Senate and its
committees. their old allies, the Pro-
gressive Republicans, will look to the
Democrats Just like the rest Of the Re-
publican outfit. The Democrats will, ii
Is said, pull together Democrat Is a
Democrat first and Progressive second
Once the Republicans have been let
down by these Progressives from the
West, the chances are that they will not
give the Progressive Republicans, par
ticularly those who have openly sup
ported the Democrats. much consider
alton. In the past the Republicans
have been inclined to humor the Pro-
gressives and give them favorable
treatment. along with the rest of the
Republican Senators, in the hope that
scme semblance of majority control
could be maintained. But when the
Republicans are in minority position
in the Senate, as they may well be after
the coming elections, there will be a
demand on the part of many OF the
G. o. P. leaders to clean house.
Fanatic Republican drys in New York
State are preparing to wreck the Re
publican party there this Fall if it can
be done. It's the old rule-or-ruin game
they have played for long time. But
if the Democrats get entire control
particularly after winning as "wetS,
the Republicans in New York and else
where are likely to tell their dry de-
Serters just where to get of. The ma
jority of the Republicans have come
over to the wet side of the prohibition
question, along with President Hoover
The Law Preservation party is what
these dry Republicans call themselves
in New York. and they are to hold a
State convention October 8 and 4, when
the Republicans and Democrats are
having their own conventions If Mrs
D. Leigh Colv!n, president of the State
w. c. T. u. is correct. the drys will put
q whole State ticket Of their own into
the field, including candidates for Gov
ernor and Senator, should the Repub-
licanS not nominate candidates salts
factory to them and adopt a platform
they like.
Il X
Already Mrs. Colvin and her friends
have persuaded dry to run for the
House against former Senator James
w. Wadsworth, an ardent wet leader
who was killed off in 1926 in his race
for reelection to the Senate by just
such tactics on the part of the drys
Mr.. Wadsworth Is SO strong in his dis
trict, however, and it is so strongly Re.
publican that the drys may fail in theil
present effort to keep Wadsworth out
of Congress. His election will near
another wet House member from a dis
trict that hitherto has been represented
by dry. So far there has been no in
diootiny, fI,ot fhocn dr1r iy-