Evening star., 1932-05-22

r EFT us look at this tense Demo-
cratic race for the presidential
nomination; and also toward the
IL succeeding campaign between
the Democratic and Republican
candidates; let us survey 1t in
terms of the classic line Of political
cleavage, that is, between conservative
and on the other hand. radical or pro-
gressive. Let us examine it for the
purpose of identifying what tides are
flowing, and what is likely to happen
during the Summer, and at the election
on November 8.
AS a matter of clearing the table, let
lis dispose of the Republican side first.
In the beginning, anywhere from three
months to a year ago, the radicals and
Progressives in the Republican party
were going to be very active, or 1t was
said on their behalf that they were.
They were going, among other tnlngs'
to have a candidate for the RepupIcah
presidential nomination; and Whetner
successful in getting it for one OF them
selves or not, they were going TO pre-
vent President Hoover from getting II.
Absolutely and positively, so some OF
their spokesmen declared, they were
going to have a candidate. They were
going, so 1t was said, to get penmo
senator DOIdIl. 4l4Ou6AA w n~NR 49,
record clear let it be set down that
Senator Borah himself never said that)
They were going to put forward Senator
Hiram johnson of California and
Senator Hiram listened to the call with
a kind of grouchy sympathy; but
nothing came of that. They were going
to organize behind Gov. Clifford
Pinchot of Pennsylvania; nothing came
of that.
Two Opposed Hoover.
In the end, nothing came Of any,
thing. Just two men entered the race
against Mr.. Hoover One was that
venerable old gentleman from MasSilon.
Ohio, Jacob S. Coxey, who, 80 years
ago, in 1894, got himself an obscure
place in American history by leading
a picturesque parade Of the discon-
tented. "Coxey's Army" from Ohio TO
the Capitol at Washington. Gen.
Coxey" may have as many as one
delegate among the 1854 who will
compose the Republican Convention.
The other radical, or eccentric, or,
however, we shall describe him, VINO set
out to take the Republican nomination
away from Mr.. Hoover, was former
Senator Joseph I. France of Maryland.
Mr.. Frances effort was planned to be
formidable; it actually was formidable
in the sense that it was well financed,
highly organized and very vociferous.
In the end. now close enough to be ac-
curately estimated, France may have as
many as 10 delegates out Of l,154. He
did not carry his own State.
In addition to France and Coxey,
with roughly IL or II delegates, few
Others. from Wisconsin or elsewhere,
may be cast for some Progressive,
probably Senator Norris of Nebraska.
The complete total Of all delegates op-
posed to Mr. Hoover will be less than
40. The remainder of the LISA will
be for Mr. Hoover.
That the Republican candidate will
be Mr Hoover and that the economic
part of the platform will be consistent
with Mr. Hoover, everybody knows. Ac-
cepting this as a fixed starting point,
what will the Democrats do in face
Of it?
There is a school of political thought
which says that in confronting the Re-
publicans under these conditions, the
Democrats just must nominate a con-
trast and take the opposite course,
meaning that they must nominate a
non-conservative or radical candidate,
or at least the most radical they have
available, and that they must have q
radical, or at least a, so to speak, non
conservative platform. The assump-
tion behind this reasoning is that the
voters opposed to the Republicans wiz
necessarily be the radical, or the Pro-