Evening star., 1932-11-14
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

in last Tuesdays election, you near very
little, very little indeed, about the
party's being dead" On the other
hand, 1t is commonly accepted IN all
quarters that the Republican party Is
not only still alive, but may be expected
to stage a comeback in the not too
distant future President Hoover, the
final figures will show, polled upward OF
IS ,000, 900 votes. He probably will nave
as many. If not more, votes than Al
Smith had four years ago. A party that
still can poll such vote Is aSsuredly
not defunct, even though the opposition
may have rolled up a plurality OF
100000 or more. That happened TO
the Democrats four years ago. But the
Democratic party did not die.
Undoubtedly the Republicans have
ahead of them reorganization work.
Rather it will be the framing of plans
to go forward, first as a minority party
in the present Government and then
to capture as many as possible OF the
House and Senate seats in 1884. This
game of politics never ceases. Many
of President Hoover's closest friends in
the party do not believe today that he
will be a candidate for the presidency
again This, it is true, may change, If
conditions become different and there
is a demand from the rank and file for
Hoover. But that is the way they look
at it today They have not begun to
consider, indeed, candidates for the
presidential nomination in 1896. But
it won't be long before they do.
President Hoover on March next Is
going out of office the victim of circum-
stances. There has been no breath OF
scandal in his administration. The
President has labored throughout his
administration to tighten the burden OF
the people. Democratic Leaders admit
this. Some of them publicly and some
of them in private deplore the attacks
which they were forced to make on this
Chief Executive. 1t is in the cards
that in the future President Hoover
will be looked upon as one Of the great
Presidents; that he will be lauded for
his courage in adversely and his re-
fusals to be stampeded into unsound
policies. He will be praised equally for
what he prevented as for what he has
accomplished. The slurs that were
passed upon President Grover Cleve-
land, many Of them by Democrats, dur
ing his second administration and I'M
mediately thereafter have been for
Gotten now. Cleveland is remembered
for his courageous acts. President
Hoover will be remembered for the same.
X X X
A meeting of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, or certainly oil the
Executive Committee OF the Natlonai
Committee. is expected within a COM
paratiyely short time. The Republic
ans must plan for continuing their
national organization as an effective
fighting force. They have in recent
wears. at least, adopted policy OF pay
as YOU GO in meeting their expendl-
lures for campaigns and headquarters.
It is likely to be continued. Not nearly
as much money was raised or expenoeo
in the campaign just closed as during
1928, 1924 and 1920, for the very good
reason that money was scarce ana marc
to raise. Everett Sanders, chairman OF
the Republican National Committee,
took over the job Of managing the cam
paign at the request OF President Hoo
yer and other Republican leaders. MI
Sanders has given no indication as yet
whether he wishes to continue as chair
man of the National Committee. Ihere
seems no inclination to dlslodge MIN:
However. there is evidenced on the
part of those Republican leaders who
for an effective and aggressive Repubil-
can organization in pr paIation Tor the
congressional campaign two years hence
and for the national camp IGN In 1880.
The name OF Senator Ge1rge H. Moses
cf New Hampshire, recently defeated
for reelection, has been mentlonso az
a possible director of the Republican
activities. But whether it would BE-
wise to turn to the. New Hamp ,t1lrc
Senator as the Moses to lead the q. q. =
out of the present wilderness is que
ton. In the first place, Mr.. Moses dc
not sit we'll In the Western Republican
mind. In the second place, he ha
pinned on him in this campaign Ju :
closed, rightly or wrongly, the blame in
large part for the religious 1s<ue IN
the 1928 campaign Indeed. 1t wsS this
that probably defeated him for re-
c,ection at a time when President
Hoover was winning in New Hamp- hire
and the State was re-electing Gov
Winant.
After March there Is to be an
amazing revamping of Republican lines
and organization IN the Senate. With
Jim" Watson, Republican leader;
Reed Smoot Of Utah, and Moses OF
New Hampshire out of the picture, not
to mention many other Senators who
have been prominent in G. Q. +. al
fairs, it is evident that new deal Is
to be expected. Senator Charles NC
Nary of Oregon, assistant Republican
leader, is looked upon now as the COM
ing Republican, leader of the Senate.
There were those who wished to make
McNary leader four years ago, wnen
Vice President Curtis stepped out OF
the Republican leadership of the SEN
ate to become its presiding of1cer. The
choice went however, to Senator Wat
son. McNary has the qualities neces-
sary to leadership. He is wise political
ly. He can get things done. Fur
therrnore, he is liked by both wings OF
the Republican party in the Senate.
One of the questions which presents
itself is what shall be done ABOUT the
recalcitrant Republicans, Norris OF
Nebraska, La Toilette of Wisconsin,
Cutting of New Mexico, Johnson OF
California, all of whom openly sup
ported President-elect Roosevelt IN the
recent campaign. The opinion OF some
of the stanchest of the regular Re-
publicans is that if they are to be pun
ished they must be punished by the
Republican voters in their own States;
that the Republican Senate organlza-
tion should do nothing about them
TWO of the group of Republican pro-
gressives fell by the wayside in the
primaries this year-Blaine Of Wiscon-
sin and Brookhart of Iowa. In their
places Democrats were elected last
Tuesday. 1t is true that the regular
Republicans who were nominated in
their places did not win election. But
it is equally true that these progress
sives are out" and the two Demo-
Gratis chosen are regarded as rather
conservative.
Il
In view of the big vote by which
President Hoover was defeated, the
question Is asked whether the Presi-
dent, by his personal campaign, had
any real effect on the election. If there
is any doubt about that, one has only
to look at the result in Ohio. A month
I1nfara fha aloetiO11 yrrac held the npnO-