Evening star., 1933-09-18
The Political Mill
By C.. Gould Lincoln.


ton in the matter Of Federal appoint
ments are talking now of seeking the
ears of two former Democratic members
of the Upper House, Secretary Of State
Hull and Secretary of the Navy Swan
son, for the purpose of interesting these
gentlemen in behalf of themselves. The
bitterness which some of these Senators
evlnce seems out OF all proportions to
the size of the jobs which they have
possibly failed to obtain for their con-
stituents. But they continue to talk
among themselves about the rough
treatment they have received-not per-
haps at the hands Of. the President
himself but at the hands Of heads OF
executive departments and of the many
new Federal agencies recently set up in
the drive against the depression.
There is one Democratic Senator,
however, who takes different view OF
the job situation-Senator Ashurst OF
Arizona Some day the Arizona Senator
will take his proper place as the real
philosopher of the Senate. Discussing
the row over patronage which has been
brewing for weeks ON Capitol Hill and
which promises to burst into flame
when Congress returns next January,
Senator AshurSt said today: There Is
an apparently inescapable delusion that
seizes all Senators when the political
party to which they belong Is in power
and their President occupies the White
House. That delusion is that they are
not getting enough patronage. Under
the Constitution, or SO far as the IAN
guage of the Constitution Is concerned,
Senators are entitled to no patronage
whatever The President of the United
States CONSIDERABLY confers with men,
bers of the Senate regarding appoint
ments to public Office in their States.
There is no law, no word in the Con-
stitution. that compels the President,
whose duty it is to make these appoint
ments to confer with the Senators. to
seek their advice or to accept it with
regard to appointments to executive
office. However, members Of the Senate
have come to believe that their right
| to select appointees to Federal Office is
inalienable. They are affronted If the
President exercises the power and
authority which he is given under the
Constitution and under the laws which
| Congress itself passes. I venture to
say that if the President should permit
| Senator to name l 200 men to Office
| he would not come anywhere near
satisfying any one of the members OF
the otIldtt lllci dPpcIAtC tOi iCNc al
Office is Unsuitable. I was asked to sign
| the proposed petition to the President
urging that Senators of his party be
given more consideration in the matter
| of appointments to Federal office. l
declined to sign it and gave my
reasons"
The Arizona Senator, when he was
asked if he personally had received all
| the appointments he desired from the
administration, laughingly denied that
he had done So It is safe bet that
| the attitude of Senator Ashurst VIII
crate upon the narrowed feelings OF
most of his Democratic colleagues. His
argument regarding patronage may be
sound. but it is not pleasing to the
senatorial mind. The trouble is that
| the other members of the Senate are
not of the same philosophic tempera-
ment as the Senator from Arizona.
TON" Heflln, prince Of raconteurs
a flaming dry when drys famed, for
mer member of the House and more
lately former member of the Senate
is planning to seek nomination anc
election to his old seat in the House o'
Representatives. Old friends of hi:
here have been informed that the for
mer Senator from Alabama is laying
his plans for a brisk campaign mex
wear and that he is hopeful OF staging
a comeback to public life via the House
route. He will run for the Democratl;
nomination, it is understood, in his Ole
district. The organization Democrats
in Alabama have thought they hae
Tom" Heflin down. But ne dechne'
to keep down. After the 1923 presl'
dental campaign, when Heflin aban-
doned AL Smith, the Democrats, par,
ticularly the wet Democrats, in Ala
bama decided to get Hef1in. Thej
managed to exclude him from the
Democratic senatorial primary and II
stuck in the courts. Then Tom rar
as an independent. The returns snoWec
that Bankhead, the Democratic noml'
nee had been elected. although Hehlr
insisted that the election had peer
stolen from him.
In the face of the recent wet victor!
in Alabama Heflin is showing grea'
persistency when he seeks congress
sional nomination. The state Votee
strongly for repeal OF the elghteentf
amendment. But Tom Heflln Is -,
Goes into the primary in an effort tt
win his -xay back to Congress he VII
make the fur fly. When he ran FOL
the Senate in 1880 the Democratic or
panization declined to permit him u
file in the Democratic primary on tn'
ground that he had not voted th'
Democratic ticket in 1928. He GER
tainlv voted the party ticket in 1852
however. and it would be difficult II
bar him again on that ground.
x
Ma. Gen. Smedley D. Butler, U. s
M C.. retired, has come forward witt
proposal that if the United state:
finds it necessary to intervene in Cubs
to preserve order and protect American
life and property, it do so in concer
with some of the Latin American re-
publics. His idea is that by such JOIN
action it would be clear to all Latlf
America that this country is not seek
ing to dominate the island for its owl
purposes The idea is novel and hKell
will find merit in the eyes OF some o
the members of Congress, whatever ma!
be the view taken by the administration
The majority of the Republican lead
ers and members of Congress who hav'
so far been heard from are giving then
support to the N. R. A. The first mem
! Der Oh the I1UOtel CdblAACl W eohS eAA'
air for the NJ r. A. will be formel
Secretary of War Patrick j. Hurley o
Oklahoma. He is slated to speak Sep
tember q over Nationwide hook-up
having been invited to do SO by Gen
Hugh S. johnson. There is talk tina
former President Hoover himself will b.
invited to deliver an address at SOM
future date. But whether this viii
actually happen remains to be seen
Certainly Mr.. Hoover has joined th'
consumers army supporting the N. II. A.
for his house wears the Blue Eagle
Among the Republican Senators whit
have given the N. R. A. their blessing
are Couzens of Michigan, Capper o
Kansas, Hastings of Delaware, Carey o
Wyoming. Treadway of Massachusetts
in the House and number OF othel
Representatives have come forward II
support of the N. R. A., including Mrs