Evening star., 1933-01-16
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.


down on the plan, when william Gibb
McAdoo and Speaker Garner deserted
the "allies" in the Chicago Nationa
Convention Of the Democrats, Is one o.
the political stories that is going tn,
rounds of the Capitol In the heat o
the passions aroused by the falling
away of Mr.. McAdoo and Mr.. Garner
according to the report. Mr.. Smith sen
word through one of his contact men
to the leaders of the allies" agains
Roosevelt, that If they would hold of
and not vote for Roosevelt at any tint
during the convention, even after th'
McAdoo-Garner flop, he, Smith woulo
enter the lists as an independent can
didate for the presidency.
**
When the contact man reached Gov
Ritchie with the suggested plan for the
elimination of Roosevelt-at least II
the general election-the Governor o.
Maryland said emphatically he woult
have nothing to do with the plan. tn,
Maryland Governor is reported to have
told the contact man that he proposed
to follow the choice Of the national
convention; that the allies would havt
won, II they could, by picking of the
Roosevelt delegates. just as Roosevelt
was winning by picking off the delegate.
from Texas and California. And thai
was that, except that the contact mar
let loose a lot of abusive language anc
Gov Ritchie told him to be on his way
in no uncertain terms.
Whether the contact man Was actu-
ally speaking for Al Smith in this pro-
posal or not, he insisted that he was
doing so. He was a Tammanyite and
out to prevent the nomination Of
Roosevelt at any cost. He was active
in presenting the plea to other Demo
Gratis besides the Maryland delega-
ton, among them the Ohio outfit. II
Mr.. Smith. in the heat of his indigna-
ton at what he considered the bad
faith of Mr. McAdoo. did propose To
run as an independent, he gave the
plan up, although there were days when
some of the Roosevelt leaders feared
that just such a move might be made
by Mr.. Smith and his followers. An
independent candidacy by Mr. Smith
last November might have cooked the
Democratic goose. just as the Roosevelt
candidacy in 1912 made 1t certain that
Woodrow Wilson would be elected
President. There's many State that
would have been counted into the Re-
publican column had the voters op-
posed to President Hoover divided their
strength between Roosevelt and Smith
4
Can the Democratic party in the
Senate get along with two leaders
Senator Robinson of Arkansas and
Senator Huey Long of Louisiana? That
is something the Democrats will have
to consider. Robinson is the elected
party leader. Long is the irregular,
guerrilla captain. In the present ses-
sion Long has leaped into the leader
ship of a group of Democratic Sen
ators who have been labeled liberals. u
The contest between the two groups OF
Democrats has centered in the main
over the bank reform bill sponsored by
Senator Carter Glass OF Virginia, to
which Long and his followers have
taken violent dislike because Of the
so-called branch banking features
which would permit a wide extension
of branch banking.
While the differences between the two
groups of Democratic Senators in the
present session have tied the Senate
into double bow knot, the real in
terest lies in whether the same kinc
of intra-party warfare Is to be con-
tinued into the next Congress when
that body convenes after March 4. II
has been obvious for weeks that the
present short" session could accom-
plish nothing in the matter of major
legislation, so the fllibuster now carried
on by Long and his followers against
the Glass bill means little really. But
If the Senate Democrats are to be d.
vided in next Congress as they are to-
day, what hope can the Democratic
President-elect have for his legislative
program? Long seems to be intent at
present upon being the La Toilette OF
the Democratic party in the Senate.
X
The liberal" Democratic Senators
may have to do little thinking over
this situation themselves. They will
have to make up their minds whether
they wish to be known as Longs fol-
lowers. although Long is a newcomer to
the Senate, and they, for the most part
have been in the Senate for term
or two. II they are going along with
Senator Long. they will have to be his
followers. Huey Long will not be con-
tent with following some other Sen
ator's lead among the liberals. That
is quite obvious. Some Of them may
become fed up with their new and self
appointed leader. At least that is what
the regulars are hoping.
It locks as though President-elect
Roosevelt might have tough job on
his hands reconciling the fighting fac
tions among the Senate Democrats. If
Huey Long can override the regular
Democrats in the present session, he Is
not likely to lay down to them in the
new Congress. The only hope. as some
of the older Senators view 1t, Is for
Long to be taken for ride" in the
Senate as soon as possible. Their difn-
Guilty today lies in the fact that the
Republicans are enjoying the Demo-
cratic strife, just as the Democrats
used to enjoy the ructions on the Re-
publican side of the Senate chamber,
with the Progressive Republicans under
the leadership of Norris, Borah, La
Toilette or another. throwing harpoons
into Hoover program Of legislation. 1t
is obvious that unless some kind Of
party harmony can be evolved, the
Democrats will be in bad shape when
they start to put through their prom
ised program after March 4. The
Democrats will have SO members of the
Senate in the Seyenty-third Congress- a
huge majority. But If Long could get
dozen to follow him, instead of the
elected Democratic leader, and should
have the aid of the Republicans, it
would be bad situation for Roosevelt.
So far the President-elect seems to be
keeping his hands off, despite reports
that he has tried to get Long on the
telephone to talk things over.
X X y X
Are the Progressive Republicans
those who followed Roosevelt In the
last campaign-to be recognized in the
Roosevelt cabinet? Also is the Presi-
dent-elect to place q woman-the first
of her sex in such a poSition-in the
cabinet2 Woodrow Wilson, a Progress
sive Democrat, did neither. 1t is true
that Mr.. Wilson, when he had to ap-
point Republicans" to the various BIZ
partisan commissions and independent
agencies Of the Government, according
to the law, chose Progressive Republi-
cans" men who had not followed Taft
in 1912 and who had helped to make
the Wilson victory certain. But he