Evening star., 1933-11-13
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.


President Roosevelt was elected Chief
Executive just year ago. He has beer
In office since March last. II he were
up for election today would he be re-
elected? II the reports from many parts
Of the country are to be credited, the
President continues 10 be popular with
the voters. This does not mean that
he and his administration have not left
sore spots. Undoubtedly there was hope
and expectation that q greater measure
OF recovery would have been made by
this time. Undoubtedly there are many
persons who do not believe in the Roose-
velt policies" the N. r. A. and A. A. A..
etc. Too many have had their toes
trodden on. For example, Henry Ford
VINO az one time early in the Roosevelt
aoministration put forth a glowing
statement praising Roosevelt, could
scarcely be expected to throw I'D his
nat with enthusiasm II Roosevelt were
q candidate for President today. in the
ngnt OF the experience that he has had
with the NJ. r. A. But take it by and
large, the American people still have
Ialth IN Franklin D. Roosevelt. The
elections held last Tuesday were toe
local In character and too few and scat
tered to give much evidence of the
political slant today. But certainly the
opposition to Roosevelt could get little
comfort from them. II the La Guardia
FUSION ticket won In New York, see
vd Wnat tne Democrats did to the Repub-
ilcan organizations in Pennsylvania.
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The next six months will make the
issues OF the coming Congressional
campaign. If there are to be any serious
| issues. recovery progresses, the is
ress Is delayed. then the Repub1icans
VIII MAKE 1t difficult for the Roosevelt
administration. Rarely does it happen
tnat -bere Is no swing back of the no
ltlcn pendulum halfway through a
presidential term. The soreheads come
TO the surface; the men who have not
received as much as they hoped they
would receive from q change of admin
lstrations take a crack at the party In
power: So 1t may be assumed that the
Eepunnaans will gain back bunch of
congressional districts which ordinarily
are Republican. -
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The Republicans have been I'm n
difncult position during the last nine
months. Their hands have been pretty
We'll tied. II they launched attacks
| upon the President and his administra-
lion tney were in danger of being ac-
cused OF merely playing politics when
the country was more anxious for BUSH
ness recovery than for anything else.
Even now, when the q. o. p. National
committee has begun to unleash a few
unkind words about the Roosevelt adj
ministration. the cry Is raised. psrticu-
larry IN Democratic circles, that the
Republicans are trying to throw a
monkey wrench into the machinery.
However. the Republicans will continue
to hurl verbal Javelins at the Roosevelt
admmistratioh; viii say as many un-
KIND things as they can think Of. or
course they will be playing politics. But
that is nothing new. The Democrats
scarcely let Herbert Hoover become
wen seated IN the White House before
tney tackled the Republican admins
tration. That was playing politics. too.
ioe depends on whose politics it is.
Secretary Wallace went into the corn
belt Saturday and at DeS Moines. his
a
mouthful. He pointed out to the critics
OF the N. r. A. and the A. A. A. that
there Is small chance-no chance-of
the farmers being able to sell more Of
their products at higher prices unless
the pocketbooks of the people in the
cities are better lined with money.
He never said truer word That
means that the prices of manufactured
products must increase and the wages
OF the workers along with them. That
means. Of course, that the farmers have
products. the things that they must
have. The farmer who believes that
he Is going to be able to get high prices
for his corn and hogs and not pay more
for his machinery and shoes has not
thought much about the situation. To
achieve real prosperity there must be
advance made by both the farmer and
the industrial worker. The Government
Is seeking through the N. r. A. and the
A. A. A. to bring about relief for both.
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The Carolinas have stuck to national
prohibition Notwithstanding the repeal
victories in 81 other States. North
Carolina only year ago elected q wet
United States Senator, Senator Rey-
nolds. Reynolds leaped into the cam
paign for the repeal of the eighteenth
amendment this year. But he and the
repealists were showed under. Appar-
emily the Tar Heel State went back to
the days of 1928, when it voted by some
$4,000 to give its electoral votes to
Herbert Hoover over Al Smith, the wet
Democrat.
Credit for repeal Of the eighteenth
amendment doubtless will be claimed
by q lot Of people and probably by Re
pubucanS as well as Democrats. OF
course, repeal votes were cast by huge
number OF Republicans in the swiftly
moving campaign In the States during
the last nine months. But take 1t by
and large, the palm must 90 to the
Democrats. It was, the Democratic
party which nominated wet candidate
for President In 1928 and which went
down to defeat with AL Smith. 1t was
the Democratic national chairman, John
j. Raskob, who stuck to his ante
prohibition guns in 1929 and thereafter,
Democrats to pry him loose. And it
was the Democratic National Conven-
ton in Chicago which first wrote a
wr1nging-wet platform and then noni-
mated wet, President Roosevelt, to
stand on 1t. But when all is said and
done, the vets and the Democrats both
were aided tremendously In their cam
paigns Of 1890, 1892 and 1888 by hard
times. The people were disguised with
conditions and ready to change. A dis
tlnguished wet Republican member of
Congress nearly four years ago said that
he was convinced that national prohibi-
ton would be repealed. but that first
there would have to be O Democrats
victory at the polls, with q Democratic
President elected. His idea was that
such a victory for the Democrats would
Jolt the Republicans into understanding
that they could get nowhere by sticking
to the dry cause. That was Represent
ative James M. Beck Of Pennsylvania.
his prediction has certainly been borne |
out by the events of the last year or two. |
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A wet Republican, who Is not likely |