Evening star., 1933-12-18
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.


congressional and senatorial campaign
than to have Progressive Republican
candidates for election to Senate and
House run for Office on the Democratic
ticket. For example, II Senators john
son of California, La Toilette of Wis
consin and Cutting of New Mexico, all
Of whom supported President Roosevelt
in the presidential campaign last year
and all of whom appear to be support
ing the Roosevelt administration and
the Roosevelt policies today. should ruin
for reelection as Democrats, the cup
Of satisfaction would be full for the
Roosevelt Democrats. They are terribly
anxious to have the Progressive Re-
publicans of the West translated into
Democrats, for they believe that under
those circumstances the Democratic
party would control the West for many
years to come, and with the West and
the South both safely in the party,
control of the Federal Government
would be easy to retain.
Progressive Democrats in the West,
like Dill of Washington, Wheeler OF
Montana and others more recently
elected to Congress, are Of the opinion
there is no earthly reason why these
Progressives do not come out in the
open and join the Democratic party
They insist that the progressive policies
OF the Roosevelt administration conform
to the belief of Johnson, La Toilette,
Cutting. Norris and others of the group
They belong to the Democratic
party today and they should come out
openly and say So" said one of these
Western Progressive Democrats, refer
ring to the Roosevelt Republicans.
On the other hand are Republican
ProgressiYes who have not stepped sc
far over the line and who did not
announce their support OF Roosevelt in
the last presidential campaign who
now insist that Johnson, La Toilette
and Cutting would be foolish to come
out now or next year as Democrats
These Progressive Republicans who
would have the three Senators remain
in the Republican party, or at least
run as independents and not as
Democrats. say they are still skeptical
about the Democratic party and are by
no means sure that 1t is as progressive
as its present leader, Franklin D
Roosevelt. They point to the con-
servatives on the Democratic side oi
the Senate chamber for example, list
ing among them the Democratic
leader, Senator Robinson of Arkansas
the chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, Senator Pat Harrison, ano
the chairman Of the Senate Appropria-
tons Committee, Senator Carter Glass
of Virginia
This sally into progressive policic,
by the Democratic party may be, aftel
all, only a fash in the pan," is the
way the Progressive Republicans, who
do not wish to see johnson, La Toilette
and Cutting definitely flop over to tht
Democratic party, put it. We want
to know what the Democratic party
and its leadership are going to be like
several years from now before we are
willing to join it,
The candidacy of the three Repub-
llcan ProgressiveS for reelection to the
Senate presents real problem. not only
for themselves. but for the Democratic
leadership. The belief exists amone
some of the Progressive Democrats thai
President Roosevelt will at the proper
time make public announcement thai
he hopes all three of these Senator.
will be reelected and seek to give then
the right Of way with Democratic sup.
port. This, they say, would be only q
fair return for what johnson, La Fol.
lette and Cutting did for Mr.. Roosevelt
in 1882. The fact that these gentle
men have to be renominated. pre-
sumably as Republicans, and that the
Democrats in California, Wisconsin anc
New Mexico may wish to put up candi.
dates Of their own, complicates mat.
tiers, even if the President should un'
dertake such a gracious gesture toware
these Progressive Republican support
ers of his.
In Wisconsin, where the primar,
laws are lax enough to permit Demo
Gratis to vote in Republican primaries
ETC., the Democrats might aid material
ly in renominating Senator La Follett
on the Republican ticket. provided the.
would go in sufficient numbers into tn,
Republican primary. However. if tn
Democrats have many contests in thei
primary they may prefer to stick t
their own primary, leaving La Follett
to fight it out with the "stalwart" O
regular Republicans, who are hostil,
to the La Toilette wing of the G. o. P
That is what happened in 1882, wheI
former Gov. Philip La Toilette ant
former Senator Blaine, both Progress
sives. we're defeated in the Republican
primary and never had a chance TO
reelection. So the Democrats in th'
Badger State will have to make W
their minds what to do about Senate
La Toilette The Democrats at preSen
have the Governor of Wisconsin and :
United States Senator, not to mention
a raft of other Offices there. They ma.
wish to put forward a senatorial can.
didate Of their own.
x X X
Senator Hiram johnson of Californi;
is anathema to the regular Republican
outfit in California. Some of his Pro
gressive friends in the State frank.
say they doubt he can win Republic
an nomination for the Senate there il
the G. o. P. primary next year. Unde
the State law he can try for both th
Republican and the Democratic party
nominations for the Senate and enteI
both party primaries. But the Law
specifies that to have his name go OF
the BALLOT in the general election ht
must win the nomination of the party
with which he is formally affiliated
That happens to be the Republican
party. In other words, If Senator John
son should permit his name to go be-
fore the voters in the Democratic pri
mary. and he won the Democratic
nomination, unless he won also in th'
Republican primary, he could not ge
his name on the ballot. and the DEM
ocrats would have to pick some othel
candidate. When Rev. Bob Shulel
made his run for the Senate in Cali
fornia in 1882, he was on the ballo
as the candidate Of the Prohibition
party. with which he formally affili'
ated, although he received big votes II
both the Republican and Democratic
senatorial primaries. Senator John
son might elect to run as an independ'
ent. and he might be elected as such
But many of his close friends do no
see him udopting the Democratic labe
at this time in his career.
X X X
Down in New Mexico the nomination
nf sepotoria1 candidates is accom-.