Evening star., 1934-09-06
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

As the present political campaign
swings into its stride 1t looks more
and more as though the Democrats
had determined that this Is ''radi-
cal' year; that there Is victory in
radical ideas at the polls. Maybe
there Is. It Is not since the Repub-
lican party believed that there wss
victory In the dry side Of the prohibi-
tion issue and campaigned effectively
on that theory. The Democrats out
In California have nominated Upton
Sinclair for Governor, who has been
considered Q radical all his mature
life. Has he been repudiated by the
Democratic administration and the
high command Of the party? He has
not Mr.. Sinclair spent two very en-
joyable hours talking with President
Roosevelt, and while the details of
their conversation have not been re-
vealed 1t Is quite apparent from Mr..
Sinclair's comments that he found
himself in entire accord with the
President and presumably the Presi-
dent agrees with some of the ideas of
Mr.. Sinclair. Mr.. Sinclair next met
Postmaster General Farley the chair
man Of the Democratic National
Committee, and found himself getting
along very well with the national
chairman. He comes to washington
to visit the key men in the New Deal
administration and gets along well
with them. Certainly It looks as
though Mr.. Sinclair might expect to
have the support of the Democratic
organization in his State, whatever
may be the official attitude Of the
organization In the East.
The one discordant note In this
friendly attitude of the Democratic
leaders toward Sinclair comes from
Senator James Hamilton Lewis Of Il
hnois, chairman of the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee. OF
course, so far as California is con-
cerned, Mr.. Lewis does not have to
worry about the senatorial campaign
this year, and he has no espe-
cial interest as chairman of the
Senatorial Committee in the guber-
material election there. The Repub-
licans and the Democrats have both
given the senatorial nomination in
California this year to Senator Hiram
johnson, Roosevelt Republican. But
Senator Lewis has taken it upon him
self to deny flatly that the President
VIII adopt the E. p. I. G. plan of
sinclair to give employment and end
poverty. According to the dispatches.
MI. Lewis says that the President will
not adopt the plan "in any particular. :"
But even If the President does not
accept Mr.. Sinclair's ideas for the
rest OF the country, it does not neces-
sarily mean that he viii be opposed
IN the slightest to the election of Sim
clair as a Democratic Governor of
California, or even that he win op-
pose Mr.. Sinclair's trying out his
plan in his own State. Senator Lewis
statement asserts definitely that the
PRESIDENT Is not 'going Socialist:
that a program will be announced bv
the President shortly which win be
IN entire keeping with the tenets of
the Democratic party.
Well, 1t looks as though the Social
ISIS, except for Norman Thomas and
some Of the other leaders, are going
| democratic. If Mr.. Sinclair is correct.
out m California the Socialist party
Is pretty dead. He says that, along
with himself, the Socialists have
moved over into the Democratic party.
apparently believing that the New
Deal Is quite satisfactory-as a first
step toward what they wish. Whether
the democrats are going Socialist Is
another question. OF course, the Re-
/ n11hIfranc Gnfyrex = al. -.
that such Is the case And they are
seeking now to tie the Socialist label
20 the New Deal because Sinclair is so
wholeheartedly In favor of 1t. Mr..
sinclair insists that today he is q
Democrat and that he is no longer q
Socialist, and he has given his reasons
Tor the change. He wants something
done. Apparently he must believe
that the Democrats have more Social
istic ideas than the Republicans or
ne would have joined, perhaps, the
Republican party.
At least some of the Democrats have
made up their minds that this Is q
radical year. And some Of them, In
that belief, intend to make the most
radical speeches-speeches more radi-
cal than their opponents in the coming
campaign. This is not as idle a sug-
gestion as 1t may seem, for there are
progressive Republicans In the Middle
West who may say plenty when they
take the stump.
In Pennsylvania the way has finally
been cleared for real showdown be-
/ tween the New Deal and the @. o. p.
The determination Of Gov. Pinchot
not to run as an independent candi-
date for the Senate leaves Senator
Reed. Republican and ardent foe of
the New Deal, face to face with Joseph
F. Guffey, Democrat, and strong ad-
herent OF President Roosevelt and all
his works. Mr.. Guffey Is pledged to
come to Washington to uphold the
hands Of the President, If he be elected
to the Senate. He will be o New
Dealer to the extent that the Presi-
dent Is New Dealer Is the burden
OF the campaign song. The entrance
Of Pinchot into the senatorial cam
paign would have muddied the waters
a lot. 1t would not have been pos
Sible TO say whether the New Deal
had won or lost in Pennsylvania in
the senatorial fight. If Reed had won
under those circumstances, there
would have been an inclination, and
a proper one, to argue that the COM
bined strength Of Pinchot and Grundy
should be counted for the New Deal,
since Pinchot has been favorable to
the New Deal. On the other hand, If
Guf1ey had won with Pinchot as q
third candidate, the G. o. P. might
have said that their strength had
been split with two Republicans in the
field against single Democrat, and
so have explained away their loss.
Now there will be no chance of dodg-
ing the issue.
| + II 4
| The Republicans say they believe
that Pinchot's decision Is really an aid
to Reed. Equally sure are some Of
the Democrats that Pinchot's candi-
dacy would have been a detriment to
Guffey, since it would divide the
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