Evening star., 1934-02-08
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

The first statement issued by Senator
James Hamilton Lewis of Illinois,
newly appointed chairman of the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Com
mittee, declared that "the issues of the
campaign will be the Endorsement Of
the Presidents policies" Whether
this is to be the acid test in the selec-
ton Of Democratic candidates for the
Senate and the House, Senator Lewis
did not say. Indeed as chairman Of
the Senatorial Committee of his party
Mr.. Lewis is supposed to keep hands
off in Democratic State primaries and
State conventions for the nomination
of senatorial candidates. His job is
after they shall have been nominated.
The White House has announced
that President Roosevelt is not going
to mix in State and local fights this
year among the Democrats, and the
announcement was made soon after
former Lieut.. Gov. Conway had tossed
his hat in the ring for the senatorial
nomination against Senator Royal s.
Copeland of New York on the ground
that he was a better friend OF the
President and his policies than DR..
| Copeland.
However, there are enthusiastic
friends Of the President who may uh-
dertake to discipline and to displace
Senators and members Of the House
who do not give 100 per cent loyal
support to all the administration
measures before Congress. They will
raise the cry Of disloyalty against
some Of these candidates for renomi-
nation on the Democratic ticket. How
| far, for example. will Chairman James
| NJ Farley of the New York Demo-
cratic State Committee and chairman
of the Democratic National Commit
tee, not to mention Postmaster Gen.
eral, 60 in aiding the effort to sup
plant Senator Copeland with a Demo-
crat closely allied to the President? :?
Mr.. Farley dabbled in the mayoralty
contest in New York last Fall, back
ing Joseph v. Mckee, Roosevelt
Democrat, against OBrien, the Tam
many candidate. and Mayor La
Guardia, Republican and fusion
candidate. Although Mckee was
beaten. So too, was O'Brien, which
probably has brought some solace to
the hearts Of the Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis of New York.
There are other Democratic Sem
ators up for denomination whose
cases" are being considered. Take,
for example. Senator David l. Walsh
Of Massachusetts. Senator Walsh, as
a matter OF fact, has stood pretty
solidly with the President and his
program. although he Is of the reser-
vation now in opposition to the St.
Lawrence waterway treaty with Can
ada. A lot Of other Democratic Sen
ators are against the treaty, how
ever, and this opposition probably
will not be considered a test" of
loyalty. The administration has not
been friendly to Walsh, however, be-
cause of his alliance with the Al
Smith group of Democrats before and
at the Chicago National Convention
in 1882. He has been given no pa
tronage. no Federal jobs.
Admittedly Walsh will be a diffcult
man to defeat. even If the administra-
tion should throw its influence against
him. He has a big following among
the independent voters Of the State
and also will receive thousands Of Re-
publican votes. But the administra-
tion probably would like to see scare
thrown into the senior Senator from
Massachusetts,. even if it cannot de-
feat him. The Republicans have
picked no candidate so far to run
. against Walsh. There has been talk
OF drafting Charles Francis Adams,
Secretary Of the Navy in the Hoover
administration and a descendant of
two Presidents of the United States.
, to make the race for the G. o. p
: Adams has a great name in Massa-
chusetts. But there are thousands
upon thousands of voters in the Bay
State today who came to that Com
monwealth long years after the
Adamses had been in their glory.
Senator Lewis as the new chairman
OF the senatorial committee. has
problems on his hands outside of the
strictly party candidates. There are
the cases of the three progressive Re-
publican Senators who in 1882 openly
avowed their support for President
Roosevelt and worked for his election
johnson of California, La Toilette of
Wisconsin and Cutting Of New Mexico.
What are the Democrats doing to do
for or to these gentlemen? 1t would
look like rank ingratitude to aid in
their defeat for reelection Already
the Roosevelt administration through
Postmaster General Farley, has given
Its blessing to Senator Hiram john
son and the Democratic members of
the House and Senator McAdoo of
California have declared for Johnson.
Senator Lewis earlier declared his be-
lief that the Democrats should SUD-
port Senator johnson.
About Senator La Toilette and Sen
ator Cutting. the Illinois Senator and
the other Democratic leaders shake
their heads rather sadly. 1t isn't,
they say, that they would not like to
support them for denomination and re-
election, but there are circumstances
which make this difficult In Wis
consln the Democrats, now with one
Senator and a Governor to their
credit, are talking of bringing forward
their own candidate They insist
that the reason the Democratic party
never got anywhere during the last
80 years in the Badger State until
1892 lay in the fact that the Demo-
Gratis were tied to the chariot of the
late Senator Robert M. La Toilette
and more recently to that of the
present Senator All this, they insist
must be changed.
| \
So far as Senator Cutting is con-
cerned, it is observed that the New
Mexico supporter of Roosevelt in the
presidential campaign in the last
nession fought the President vigor-
ously over the economy act and gives
promise of fighting him again during
the present session. This is not the
kind of loyalty that the Roosevelt
Democrats appreciate. While they
may come around to Senator Cutting,
they have so far given no indication
they will.
Senator Tom Connally of Texas, is
up for denomination and reelection
IL