Evening star., 1934-08-06
The Political Mill
By C. Gould Lincoln.

OF the OefnOCIa11G NAb1OIaAt @utA1Ellb~
tee James A. Farley stopped long
enough in Chicago on his way East
to predict that the Democrats would
gain six seats more In the Senate and
would lose no House seats in the No
vember elections.
Back in le31 Mr.. Farley found II
good policy to claim everything IN
sight. Apparently he intends keeping
up the practice, particularly when he
is speaking az head OF the Democratic
national organization. Two years ago
would concede. publicly. TO the Repub-
licans, but when President Roosevelt
carried AZ States and lost in only 8
he looked like q pretty good prophet.
It is possible. of course. for the
Democrats to win as many House
seats as they won in 1892. They might
even win more. But neither OF these
happy events-from Democratic
point of views likely to take place.
Unless there is a great deal bigger
dose Of recovery and pickup OF busi-
ness than seeras at all likely now,
during the coming two or three
months, a very considerable number
of congressional districts may be ex-
pected to swing back to the Republican
side. This will happen, in all proba-
bility, Notwithstanding the gigantic
expenditures of public money for the
various phases of the new deal" and
for relief of the destitute.
The Senate presents a different pic
ture. 1t may very well be that the
Democrats will increase their already
swollen majority In the Upper House.
This is a tough year for the G. o. p,
with the Democrats having plenty OF
campaign money and having also hun
dreds of millions to pour out in pay
ments to the farmers of wheat. cotton
and tobacco for crop reduction OF one
kind or another, not to mention the
corn-hog program, in payments for
drought relief, for public works. the
Civilian Conservation Corps and the
Z. Re A. Whether the Democrats will
gain as many as six Senate seats and
at the same time hold all they now
have is a question.
They seem to have chances OF
carrying. in these senatorial contests
Maryland. Missouri, West Virginia,
New Jersey, Rhode Island, Indiana
and Ohio. They talk lot about the
possibility of carrying Pennsylvania
New Mexico, Minnesota and even Wis
consin. In Pennsylvania they have
put I'D Joe" Guffey as their can
didate for the Senate against Senator
David A. Reed. To many Pennsyl-
vanians-deSpite the enthusiasm oi
President Roosevelt for Mr.. Guffey-
Joe" Guffey bears just about as many
earmarks, of progressivism as does
Joe" Grundy, who once was a Re-
publican Senator from the keystone
State. It doesn't seem in the cards
at all for Guffey to be defeated.
If the Democrats turn on Senator
Cutting of New Mexico, who came to
the aid of President Roosevelt in 1882
and succeed in putting man of Their
own party in his place, it will mean
little from the view Of partisan poll
tics except that there will be one less
Republican Progressive in the Senate.
= 4 y +
In Rhode Island Peter Goelet Gerry
former Senator and millionaire many
times over, is again seeking the Demo-
cratic nomination for the Senate
They nominate by State convention
in Rhode Island. and Gerry seems
to have the inside track. However,
some of the other Democratic lead
ers in the State are restive. They do
not like the idea that Gerry carries
the State organization in his hip
pocket. Among these opponents of
Gerry are Thomas P. Mccoy and
Col. Patrick H. Quinn, who was for
many years Democratic national COM
mitteeman for Rhode Island. Among
those whose names have been men
toned as possible candidates for the
senatorial nomination, to be trotted
out at the State convention II the
Gerry opposition deems the time is
ripe, are Representative Francis B
Condor, Edmund w. Flyn, Democratic
floor leader Of the State House, and
Eddie Dowling, musical comedy star
A musical comedy star, by profes-
sion, would be novelty in the Sen
ate, even though that body has boast
ed its comedians in the past and
still has one or two among its per-
sonnel today.
1t looks today, however, as though
Gerry has the edge in the race for
the Senate nomination. It is prob
able that he win oppose Senator Felix
Hebert, Republican, who is seeking
denomination. Mr.. Herbert, however,
has opponents in his own party, and
may have to make a fight for the
nomination.
The faction headed by Senator Met
calf is reported to be unfriendly to
Hebert, but how far this opposition
will go remains to be seen. Gerry will
have a tough job on his hands defeat
ing Hebert, who is of French extrac-
ton and who has large number of
followers In the State. Also the
Roosevelt new deal has had its
critics in Rhode Island and the DEM
ocrats may suffer thereby.
X X 4
One Democratic opponent Of the
new deal is surely to be reelected to
the Senate this year, no matter how
the new dealers may'feel about it. 1t
is Harry Flood Byrd. the present jun
ior Senator, who has repeatedly and
openly taken parts of the hide on the
A. A. A. and one of its chief apostles,
Rexford G. Tugwell, Undersecretary
of Agriculture. Senator Byrd has
been criticized here and there, in the
newspapers of his State, because OF
his opposition to the new deal pro-
gram particularly as it affects agri-
culture. But the Democrats of the
State will re-elect him, and a great
many of them are inclined to agree
with his criticism. In the Senate the
Virginia delegation, Byrd and Senator
Carter Glass, are as "unreconstructed
rebels" against the new deal as are
any of the Republicans. The opposi-
ton to the new deal has cropped out
in widely separated spots geographi-
cally, among the Democrats. Gore OF
Oklahoma regards many Of the new
zeal policies as fantastic, ridiculous
and in violation of the spirit and the
letter of the Constitution. Bailey OF
North Carolina has been outspoken IN
some of his attacks on the new deal
policies, and Smith of South Carolina,
cl,airrnap of the CoTnnoittAe on AQri-