Evening star., 1934-03-22
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

Alfred z. Smith has resigned Us
editor of the New Outlook. and John
F. Curry boss Of Tammany, has been
told by David A. Mahoney, leader Of
the first assembly district, that ma
jority Of the district leaders insist
that Curry shall resign. The fact
| that these occurrences happened on
the same day may have no signif-
icance, Indeed, it is said that Mr..
Smith has quit his editorship because
he and Frank A. Tichenor, owner and
publisher of the magazine, have diff
fered over criticism which Mr.. ITCH
| enor desired to make of the Roose-
welt administration. And the Tam
many Democrats have been getting
sore over the leadership of Boss Curry
| for a long time and threatening to
dislodge him. But the fact that Al
Smith has taken himself out of a job
which took him out Of politics when
he went into it and that Mr.. Curry
may soon find himself out of a very
political job is likely to cause a lot
of discussion about what Mr.. Smith
should do In the future.
Tammany needs a new leader. 1t
! has been sunk in the last couple Of
years under the leadership OF Mr..
Curry. 1t is quite true that a lot of
Tammany men have been at outs with
! Al Smith, but for the most part they
| have been Mr.. Curry's friends and
! supporters. II the organization could
prevail upon Al Smith to take the
leadership Of Tammany 1t would be a
real stroke. But whether Mr.. Smith
could be prevailed upon to accept this
leadership is another thing. Further
| more, the Tammany district leaders
| and their assistants might be some
what reluctant to accept Smiths
leadership, fearing that he would in
sist upon new Tammany," a
cleansed Tammany, which might not
be to their taste. The former New
York Governor has said that he in
tends to give all his time to running
the Empire State Building and to
other business affairs.
But to Mr.. Smith, whose life was
cast in political lines for SO many
| years, the urge to get back into the
ring again may be strong. There has
| been talk that the Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis in New York were planning to
seize control of Tammany Hall, as
well as Of the Democratic leadership
throughout the entire five boroughs
of the greater city. 1t does not seem
likely they would look with particular
favor on the selection Of Mr.. Smith
to head Tammany. An alliance po-
litical between President Roosevelt
and Mr.. Smith would be a strange
development in view Of all that has
gone before. However, strange things
! happen in politics. Mr.. Smith might
on the other hand, be not averse to
taking the helm in New York City
Democratic politics and holding 1t
despite the Roosevelt Democrats.
II the story be correct that Mr..
Smith and Mr.. Tichenor fell out
because the latter, Republican, de-
sired the New Outlook to make more
attacks on the Roosevelt administra-
!, ton and Mr.. Smith was unwilling to
go along, it looks as though the for
mer' Democratic candidate for PreSi-
dent did not desire to aid the G. o. p.
/ In the coming congressional campaign.
For the Roosevelt administration is
undeniably to be the issue in that
campaign. Mr.. Smith Is q Democrat.
He has always been Democrat and
he is not likely to allow himself to be
put in the position of aiding in the
selection of Republican members of
| Congress-not if he can help it. Even
during the 1882 campaign for Presi-
dent, when Mr.. Smith believed that
he had been unjustly treated by the
Roosevelt Democrats, Mr.. Smiths only
activities were in support Of the Dem
ocratic national ticket.
| $50
Postmaster General James A. Far
ley, chairman of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee and chairman of
the Democratic State Committee, a
dominating figure in New York Dem
ocratic politics. could scarcely fail to
be interested In the maneuvers in
New York. He and Curry have been
at odds for a long time. 1t was Mr..
Farley who gave encouragement to
the candidacy Of Joseph V. Mckee.
the Recovery party" candidate for
mayor of New York last November,
after he had become convinced that
John J. O'Brien, the Tammany can
didate, was going to be beaten by
Mayor La Guardia, who, after all, Is
more Of Republican than Demo-
crat.
| II the members of the Executive
! of raadU m
go through with the ousting Of Mr..
Curry, it is going to make quite a
bit of difference to Mr.. Farley whom
the Tammany district leaders select
as the new boss of the organization.
Curry, to all appearances, is still
sticking to his leadership, and will
insist on bringing about showdown
before he steps out. There is one
thing about the Tammany boss, he
is as stubborn as they come. He has
proved this time and again, to his own
discontinue and loss of prestige. He
stubbornly fought the nomination OF
President Roosevelt. He stubbornly
fought the nomination of Gov. Leh-
man, who had the support of both
President Roosevelt and Mr.. Smith.
He stuck stubbornly to Jimmie"
Walker and even talked of nominating
Walker for mayor after Walker had
resigned under fire.
\
Mr.. Farley is on the stump again.
No man, probably, in all the political
history of the country has been more
on the go. has travelled more widely
throughout the country, than has Mr..
Farley during the last year. At first
it was to spread the doctrine of the
new deal and then to bring about
the repeal of the eighteenth amend
ment. And now he is making speeches
defending the annulment of the air.
mail contracts by the Roosevelt ad-
ministration. He made such speech
at the annual Delaware Jackson day
dinner in Wilmington. Del, on Tues
day. Mr.. Farley did not mince words
In denouncing the airmail contracts,
which he said were given and OBJ
tanned through collusion and fraud"
He denied fatty that any politics was
involved in annulling the contracts.
as charged by the Republicans. He