Evening star., 1934-10-04
ThePolitical Mill
By G.. Could Lincoln.

the Democratic candidate Tor the
Senate in that State. Mr.. Gerry has
been knocking at the doors Of the
Senate for readmission ever since he
was defeated for reelection In 1928.
This year he may make the grade
although he has had some bitter
Democratic opposition. He Is opposed
to Senator Hebert, Republican, who
is completing his first term. Hebert
defeated Gerry in the election of 1928
by a little less than 5000 votes. This
is more Of margin o. victory In Rhode
Island than 1t would have been In
some of the most populous States. In
that year, too, Alfred E. Smith, the
Democratic nominee for President,
carried Rhode Island. In 1880 Mr..
Gerry sought to stage a comeback,
| but was again defeated, this time by
Senator Metcalf, the senior Senator.
Mr.. Gerry has been regarded as the
angel" of the Democratic party In
Rhode Island for many years. At the
| same time there have been Democrats
who resented the Gerry domination
| of party affairs, claiming that he is
| more of a New Yorker than a Rhode
Island man.
The selection Of Senator Gerry to
be the Democratic nominee for the
Senate in Rhode Island completes the
list of the partys candidates for the
| Upper House this year. They insist
that the Democrats will gain several
seats in the Senate, and there seems
| to be some reason for their claim
Here and there the Democrats may
be embarrassed by State and local
issues, resulting in Republican ad-
vantage. But on the whole the pres
ent campaign is being fought over the
Roosevelt New Deal-and the New
Dealers seem to be in the majority,
despite the fact that many business
men are much worried over the Situa-
ton in the country. There is no pres
ent dimunition in the spending pro-
gram Checks to wheat farmers who
curtailed their crops are about TO 60
out, totaling some $50 900 600 Checks
| for the corn and hog program are
also being mailed to the farmers
Tobacco and cotton farmers also are
benefiting. With millions of indus
trial workers-now unemployed-and
their families on the relief rolls and
receiving money from the Federal
Treasury, and with the tremendous
increase in the number of persons
given employment by the Government
itself, there seems very little chance
Of upsetting the New Dealers at the
polls this year. The administration
has sided strongly also with organized
labor. and the New Deal is regarded
favorably by many Of the labor leaders.
r. Harold Dubord, Democrat, who
was defeated in the recent senatorial
election in Maine by Senator Fred
erick Hale, Republican, is not content
| to let the matter rest. Hale's margin
| of victory was about 1,700 votes.
Dubord has formally demanded a re-
count OF the vote. Further, he has
| announced that If the recount does
not show him q winner, he will con-
test the election before the Senate
Privileges and Elections Committee.
Dubord says he can produce evidence
OF irregularities and Of the denial by
Republican election boards of the
right Of residents to vote. In a letter
to Gov. Brann, Democrat, DuEord
! insists that he have the right to be
heard before certificate of election
Is issued to Senator Hale. He charged
that in addition to illegal use of
absentee ballots and illegal registra-
tion Of voters" thousands of voters
were illegally disfranchised. In this
! connection he said that voters had
been denied the right to vote because
they had been recipients of Federal
| relief funds. He continued:
"A person cannot be construed to
be pauper unless he receives supplies
knowing them to be pauper supplies.
80 Republican boards of registration
throughout the State of Maine have
nullifled the efforts of the national
administration by cruelty and illegally
striking out the names of thousands
of men and women from the voting
lists. This was done in thousands of
instances without notice to the voter
and without affording an opportunity
to be heard"
The charge now made by Dubord
Is interesting, particularly in the light
of the Republican charges that thou
sands Of voters in Maine and elsewhere
are practically being bought and paid
for with Federal contributions of all
kinds, particularly farm benefits, for
public works, the Civilian Conserva-
tion Camps and relief of the destitute.
The senatorial contest in New Mexi-
CO, where Senator Bronson Cutting,
Republican progressive and supporter
of President Roosevelt, is running
for another term, is attracting
attention. Former Representative
Stmms, Republican, and his wife, Mrs.
Ruth Hanna Simms. have announced
that they intend to support Repre-
sentative Chavez, the Democrat, who
has the nomination against Cutting
They insist that Cutting is not Re-
publican, and, since he is not they
prefer Chavez. This is an echo of
the old fight for political control in
New Mexico. Chavez was elected two
years ago to the House by a very large
vote in the Roosevelt landslide. 1t
was thought at one time that either
Mr.. Simms or Mrs. Simms would be a
candidate against Cutting for the Re
publican nomination for the Senate.
but If they had any such plans they
were abandoned Cutting has appar-
emily made up with some of the old
guard Republicans in the State, and
the ticket contains representatives of
both factions this year.
The ranks of the Republican pro-
gressives in the Senate have been de-
pleted along with the ranks of the
regular Republicans In the Democratic
victories of the last four years. La
Toilette of Wisconsin and Cutting of
New Mexico, both members of the
progressive group. have real fights on
their hands for reelection this year.
II they should lose, the list Of out
and -out Republican progressives would
be cut to something like seven, in
cluding Norris of Nebraska, johnson
of California, Borah of Idaho, Frazier
| of North Dakota (who is up for re-
election), Nye Of North Dakota, Nor
beck of South Dakota and Couzens of
Michigan. There are other Repub-
licans in the Senate with progressive
ideas. but they also have more