Evening star., 1934-06-14
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

: The confirmation Of Rexford q.
| Tugwell to be Undersecretary of the
Department Of Agriculture seems to
be only q matter OF hours. While
the administration viii be successful,
it appears, in this hight, it will lose.
for this Congress at any rate, the
proposed amendments to the A. A. A.
which have been demanded by Secre-
tary Wallace and Assistant Secretary
Tugwell OF the Department of Agri-
culture. That Is. the administration
will not be able I'd get these amend
ments enacted into law unless the
whole plan OF bringing about an ad-
journment of the Congress at an
early date Is thrown on the ash heap.
| To this extent the opponents of Tug
well and the theories he Is supposed
to represent-or was supposed to rep
resent prior to his hearing before the
Senate Committee on Agriculture
will have succeeded In their fight.
Senator Harry Flood Byrd OF Virginia,
for example, Is violent opponent Of
the proposed amendments, which he
insists would put the American farmer
completely and absolutely under the
control Of the Secretary OF Agricul-
ture, to q degree that the farmer
would have to take the departments
orders about everything he desired to
grow. His antagonism to the Tugwell
appointment as Undersecretary grew
out Of his opposition TO these amend
ments.
! n n n
The fight against the appointment
Of Mr.. Tugwell. which has been con-
Quoted almost entirely by Democratic
members of the Senate, and the fight
against the proposed amendments to
| the A. A. A., the agricultural ad-
justment act, after all, are merely
symbolic Of the division which has
slowly been growing In the Demo-
cratic party itself over some of the
new deal" At frst the Democrats,
one and all, allowed themselves to be
swept along behind the Roosevelt
recovery program The frst to break
with the President on some Of his
plans was Senator Carter Glass Of
Virginia. In fact, Senator Glass has
never been swept away in the sense
that he abandoned any Of the prin-
ciples to which he adhered. But in
recent months the ranks of the Dem
ocratic opposition to new deal policies
have been filling, q little here and q
little there. Unless there Ia o draw
ing in Of its wings on the part Of the
administration, this sctAsm in the
Democratic ranks may grow to con-
siderable proportions. During the re-
cent Republican administrations
there grew up a serious division be-
tween the regular Republicans and
the progressives, a division which
made it extremely difficult for the
leaders to put through administra-
ton measures at times. The trouble
4 now looming up for the Democrats
hes not in a group Of progressives-
for they are willing to follow the
Roosevelt new dealers as far as they
will go-but in q group Of old-fash-
dubbed conservatives.
How far can the Democratic ad-
ministration get without the support
of the more conservative Democratic
So far there has been no big break
in the party alignment, although
there are plenty Of the conservative
Democrats who have been dipleased
with things the administration has
been doing. Whether the smoldering
fire will break out into confagra-
ton remains to be seen. When the
Seventy-fourth Congress meets next
1 Ia a. Cd 4Ar
trouble. The recovery legislation was
put through as emergency legislation.
Two years was the period of life
| given to great deal of it--for ex-
ample, the N. r. A. II the admin
istration reaches the conclusion that
the emergency" Is passed and does
not press for re-enactment Of this leg
islation, there will be no particular
reason for a break in the Democratic
| party, unless the more progressive
members of Congress on the Demo
cratic side then turn against the
administration However, judging
from the recent message of the Presi-
dent, he has q still more compre-
hensive program of legislation which
he plans to advance when Congress
meets. In the meantime q congress
sional election Is to be held. II 1t
goes well for the administration, un-
doubtedly the new dealers will be en-
! couraged to 60 the limit when the
new Congress convenes. II, on the
other hand, the Democrats do not
do so we'll. and the Republicans make
substantial gains. the new deal may
slow down q bit.
The stage has been set at last In
Indiana for the coming senatorial
campaign. The Republicans last
week nominated Senator Arthur Rob-
inson to succeed himself-without o
| struggle. There has been . lot Of
bitter talk on the part Of some Of the
organization Republicans against Rob-
inson because Of an attack made by
him on the organization. But when
the showdown came his opponents
had no one to oppose Senator Robin
son. The Democrats at their recent
State convention chose Sherman Min
ton of New Albany as their candidate
for the Senate. His selection was not
made so easily, however. Earle Peters,
former State chairman, came into the
convention with the biggest single
block of delegates and put up q real
| fight. Minton is regarded as part
and parcel of the administration of
Gov. Paul McNutt. Peters and the
Governor have been engaged in q
bitter political fight. The Democratic
convention, however, threw Peters,
iguratively speaking, out of the win
dow. All of this Is likely to be of as
sistance to Robinson when election
day comes around. The Democrats
have counted on picking up another
seat in the Senate in this Indiana
election. but they have counted their
chickens too soon.
| Il \ y t,-- IS
The determination Of George L.
Radcliffe, regional Federal public
works administrator, to run for the
Democratic nomination for Governor
In a measure has brought the Roose-
velt administration into the race IN
Maryland this year. Radcliffe Is
great friend of President Roosevelt