The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-09-14
sHEARD
around The
National Capital

AROUND tno
National Capital
=Bysc CARTER -rIEp.
Washington.-Upton sinciairs sue
60 or failure in November may eas-
~ aecide the future Of the New Deal
y Washington. Far more hangs on the
nent tnat his nomination BY the Dem
;eezauc party for governor Of Cali
tesnia opens than either administers
- or opposition leaders are admit
M openly. as yet, though Doubtless
~ the votes are actually cast ora
tofs IN the Sierras and the coast
etoWIs or the Golden Gate state will
q snouting 1t from the housetops.
AZ Degin with, Overwhelming sue
80 OF Sinclair may just determine
stnat the Democrats keep ! strong
enough majority In the house Of repre-
erntatives to make sure that the New
DIAL IS supplied with the ammunition
q appropriations next winter. and
with the new powers that President
roosevelt may decide he needs.
The Democrats now have eleven
seets from California, and the Re
pupllcans nine. a sweep BY Sinclair
might mean that instead Of. losing 1t
Ieaet i've seats, as most dopesters on
me house had figured, the Democrats
might pick up two or three more.
a sweeping defeat for Sinclair, on
the other hand. might neal the carry
ing down Of any given part Of the
elesen Democratic seats now held, all
OF them being admittedly in:some dan
gel, except that held by Clarence r.
Lea,
The importance Of this part Of the
picture lies In the ~conndence Of con-
qefvative Republican leaders that if
they q reduce the Democratic plu,
rAlity over the Republicans In the
.house from 200 to Cor, IN short, II
the Republicans can gain 20 seats, they
can defeat all the more radical appro-
priattons and all the more radical new
proposals of the administration.
AZ the situation now stands It would
be almost impossible for the Repub-
hcans to make such q gain without
some of 1t coming from California. On
the other hand, II the Republicans
ghould gain eight or nine seats in Cali
fornia, 1t would help nightly in roll.
Ing up a total gain for the country Of
20 or better.
But the really important phase far
.transcends ven the change Of ten
seats In the house. II win be d sign
post as to how the country IL leaning,
the Significance Of which cannot be ex-
aggerated. Consider. for example, what
the effect Of S~inclair's victory In No
vember would be on those sympathetic
with the purposes Of the new Ameri.
can Liberty league. "A victory by such
Z fortnight Socialist a. Sinclair In q
state % rich and prosperous as Cali
fofnia would brighten the followers Of
Jim Wadsworth. the du Points, and
John w. Davis to death. It would
drive them. literally, to the more con
sentative Roosevelt for protection.
Effect on Congress
In short, 1t would destroy the only
terious threat at Roosevelt's predomi-
names. and the only menace to the
New Deal. and probably would drive
Roosevelt, bowling to the storm. Z lit
tie farther to the Left than he had
Intended going. Its effect on every
member Of the new congress elected,
no matter By what party. would be
20 marked that It would be difficult to
round mp . corporal's guard to vote
against the most radical proposals the
President may advance In the next
year.
Also 4 would change the apparent
lining up now going on looking toward
the next presidential election. It might
easily mean that there would be no
Republican candidate-certainly mot
In the old sense Of Republican.
On the other hand. q sweeping vic
tory for Governor Merriam, conserva-
tive, would place q tight check rein on
the New Deal It would tend to force
very conservative votes In the next
house. mot only because Of its actual
effect In. changing California repre-
sentatives. but because Of Its moral
effect. II would probably drive Roose-
welt much further toward the Right
than b now intends going. And 1t
would mean. for almost a certainty,
the nomination against him In 1895 OF
a comparatively conservative Rspubli-
can.
incidentally, the administration IL
far more cohcerned about 1t than ap.
pears ON the surface or In any Of the
news dispatches. The mere fact that
the President devoted most Of his fare
we'll talk to Washington Newspaper
men Just prior to going to Hyde Park
is the best instance Of that. Those
who have studied the Presidents han
ding Of the press know that he does
not Just happen to talk for fifteen