Evening star., 1934-09-03
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

| implications. This month VIII see the
State and congressional campaigns
well underway. The textile mills
where the strike has been called
stretch from Maine to Alabama. The
1 strike has been called notwithstand-
! ing the fact that the cotton textile
mills have been operating under the
N. r. A. code-the first code to be put
into operation. Conflicting reports as
to the extent OF the strike have been
made, the strike leaders claiming that
from 800, 900 to l,250, 1000 employees will
be affected. and the mill operators in
sisting that not more than Is per
cent Of the total number Of mills and
workers will be affected. The next
day or two will probably show who is
right in this respect.
4 4 =
What's the administration going to
do if the strike spreads and continues?
Is it going to put all the strikers and
their families on the relief rolls and
feed them? And II SO, does this mean
that every time In the future there Is
a strike called the striking employees
will be fed by the Government? The
relief appropriations were made to
feed the unemployed and the desti-
tute. When employed workers walk
out of their jobs because they are
unwilling to work on the terms offered
them, does that put them in the
same category with men and women
who have been unable to find employ
ment. so far as Federal relief and
free food is concerned? 1t is tough
question to have thrust prominently
to the fore on the eve of an important
political campaign. Or Is 1t tough?
The easy answer would appear to be:
Feed the workers, of course; to do
otherwise would be to lose lot OF
votes"
Already q strike on the Pacifc
Coast. with the longshoremen as the
prime movers, has threatened to make
it's mark ON the political campaign
this Fall, particularly in California,
where q general strike was called in
San Francisco. The general strike col
lapsed. But 1t stirred up lot OF
bitter feeling while it lasted. And
now the Republican Governor, Frank
A. Merriam, candidate to succeed him.
self, finds himself face to face with
| Upton Sinclair former Socialist and
now affiliated with the Democratic
party, although he has not recanted
his Socialistic views.
Up in Pennsylvania, where the New
Dealers are making desperate effort
| to elect their candidates for Governor
and for the Senate, it now appears the
Federal money flow for relief Is to be
turned off because Pennsylvania has
not been putting up enough money to
help out its own citizens. 1t is figured
that this stOppage of the supply will
in some way aid in Democratic VIC
tory at the polls, since a Republican
Governor lPinchot) has been in office
and the Legislature has been con-
trolled by the Republicans. This may
be true, but it won't be very pretty
picture. If the New Dealers are to
deny relief money to a Republican
State on the even of an election In
order to make votes, it becomes a
pretty sordid affair. Gov. Pinchot
himself has been a New Dealer. He
was one of those who insisted that the
Federal Government should shoulder
the burden of relief--a policy which
the New Dealers hastened to follow.
1t seems bit unkind to Mr.. Pinchot
to build fire under him right now.
The Federal relief administrator
probably is quite right. however, in
insisting upon Pennsylvania doing
its full share for relief of its citizens.
He might have insisted on the same
thing, say, last April, when the pri-
mary campaign was underway and
| Gov. Pinchot was seeking to win the
Republican senatorial nomination
away from Senator Reed, an opponent
of the New Deal. Are all the other
States besides Pennsylvania, where re-
lief is being accorded by the F. e.
r. A., doing their full share? Pennsyl-
vania is the second most populous
State in the Union, and its people
pay a lot in Federal taxes, and these
Federal taxes are being used to care
for the people in the Dakotas and
other less pOpulOus States. Perhaps
the people III Pennsylvania are figur-
ing they are entitled to draw lot
from the Federal treasury in this
matter OF relief. They may be wrong.
Postmaster General Farley, the
Democratic National Committee man.
has just been in Pennsylvania. max
ing speeches for Joe" Gutfey, the
Democratic senatorial candidate, and
for George Earle, the Democratic
candidate for Governor. Mr.. Farley
called attention to the fact that Mr..
Guffey had been a Roosevelt Demo-
crat before the Chicago convention
and insisted that Mr.. Guffey could
be relied upon to follow the lead of
the President, If the voters sent him
to Washington. In this connection Mr..
Farley said: Joe Guffey was one OF
the very first TO pledge himself to the
candidacy Of Franklin D. Roosevelt as
President. He foresaw, as clearly, !
think, as any of the political leaders
in Pennsylvania or the Nation, that in
Franklin d. Roosevelt the country had
real champion, one who entertained
new philosophy of governments
new vision OF service to the people.
"I believe that Joe Gutfey will be
| 100 per cent In step with such pro-
gram. I am confident that President
Roosevelt will flnd i'll him true, loyal
and trusted aide and Pennsylvania
will get adequate representation in
the Senate of the United States"
| X X
| All Is not smooth sailing for the
Democrats in West Virginia this year,
where the youthful Rush D. Holt has
become the senatorial nominee for
the party desuite the fact that he
is only 20 years old and will be six
months less than the constitutional
age, 80, set for Senators when the
new Congress convenes. Gov. Kump,
Democrat, and Holt have been at odds,
and presumably the factions they
lead are at odds. 1t is reported from
West Virginia that the differences are
SO serious as to make far less bright
Democratic chances for success in the
senatorial election than had been
considered probably few months ago.
Holt is running against Senator Hat
field, Republican incumbent. A VIC
tory for Hatfield would be regarded