Evening star., 1934-10-07
TWO MAJOR FORCES SEEN
AT WAR In Z. S. POLITICS
Parties Declared Superseded by Mag,
nets Drawing Voters Toward and
Away From New Form of Society.

| OOSldllslllI NOulu nave ulSdNOWeQ MI
Sinclair. They could have signifiet
to the country that they looked upor
the nomination as smerely a freak
incident, arising out of the exceptions
/ ally large amount of distress in thu
State, and out Of the proneness OF
Southern California to give birth ia
bizarre ideas, in politics as well as in
! economics and other fields.
Could Have Made Sign.
The Democratic leaders could have
given the sign to the country, whether
| they disavoWed Mr.. Sinclair or en-
braced him. In discussing what they
actually did, In discussing the Sinclair
incident as whole, it is unnecessary
and undesirable to be partisan. If
majority of the members of a party
wish to take the Socialist turn, or il
the majority of the country as whole
wishes to adopt the Socialist system,
their right to do so is inherent in our
democratic system of majority rule.
All that any one has a right to de-
mand is that the voters be informed.
If the Democratic leaders, national or
/ local in California. wish the members
of their party, and the public, to un-
derstand the position Of those leaders
/ about Mr.. Sinclair, they have only to
| make their position clear, in action or
| in words.
They have spoken so far only in
actions. After Mr.. Sinclair had got
his nomination in California he hur-
ried East. At Hyde Park he talked
/
| Emerging, the visitor was careful to
avoid saying in words what had taken
place. but almost equally careful to
imply. by his manner and by indirect
| illusions in words, that the interview
had made him happy. At Washing
ton the Democratic national chair
man and Postmaster General, James
A Farley, told Mr. Sinclair to-so the
newspapers said-"Call me Jim"
These Eastern developments about
Mr.. Sinclair we're indefinite and in
formal. After Mr.. Sinclair returned
to California the Democratic State
Convention was held and adopted its
platform. Just how far the platform
goes in the direction of socialism, how
far it departs from traditional Demo-
CIdJ4C anu OOClIlIltS. Is
matter of dispute. One observer puts
1t thus: THE Democratic Convention
capitulated almost wholly to a ground
swell of extreme left wing demand"
Photograph Held Significant.
Most significantly the local Demo-
cratic leaders in California embraced
Mr.. Sinclair The signal to the public
took the form, in part. of a photo
graph, printed widely throughout the
country-a photograph of Mr.. Sim
clair beaming, as he stood in an at
titude of posed amity with the Demo-
cratic Senator from California, Mr..
William G. McAdoo, and the Demo-
cratic leader whom Mr.. Sinclair de-
feted for the gubernatorial nomina-
ton. Mr.. George Creel.
Mr. Creel, Is years ago, was one
of the two or three closest intimates
of the greatest Democratic leader the
country has had for generations, our
war time President. AS Mr. Creel
held the hand Of Socialist Sinclair. to
/ be photographed in political frater-
nifty for campaign purposes, one can
imagine Mr. Creel saying, If Wood
row Wilson could see me now!"
! Mr.. Wilson is dead and gone these
/ 10 years. But good many WILSON,
ian Democrats still live One wonders
what they think about the Democratic
/ party taking. apparently, a turn to-
ward Socialism.
At the present writing the facts
about the Socialist. Mr.. Sinclair's,
/ candidacy for Governor of California
on the Democratic ticket include, ac-
cording to information received from
! that State a real chance of his win
/ ming. The opposition to him is divided,
with a regular Republican candidate
and third party candidate. Re-
Gently, however, the third candidate
has become less serious Realization
by the people of the State that the
/ Sinclair candidacy constitutes a crisis,
has led to a tendency for all the op-
position to get behind the Republican
[ candidate.
Much Hangs on Outcome.
On the outcome on election day in
! November much hangs. both locally
in California and nationally. The
effects of the two possible outcoues
can be traced roughly If Mr.. Sin.
clair should be beaten it would prob-
ably give a decisive end to the So.
cialist tendency, both in the Demo-
cratic party and in the country gen.
orally. If Mr.. Sinclair loses his de-
feat will probably stand in history
as the point of high tide of the So.
cialist and radical movement that
accompanied and followed the great
depression.
The consequences of Mr.. Sinclair's
winning in California in November
are less easy to trace. but would cer-
tainly be momentous. Victory by Mr..
Sinclair would impress Democrats
throughout the Nation strongly. Some
| Democrats, who take party principle
| lightly. would tend to interpret Mr..
Sinclair'S victory as a sign that So
cialist sentiment is rising. Such DEM
ocrats would tend to carry the party
farther and farther in that direction.
At the same time there are many
/ Democrats, leaders and rank and file,
| who take the party's principles and
| traditions with the utmost serious
ness. Such Democrats. if Mr.. Sin
clair should win in California, would
be likely to move at once for a show
down. They would insist on finding
out whether their party is definitely
and finally taking the Socialist turn.
And if it should be apparent that the
party is taking that turn. these DEM
ocratS would do something about il.
quite possibly something very drastic,
even perhaps either the formation Of
a new party or an attempt to expel
the Socialists from the Democratic
party.
Copyright. 1934)