Evening star., 1934-09-17
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

loaf as he could. He turned Demo-
crat last year. He won the Demo-
cratic nomination for Governor OF
California, advancing his E. P. I. c.
plan-end poverty in CALIFORNIA;
hybrid kind of Socialism. He is still
practical, it appears. Reports from
California say that he is willing to
modify his E. P. I. c. plan until it
| conforms to the New Deal. Indeed, in
| an interview when he was in Wash
ington he predicted that the Demo-
cratic platform adopted by the party's
State convention would be entirely
| in line with the New Deal. What
does he accomplish by this? He gains,
| in all probability, the support of the
Democrats who opposed him and sup
ported George Creel, friend Of the
President and of Senator McAdoo, in
the gubernatorial primary. This
virtually means the support Of the
Democratic organization is with him.
In addition, he has his own organiza-
| tion of liberals.
In the period of a year Mr.. Sinclair
seems to have learned lot about
politics. He is planning to be Gov
| ernor of California and he believes
| that he can do more for his own ideas
and ideals in the Governors chair
| than he can out of 1t. His opponent,
| the Republican nominee, Is Gov. Frank
Merriam, who won himself a reputa-
tion for defense of law and order
during the general strike in San Fran
cisco and its environs last Summer.
4 riar iS Tooordod
| servative and he is a conservative.
Probably the day Of the conservatives
will dawn again. But 1t Is scarcely
likely to dawn on November Of this
year. Many people thought that Sin
clair would be an easy man to beat at
the polls If he were nominated for
| Governor. Some of them have
changed their minds since the pri-
mary. If the Republican party in
| California were unit and well organ
lied Sinclair probably would have a
tough time. The Republican party in
the State, however, has been split,
divided and generally upset. Hiram
Johnson, the one man who might
swing the tide against Sinclair, has
both the Democratic and the Republi-
can nominations for the Senate to sue
ceed himself. He is a Roosevelt
Republican, just apparently as SIN
clair Is Roosevelt reformed Socialist.
1t does not seem within the bounds of
possibility, let alone probability, that
Johnson will take up the cudgels of
Merriam.
This job of aligning the Republi-
cans in solid array is a tough one in
a lot of States usually strongly Re-
publican this year. Even in Penn
sylvania one of the Republican can
didates for Governor, defeated in the
primary, Charles j. Margiotti, has
announced his support of Joseph F.
Guffey and George H. Earle, the
Democratic nominees respectively for
Senator and Governor Margiotti re-
ceived in the neighborhood of 200,-
600 votes in the Republican primary,
losing to William A. Schnader. Mar
giotti's announcement of support has
encouraged the Democrats, although
the Republicans make light of it. AT
best, however, it is not a help to
Senator Reed and Attorney General
Schnader. They are likely to win
in spite Of Margiotti. It is of course
exceedingly doubtful that Margiotti
can lead anything like a majority OF
his followers into the Guffey- Earle
camp.
The Democrats in PENNSYLVANIA
have hoped in the past for aid from
Gov. Pinchot, Progressive Republi-
can and strongly anti-Reed. Pinchot
gave up his plan to run as an inde-
pendent candidate for the Senate, IL
is true. But whether he did it out
Of any love for the Democratic can.
didates is a question. The Democrats
have been putting the Governor or
hot spot in recent weeks and have
forced his hand in the matter oi
calling a special session Of the Legis-
lature to provide for State relief
funds. They have attacked him since
the call because he did not throw the
special session wide open to the con-
Sideration of social reform legislation
The Republicans, on the other hand
have written platform containing
pledges to enact social reform legisla-
ton which has been supported by the
Governor. The Governors wife, whose
papers were filed for independent can
didate for the Office of Governor, may
or may not withdraw at the eleventh
hour. 1t does not look as though the
Democrats were likely to get a lot of
support from the Pinchot family.
The Republicans In the keystone
State have been exceedingly active
with their organizing in all the coun-
ties. The State chairman, M. Harvey
Taylor, is claiming that the Republi-
ean ticket will win q million votes
lead. He has been all over the State
and insists that the situation for the
Republicans Is growing better daily
He may be right about that, but II
Pennsylvania rolls up million lead
for the Republican candidates in No.
prise to lot of people. The Demo
Gratis are exerting every effort to win
and if not to win, to cut the Repub-
lioan majorities to the bone this year
Pennsylvania would, indeed, be a sweet
prize in the eyes of the New Dealers
X
With the Pennsylvania campaign
getting well under way, the Govern
ment in Washington launches another
attack on former Secretary of the
Treasury Andrew w. Mellon, who for
years has been dominant Republi-
can figure in the State. Mellon is
charged with having defrauded the
Government out of some $4,000 900 in
Federal income taxes on his 1881 in
come. He was then Secretary Of thu
Treasury. This thing of attacking
mellon on his income tax returns is
not new. The Government tried il
out earlier in the year and sought
to indict him, and the grand jury
declined to indict. Mr.. Mellon has
charged that the efforts of the ad-
ministration along this line have beer
for political purposes. This --latest
move on the part of the Internal Rev.
enue Bureau, he says, is merely to try
to save the face of Attorney General
Cummings, who launched the case
against him last Winter. With the
Democrats attacking the Reeds, the
| CH1ono dorc ond fLo NEaIIo,,.