Evening star., 1934-11-04
What the Election on Tuesday Means
To New Deal and the Administration

demands LOT DOuntleS, lot PUBIC
works grants and for other rewards
that commonly go with political
power.
If the opposition is further weak
ened as result Of the election, then
it will be harder to keep the party
members from straying away from the
reservation. Mr.. Farley. asked what
he considered a good Democrat, re-
piled: "A good Democrat is like good
Indian; he Is one who stays on the
reservation" BY that measurement
the number of good Democrats" may
not be increased greatly on Tuesday.
The problem of unruly Democrats
may become acute. Politicians long
have recognized that it is much easier
to keep a party closely knit together
and working toward a common end
when there is real enemy to battle,
than when the opposition is scattered
and disorganized.
Actually, the prospect Is that party
labels will mean less in the next Con-
gress than in most Of its predecessors.
Many Republicans, some of whom
are likely to be elected, sought office
on a New Deal platform. Some even
went further than President Roosevelt
in urging radical changes. But there
are Democrats who have gone further
than radical Republicans in pronis-
ing changes for their constituents.
The result is that many prominent
issue will find the party memberships
badly scrambled. Republicans and
Democrats will be lined up in support,
and Republicans and Democrats will
be lined up in opposition.
X
That will be true on such issues
as the cash payment of a soldiers
bonus, on plans to print money with
which to pay depositors in closed
banks, on other plans to print money
to pay of farm mortgages, on pro-
posals to create a central Government
bank to have the sole power to issue
currency and on other issues. Yet the
President is pictured as confident that
he can handle the groups that go to
make up Congress and control the
situation.
Then is the future of the party and
of President Roosevelt all serene, so
far as the 1886 outlook is concerned?
Hardly. Democratic Chairman Far
ley admits that 1886 was in sight
when he set out to pile up big 1884
victory. He wanted to scuttle the Re-
publican party so that 1t would have
harder time readjusting itself for
the next presidential campaign.
But as the situation is viewed in
Washington, the danger faced by Mr..
Roosevelt is less from the old-line
Republicans than from the member
ship in his own party ranks.
The President, very definitely, Is
seeking to steer down the middle of
the road between the conservatives,
who feel that the Government should
stabilize its currency. balance the
budget and go back to recovery
methods that worked in years gone
by, and the radicals, who want to
initiate the currency, spend money like
water and take steps that would lead
the country far from old-style capital
ism.
In following the middle course Mr..
Roosevelt always is in danger OF losing
support of those party members both
to the right and to the left of him.
Thus, Senators Glass and Byrd and
Tydings and others from the South
might soon be found drifting over
toward the Liberty League and any
set-up it arranges when it becomes
active after the election. And Sena-
tors Long, Bilbo, Wheeler and others
from the Middle West and Far West
might be found drifting toward a
third party to the left of the Presi-
dent.
There already is the nucleus Of
third party organization in the Moth
west. 1t will be strengthened if
Senator La Fullette is reelected in
Wisconsin and Senator Shipstead is
reelected in Minnesota. Already there
is the Non-Partisan League in North
Dakota.
Should hard times continue for
another year or two, and should Presi-
dent Roosevelt fail to satisfy the de-
mands of some sections of the country,
not much imagination is needed to see
the possibility of a third candidate
for the presidency In 1886, with good
chance of gathering some electoral
votes-possibly enough to give re-
newed hope to the Republicans.
The Presidents main consideration
must be to retain power. His big job
in that connection is to keep discon-
tented groups from breaking away and
organizing themselves into a new
party. The task certainly may not be
made easier by an unwieldy and some
what wild-eyed Democratic majority
coming out of Tuesdays election.
(Copyright. 1934)