Evening star., 1934-05-21
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincoln.

publican National Committee will
gather in Chicago to decide who shall
head the G.. o. p. national organi-
zation. If any of them know today
what the answer to the problem will
be they are keeping it pretty closely
to themselves. There are three or
four different camps-perhaps a lot
more. One of them insists that the
new chairman shall be liberal-not
allied particularly with any of the old
groups of regular Republicans. An
other demands a veteran Republican.
A third insists that it would be bet
ter to continue Everett Sanders, the
present chairman, in Office. One set
Of Republicans insists that it is of
vast Importance whom the National
Committee selects at its meeting in
Chicago to head the committee. An
other set continues to argue that it is
Of no importance whatever, really;
that national chairmen do not make
issues or change the tide of political
battle. Under all the circumstances,
what happens in Chicago is not with
out interest.
The Republicans and the Demo-
Gratis have a campaign of much i'm
portance ahead of them this year.
| The Republicans have taken courage
! from the recent victory in the Repub-
| lican Pennsylvania primaries, where
the organization candidates were sue
cessful in the contests for senatorial
/ and gubernatorial nominations. If
/ Senator David A. Reed had been de-
feated by Gov. Pinchot, they would
have been terribly cast down. But
! Senator Reed came through the pri-
/ mary a victor, with lead of approx
/ imately 100000. The Republicans
read into his victory a trend away
! from the Roosevelt deal and back
toward Republican ideals, because
/ Pinchot has always been pro-
! gressive and because he has been
/ friendly with President Roosevelt
and with most of his new deal poll
cies. A defeat for Senator Reed
would have been most disheartening
for them.
It is becoming more and more COM
mon to say that the new deal policies
are falling into disfavor, while Presi-
dent Roosevelt still retains his personal
/ popularity. All Of this is rather
reminiscent of the many assertions
early in the World War that it was
/ Kaiser Wilhelm and not the German
people with whom the allied nations
were warning. How long leader can
/ continue to be differentiated from his
! policies, how long he can continue to
be popular and his policies unpopular
is a question. Sooner or later the
two must be joined in the opinion Of
the people at large. There has been
much criticism of the Roosevelt poll
cies from many different groups. But,
on the other hand, these policies have
been widely approved. The real test
will come when people go to the polls
next November to elect new House
of Representatives and thirty-four new
Senators. In the meantime there will
be considerable interest in the outcome
of the poll now being conducted by the
Literary Digest, asking $4,000 900 men
and women to say whether they ap-
prove of the Roosevelt policies "on
/ the whole"
The main hope of the Democrats in
these congressional elections lies in
return of employment and increased
business. If business continues to pick
up. there seems little doubt the Demo-
Gratis will benefit thereby. The Repub-
/ licans necessarily cannot put them
/ selves in a position of attempting to
block a return of business. 1t makes
their plans of campaign all the more
difficult.
The Roosevelt administration is
about to make a couple of new expert
ments, one with the tariff and the
other with money. The Roosevelt
reciprocity tariff bill, giving the
President authority to make interna-
tional trade agreements and to lower
or raise tariff duties by so per cent
in making those agreements, is one
of these experiments. The Repub-
licans have trained their guns on this
bill. The other is the proposed silver
bill, which will give silver new status
in the monetary scheme. Both OF these
measures are giving some Of the Demo-
! Gratis considerable concern. They fear
a reaction on the part of business and
industry against the tariff measure,
and they remember what happened to
a former Democratic leader when he
espoused the cause of silver nearly
forty years ago. The tariff bill is
destined to become law before long.
And with the backing of the President
it is expected that the silver bill will
! 4NrnYlnh hty lorUn Unto
| X \ y
The organization Of the new Pro-
gressive party by the La Toilette pro-
gressives in Wisconsin will be followed
with peculiar interest. How many
Democrats will join with the progress
sives in the Badger State is an impor-
tant question. Not all of the progress
sives who have followed the La Fol-
lettes for the last forty years have
been Republicans. Apparently Senator
La Toilette. his brother, former Gov.
Philip La Toilette, and other progress
sive leaders in the State have come to
| the conclusion that they do not care
for the Roosevelt administration nor
for many of its policies. despite the
fact that they turned to and helped
| clcCG IICSluCllb IbOOcCfClV WV ySoAo
ago and at the same time helped elect
a Democratic Senator and a Demo-
cratic Governor. At the same time it
seems clear that the progressive lead
ers in Wisconsin felt that they might
fall between two fires If they con-
tinued to remain in the Republican
party and in the end might lose prac-
| tically all of their influence. With an
increasing strength in the Democratic
ranks. it has been the danger of the
progressives that the "stalwart" brand
of Republicans might easily outnum-
Der the La Toilette followers. The
new party is their answer and chal-
lenge to both Republicans and Demo-
Gratis If they are successful in their
attempted new movement, they may
be continued in power for years to
come. Just as the Farmer-Labor party
members have dominated Minnesota.
X X X
The reports of the Darrow Com
mission, attacking the N. r. A, made
public today, have stirred up a nice
| kettle of fish While Mr., DarrOW and