Evening star., 1934-01-25
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

What's going to be the position Of
Senator Huey p. Long Of Louisiana in
the Senate, now that his political grip
on his home State has been shaken
loose? When he came to Washington,
Long was In the full flush Of political
rushed into the new arena and began to
talk. He attacked the Democratic
leader OF the Senate, Senator Robinson
OF Arkansas. He assailed Senator
Carter Glass of Virginia, former Secre-
tary OF the Treasury in the Wilson ad-
ministration. He made himself offen-
sive to lot Of other Senators. Now
that he has taken another sock OH the
jaw-the political Jaw this time-in
New Orleans, 1t does not look as though
he would find a great deal of sympathy
in the Senate chamber. Nor does it ap-
pear that what he has to say will be
regarded as Of particular news value,
certainly not of as much value as when
he was on the political upgrade. He
has three years more. almost. to serve
in the Senate under his present term OF
office. His term expires January 3,
1887. At the present juncture 1t looks
as though he had little chance to be
renominated for second term. 1t is
true that he Is versatile, that he has
fought and won lot of political battles
in his State in the past.
4 ~ X
Huey Longs first mistake seems to
have been his break with President
Roosevelt and his attack on the admin
istration's policies. He ridiculed the
Civilian Conservation Corps. He did
not like other things the President was
doing. He fought the economy bill. par
ticularly as 1t affected the veterans, al
though he himself is not q veteran. He
was denied any voice In Federal pat
ronage and declared he didn't give q
damn" Fighting President Roosevelt
or his policies isn't getting members Of
Congress very far in their own per-
sonal careers at this time. If the
Roosevelt program should prove a fail
ure and the President lose much Of his
present popularity, Huey Long might
be able to say II told you So" but even
so it is scarcely likely that the country
would turn to him, or that he would
regain much lost ground in the State.
For the last six years Long has been
supreme in Louisiana. That seems to
have been his trouble. He elected not
only himself to office as Governor and
as Senator. but he sought to elect only
his own political henchmen to office.
He was too high-handed. And now
the people. the voters in the State, have
decided he won't do. Not so long ago
it was predicted that Huey Long was
likely to campaign against this or that
Senator from the South who had in
Cured his enmity. Instead Of UNDER
taking to defeat candidates for the
Arb n
Mississippi and other States near Lou
isiana, Mr.. Long Is going to have ter
rible time getting himself reelected.
Probably nothing has more clearly
demonstrated the grip the President has
on the imagination OF the people and
the political situation thereby than the
way Congress is dealing with his gold
bill. now before the Senate. The meas
ure has been described as the most inn
portant and far reaching that has come
before Congress in II years by the Re-
publican leader of the Senate. Senator
McNary. The House put the bill through
in a single day, with only 40 votes
cast against it, The Senate is likely
to take action on the bill within few
davs. and it is expected that the Presi-
dent will have just as strong support
for the measure in the Upper House as
in the Lower A few amendments will
be adopted-one of them limiting the
operation of the stablizatlon fund to
three years-but none that the Presl-
dent opposes. Certainly the Senate has
gone docile." Who would have be,
lieved that the Senate of the United
States would have been willing to con-
tent itself with a mere few days talk
over such an important measure? A
year or two ago and the talk would
have lasted a month or even two
months. Not in generations has the
executive branch Of the Government
so dominated the legislative branch as
it does today. Even during the World
War. when the country was lined up
behind President Wilson, there was not
so great a yielding Of power on the
part of Congress.
The decision of the administration
to go ahead and build up without
delay the American Navy to the full
strength permitted under the treaties
of Washington and London, has some
thing in common with the Presidents
gold program. Both of these pro-
grams take into account the needs
of the United States for national de-
fense, the first in a military way and
the second in way of trade and for
eign exchange. And both. it appears,
have given the other nations some
thing to think about. From Japan
there comes a conciliatory note and
a suggestion that there should be con-
ferences on the naval policies of the
two nations. From Great Britain has
come the suggestion that it would be
wise to resume and continue the dis
cussions which were interrupted when
the London Economic Conference ad-
journed last year. The United States.
fully armed both from q military and
an economic point Of view, as the
administration seems bent on making
this country, will be listened to more
carefully by the other nations of the
world. 1t is not the purpose of the
administration to run over other ma
of the administration not to have other
nations run over the United States.
One mistake this Government has
made ever since 1921 has been its fall
ure to build up the American Navy to
full treaty strength. 1t was agreed that
the United States should have q Navy
second to none" at the washington
Arms Conference and later at the Lon
don Conference. But the Government
in Washington has held back, hoping
for further agreements for the reduc-
ton of ornaments, and has not gone
ahead with Q naval building program
calculated to bring the Navy within
striking distance Of the full treaty
strength. When anything has been
done it has been on the insistence Of
Congress. This policy now has been
discarded, and there seems no question
but what the Congress will back up the
administration in its present demand
for naval building. Furthermore, many
Of the people In this country will believe
that it is far better to spend some
hundreds of millions of dollars for ma
tional defense than 1t is to spend these
hundreds of millions on public works
that the country does not actually need.
Building up the Navy will give work
just as well as the public works opera
tiOnS