Evening star., 1935-10-21
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By G.. Could Lincoln.

Senator George w. Norris of Ne
braska is, he expects, to support Presi-
dent Roosevelt for reelection. This is
not unexpected. The Nebraska Senator,
Progressive Republican, has been cred
tied with bringing. President Roosevelt's
candidacy for the Democratic preSiden-
tial nomination favorably before the
Progressives more than year before the
President became the choice Of the
Democratic National Convention in
1882. He told the Progressives, who were
meeting in national conference here,
Roosevelt" Senator Norris came for
ward to support Roosevelt in 1882 against
former President Hoover.
II
Norris has great influence in Ne
braska. His support of the President
in the coming presidential election may
have lot to do with carrying the State
for the Democrats on election day next
year. He will be for the reelection of
Roosevelt because, he insists, the Re-
publicans will put forward a presiden-
tial nominee unacceptable to the Pro-
gressives He does not see his colleague,
Senator Borah of Idaho as possibil-
| ity for the Republican presidential NOM
| ination. Either, he contends, Borah will
| be q candidate to succeed himself for
| the Senate, instead of running for PreSi-
dent, or he will be turned down by the
Republicans in their national conven-
| ton. The inference Is that if the Re-
publicans nominated Borah, Norris
might support him. although he has not
| been quoted as saying directly that he
would abandon Roosevelt and turn to
Borah, even if the Idaho Senator were
| the G. o. P. nominee.
- X
Senator Norris. for years a denouncer
| of the power trust" has given his sup
| port in the Senate to President Roose-
velt's Tennessee Valley Authority leg
islation and to the act to control hold
| ing companies in the public utility buSi.
ness. He enthusiastically gave his ap-
proval to the T. v. A. plan when it was
| first launched. Indeed, he may have
had much to do with inspiring the whole
project. So, therefore, it was to be ex-
pected that the Nebraska Senator would
be found supporting Roosevelt for re-
| election next year.
Il y
To Senator Norris, the Roosevelt ad-
| ministration has liability in the shape
| Of Postmaster General James A. Farley.
Farley is chairman Of the Democratic
National Committee and has been the
Presidents chief political general since
| long before he entered Office. Norris is
stickler for merit, and not politics, in
| appointment to governmental office. He
does not believe that a chairman Of
| political party should have a place in
| PraS1danf'c
cunning for Farley often in the past.
But Mr.. Farley has hung on to both
| jobs Generally it is expected that Mr..
| Farley will quit the cabinet as soon as
the campaign for delegates to the next
| Democratic national convention gets
| officially under way. Probably early next
year. He will give, then, all his time to
! the reelection of President Roosevelt.
So the administration liability from the
| point Of view of Senator Norris will
have been to some extent removed.
The appointment of Senator Joseph
| w. Guffey Of Pennsylvania to be chair
man OF the Democratic Senatorial Cam
paign Committee will be announced this
week. The selection of the chairman is
made by the party leader, Senator Rob.
| torial campaign of 1884 Senator James
| Hamilton Lewis of Illinois served as
, chairman of the committee. Senator
| Lewis is up for reelection himself this
| coming year, and for that reason will
be relieved of conducting the general
campaign for Democratic Senators.
Senator Guffey, the first Democratic
Senator from Pennsylvania to be elected
In some seventy years, is serving his first
term. He has, however, already sprung
into prominence as the sponsor of the
administrations coal actor the soft
coal industry, and that measure is known
as the Guffey coal act.
| The contest for control of the New
York State Assembly, which will cul-
inmate in election November S, is being
fought with the utmost intensity. The
| Republicans are out to win q majority
| of the Assembly. to recapture the As
| sembly from the Democrats. New York
| is President Roosevelts home State. It
| has greater number Of electoral votes
| for President than any other State. It
is, indeed, political prize worth having
in a presidential race, although 1t has
| not always carried national victory with
| it on election day. For example, Chief
| Justice Hughes in 1916 won in New York
State, but lost in the Nation to the late
President Woodrow Wilson.
| X
What New York does in the coming
Assembly election will be interpreted as
indicating the swing of political senti-
ment for the presidential election. The
Republicans have sought in the present
campaign to bring the Roosevelt admin
istration into the picture as much as
possible; to make the issue national as
we'll as State. The Democrats, on the
other hand. have tried to conf1ne the
| fight to State issues, with the record
of Gov. Lehman as the main issue Both
sides are claiming victory. The Repub-
licans have been particularly active,
sending a caravan into many sections
| of the State. They insist that they will
| elect at least 80 out of the $50 members
| of the Assembly. The Democrats deny
| this fatty and do not concede the Re-
| publicans seat now held by the Demo-
| Gratis.
\
AS a sign of the great interest which
the people are taking in politics these
days, the registration throughout New
York State has risen sharply this year.
| The Republicans read into this a sign
that the people are up in arms against
| the Democrats. The Democrats last year
had II seats in the Assembly to 73 for
the Republicans. Now, the increase in
L sr&~ I,;-