Evening star., 1935-05-20
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

rible time-SOme OF them-trysng 70
decide Just how far they should 60 in
opposition to the Roosevelt New Deal
in the coming campaign. OF course,
this problem holds no difficulties for
former President Hoover, former Sec
retary Ogden l.. Mills Of the Treasury
Department and some of the other
more conservative members Of the
G. o. p. They are against the whole
works." But out in the Midwest,
where the grass roots" conference of
the G. o. p. Is soon to be held, the
Republicans, leaders and rank and
file, are not so sure. Take the A. A. A.
and its program under which the
farmers receive checks for not grow
ing wheat, hogs and corn, for ex-
ample. II q resolution denouncing
this program is taken into the Mid
west Republican conference, which is
to meet in Springfield, Ill, June 10
and IL, what will be its fate? 1t is
true that John D. M. Hamilton, Re-
publican national committeeman for
Kansas, has recently declared that
Simon Fishman, Kansas State Sen
stor who has been operating as field
lecturer in support Of the three AS
would not be welcome as delegate
| to the conference. But along comes
| Senator Capper of Kansas with a
radio address the other night in which
| he praises the A. A. A. program to
| the skies. Not Fishman, nor Secre-
tary Wallace himself, could have been
more laudatory of the adminiStra-
tons farm program than was the
Republican Senator.
It Just doesn't seem to make sense.
Here are the Republicans taking op-
posite sides in the controversy over
the Roosevelt farm program, and at
the same time the President finds
some of his bitterest critics-on the
farm plan-in his own party. Senator
Harry Flood Byrd of Virginia, for
example, has flayed the A. A. A. pro-
gram in the Senate and on the air.
New England Democratic Senators
have protested vigorously against the
continuance Of the processing tax on
cotton and other farm products. from
which the farmers are to receive the
cash for ploughing under crops; the
processing taxes 60 to the Government
and the Government hands out the
checks to the farmers.
How to denounce the Roosevelt ad-
ministration and its program. while
clinging to some OF its principal poll
cies Is q tough problem. It IS going
to require a lot Of ingenuity How
ever. the Republican National Con-
vention in 1882 had to frame a plat
form which would curry favor with
the dry" and at the same time meet
demands of the "wets." 1t tried.
The result was neither fish, flesh nor
good red herring, and it pleased no
one The probabilities are that If the
G. o. P. attempts to straddle on the
New Deal as it did on prohibition it
will not get very far.
The opinion Is growing strongly
in Republican quarters that at the
next national convention the party
will have to go the whole route and
denounce the New Deal. Already
there is pretty general criticism among
the Republicans IN all sections of the
country of Capitalization Of power in
Government bureaus in Washington,
and of the So-called regimentation of
the various groups Of citizens.
Although admitting that the odds
are at present against them, Repub-
lican leaders are unwilling to admit
that President Roosevelt is unbeatable
next year. They believe that, despite
the huge amount Of money which
the administration has to spend, run
ming into many billions of dollars,
between today and election in No.
vember 1886, the Democrats can be
defeated. Their hope, however, Is
predicated on the belief that q great
many persons, even those who are
receiving Government checks, are be-
coming dissatisfied; that they do not
like being told by the Government
what they must do in the matter Of
production, etc.
The Republicans are beginning to
look around for a standard bearer to
lead them In 1886. Some Of the
Western Republicans look askance at
the recent activity of former Presi-
dent Hoover, They figure that his
entrance now into the picture will
give the impression that he is a can
didate for denomination and re-elec-
tion. They do not believe that the
country will accept him, and they fear
that II Hoover movement becomes
active the Republican party will bear
an additional burden. Mr.. Hoover
has many friends and admirers who
do not take the same view as these
Republicans from the West. But even
they say that they do not look upon
Mr.. Hoover as an available candidate
at this time. There are those Re-
publicans who say that Mr.. Hoover,s
recent attack on the N. r. A. is ukelv
to give its friends an added lever. at
a time when it looked as though the
Senate had rather effectually pre-
vented legislation extending the
N. r. A. beyond April next.
X X
From New York comes a story that
movement is under way to have Al
fred E. Smith, former Governor of
New York. nominated on the Re
publican ticket and supported by the
anti-Roosevelt Democrats. It seems
utterly impossible that any such thing
could or would happen. But it is IL
Illustrative of the way in which the op-
ponents Of the New Deal are casting
about for candidates to defeat the
President. There has been talk in
other quarters of having the Republic
ans get behind Senator Harry Flood
Byrd Of Virginia, another Democrat,
and critic of the New Deal. And
the name Lewis W. Douglas, an Ari-
zona Democrat. former director of the
budget, who broke with President
Roosevelt over the Governments
spending policies, has come into the
picture. Charles c. Hellinger of New
York Is the chairman Of the Smith
for-President Committee. He says
that he has enrolled some $4,000
supporters of the former Governor
and 1928 Democratic presidential
nominee, among the business and pro-
fessional men and women. There is
not the slightest doubt that AL Smith
has q strong personal following In
this country and that many Of the
L.