Evening star., 1935-09-02
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By G. Could Lincoln.

Not satisfied merely with the results
of the Rhode Island first congressional
district election in which the Republican
candidate, Representative Risk, defeated
Prince, his Democratic opponent, agents
of the Republican National Committee
have been investigating thoroughly po-
litical sentiment in two of the New
England States. The States are Rhode
Island and New Hampshire. The can
vass made by the agents Of the G. Q.
p. committee covered all classes OF per-
sons. 1t revealed a decided swing in
both these States against President
Roosevelt and the New Deal.
u X y
In 1892 New Hampshire was carried
by former President Hoover against
President Roosevelt by the narrow
margin of 5000 votes. The prediction
is now made by Republicans, in the
light of the canvasses just completed,
that the State would 60 against RooSe-
welt, if another presidential election
were held this year, by from 25,000 to
10000 votes. That is more like the
normal Republican majority in the
White Mountain State, although Hoover
carried it in 1928 over AL Smith by $4,000
votes, and the late Calvin Coolidge car
ried the State in 1924 by $4,000 over
the combined opposition of Davis,
Democrat, and La Toilette, Progressive.
Four main reasons are assigned by
the Republican investigators to the
change in sentiment so far as the New
Deal Is concerned in New Hampshire.
First stands the high cost OF living.
The other causes, in turn, are the fall
ure of the Roosevelt administration to
provide adequate tariff protection. oppo-
sition to the A. A. A. as reflected IN
the processing taxes, which 1t Is charged
has increased the cost of living and
also has taken away jobs in the textile
mills, and, finally, the imminence OF high
taxes.
It was further developed that when
the N. R. A. was first put into operation
1t had many supporters among the
larger manufacturers in New Hampshire.
But since then other issues have CROP
ped I'D to change the attitude OF these
manufacturers, among them the sound
money issue and the constant fear Of
increased taxation-a fear that has al
ready been realized in the new Roose-
welt "share-the wealth" tax law.
More interesting were the reports
about the sentiment of the labor group,
which earlier was strongly pro-Roosevelt.
This group. 1t is said. is no longer fol-
lowing Roosevelt, although 1t has not
come out afirmatively for the Repuo-
lican party. It is represented as occu.
pving a position of political neutrality,
where at first it was strongly pro-New
Deal. Labor is doing lot OF thinking
these DAYS. 1t wants jobs instead OF
relief. and 1t wants jobs in industry
rather than jobs with the Government.
particularly on the subsistence wage"
offered by the administration.
The constitutional issue" while it
NAV register later, apparently has not
vet had much to do with the change
in sentiment among the rank and file OF
the people, the reports from New Hamp-
shire indicate. II the issue is dramatlzed
more effectively, however. the Repuo-
lican scouts say. it may have mucn 10
do with the next campaign.
\ X
The Republican high command. while
oyerjoyed at the result in Rhode Island
last August 6, when Risk won election
bv more than $4,000 votes over his DEM
ocratic opponent in a congressional dis
trjct which went Democratic nine
months earlier by 21,000. decided to in
vestigate political sentiment there There
had been reports of Democratic dissen-
ton in the district and OF a renglous
warfare. The results OF the new can
vass, however, are that the Republican
won in a real rush of disapproval OF the
,nic He W0n.
Furthermore. it was reported to head
quarters, in spite OF the fact that many
persons were receiving "relief ana IN
spite of the political pressure brought 10
bear by the Democratic command.
Furthermore, the relief workers were
found to be not satisfied, and the work
ers in the mills are reported to be doing
a lot of hard thinking for themselves,
and the results of that thinking are not
favorable to the Roosevelt New Deal.
Rhode Island was one OF the TWO new
England States which went Tor Roosevelt
in 1892 against Herbert Hoover. 1t gave
the President lead OF about 1l,OOO
votes. It has but two congressional dis
trictS, and one Of these went Repuohcan
by $4,000 in the recent congressional
race. The Republicans at headquarters
are more convinced than ever, since they
made their post-election canvass in
Rhode Island, that much significance is
to be attached to the Rhode Island re-
suits in August.
Having satisfied themselves that the
swing in New England is distinctly away
from the Roosevelt New Deal and the
President, the c. o. P. high command
is centering more and more on the
Middle West. The Republicans have
feeling that the sentiment Of the East,
which includes New York, with its great
b,oc of electoral votes is pretty well
represented in the New England States.
They must have Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
and other States of the Middle West
and the West, they realize. So they are
industriously working in those sections
of the country. They say they are con-
vinced that the tide has turned against
Roosevelt there, particularly in ONO,
Indiana and Illinois. But in the States
like Kansas and Iowa and Nebraska,
where the farmers are greatly predomi-
nant, there is still a considerable fond
ness for the checks which the A. A. A.
is handing out for not growing wheat
and corn and hogs. Furthermore. farm
prices are higher, much, than they were
during the last Republican adminiStra-
ton.
An astute political leader from Kansas
recently said that he believed that his