, 1935-07-12
WASHINGTON
BY Raw Tucker


by Ray Tucker
bud - Formation OF a third party
for 1886 Is 10Y up to Huey Long and
Father Coughlin.
ProgreSSives like Mayor LaGuar-
dia, Floyd Olson OF Minnesota and
Bob LaFollette have washed their
hands Of national insurgency. Their
scouts have reported that the third
party convention at Chicago was a
farce and q political madhouse. 1t
fell under control Of q weird galaxy
or single takers, technocrats and par
lor pinks. More substantial elements
- union labor and the farmers -
pulled out ON the first day.
What better known liberals urg-
ed privately was creation OF a flex-
ible organization. They planned to
use 1t as a threat that might keep
Mr.. Roosevelt siding TO the left.
Brewing - Frst-flight Progress
sives are jubilant over Mr.. RooSe-
velt's present bent. These include
such influential leaders as Senators
Norris, johnson and La Toilette, Oh
son and LaGuardia.
But there are many liberals who
still withhold Judgment. They may
make trouble yet. They insist that
the President veto the holding COM
pany bill unless IL carries the death
sentence, whereas some advisers
think he ought 70 accept regulation
IL necessary. Extremists also insist
on q thorough-going, soak-the-rich
taxation measure. They want TO
raise a billion instead Of q few hum
dred million.
Mr.. Roosevelt may find that he
can't please the insurgents, as SO
many predecessors did. There still
may be thunder - and trouble -
on the left.
@. q. P.-Republlcan Old Guards
men are warming up to the idea OF
pitting Bill Borah against FDR next
year. Their friendlineSs to the sug-
gestion Is One OF the most fantastic
- and romantic - developments In
modern politics.
The latest suggestion Is to give
him a presidential tryout. There Is
talk Of building the Rocky Mountain
grass roots" conference around
him. He would make the principal
address under this scheme and blast
Mr.. R~oosevelt's alleged defiance OF
the constitution. Borah would get
the build-up and Mr.. Roosevelt the
breakdown.
Although 10 years old Mr.. Borah
takes TO Ioshing suggestions that az
last the COP might nominate him.
He flirts coyly with the idea. He
never looked In better physical or
political shape. He Is more genial
than he used TO be. And the inside
report Is that Mr.. Roosevelt would
prefer to run against anybody ex-
cept the bad boy OF the Republican
party. Under certain circumstances
q Borah- Roosevelt encounter might
be q real scrap.
Paroles - President Roosevelt's
call for an investigation OF the fed
eral parole system smoked out a
long-standing feud In the Depart
ment OF Justice. The feudistS are
Prison Commissioner Sanford Bates
and John Edgar Hoover.
Mr.. Bates has worked for five year
TO moderni2e the federal penal sys-
tenn. Not TO pamper prisoners but
to return them to society as de-
cent citizens, IL possible. He IA
vors N responsible parole system and
maintains that 90 per cent OF the
paroled men 90 and stay straight.
But the arresting officers call this
a "softy" philosophy. Put EN- In
and keep EN- in Is their idea. The
W~eyerhauser kidnapers. as Mr..
Roosevelt pointed out. had benefit
ted from parole. So have many 9TH
er bad men. Whether the humani-
tartan or hard-boiled school viii win
out depends upon Attorney General
Cummings
Africans - The unwritten story OF
the Virgin Islands investigation
reads like a bizarre novel. Fisti-
cuffs. political intrigue and tropical
vendettas make II stranger than fic-
ton.
lowering In the background Is q
wealthy Harlem negro who Is sus-
pected OF melting and financing the
plot against Governor Paul Pearson.
With vast interests In New York. he
halls from the islands and seeks po-
litical control for his henchmen
there. II he Is the angel In the Car
ibbean woodpile expenses for parad-
ing delegations trips to Washington
have cost him plenty.
Certain American politicians are
vitality interested. Governor Pear
sons chief foe Is ex-Representative
Weber Wilson OF Mississippi, now a
federal Judge on the islands. He Is
accused OF seeking the g~overnorship.
Unless he gets Ii he my run against
Senator Pat Harrison next year. Pat
would like to see him pleasantly and
permanently exiled. But Secretary
IckeS has made a major issue OF
Parsons retention. He won't toll
crate any political skull -duggery II
he can help 1t, although nobody
claims that Mr.. Pearson has been
an ideal executive.
Pitfalls - No Rooseveltian pro
poSal has struck such q human
note. eTen though 1t be a minor, as
his plan to mobilize the nations in
dustrial and educational agencies on
behalf OF youth.
But insiders in charge are worried.
The idea was hurled into the head
lines before any details had been
thought out. The executives -
Josephine Roche and Aubrey VII
liams - are swamped with other
duties. Organized labor units sus-
pect that the movement may indi-
rectly drive wages down. Some col
legiate groups fear that students
may be reduced TO q state OF intel
lectual peasantry. The White House