Evening star., 1935-07-25
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By C.. Could Lincoln.

VclJ 10 " NC biC DCAAAONAo oSAS
nominee for President next year. No
Democrat seriously believes that 1t will
be possible to prevent his denomination,
although there is a growing number who
would be glad to see another candidate.
That being the case, Roosevelt will head
the Democratic ticket on which all other
Democrats seeking reelection to Con-
gress and to other Offices must run. 1t
will never do, therefore, for these Demo-
cratic candidates for Office to tear down
the popularity of the President. Rather
they may be expected from now on to
try to build it up.
This political situation makes it doubly
difficult, for those Democrats who do not
like the President or his New Deal, most
of them for their own self preservation,
must go along with the President. They
may not like the A. A. A., the N. R. A.,
the T. v. A.. or any of the alphabetical
laws and administrations" set up by the
present administration, but they cannot
afford to turn and rend them-much
longer.
What about the Republicans who
helped to elect President Roosevelt three
years ago? How many of them are go
ing along" with him next year? He
probably will be able to count on the
NorriSeS. the La FolletteS and the john
sons, although there is reason to believe
that some of these gentlemen are rather
sick of much Of the New Deal. If the
Republicans come forward with really
strong candidate who makes an appeal
to the country and who is able to make
a strong, personal campaign. 1t is dollars
to doughnutS that many of the rank and
file who slid over TO the Democratic
standard in 1892 will be found back in
the old G. 0. P. next year.
n
With more than twelve months to go
before the 1886 campaign gets "hot," many
things may happen. President Roosevelt
and the Democrats have, of course, huge
sum of money to spend hiring people for
works of all kinds and to care for per-
sons on relief. 1t was such a spending
program which made the Democratic
campaign in 1884 strong enough to carry
even such Republican strongholds as
Pennsylvania. Coupled with these relief
expenditures goes the checks for the
farmers of wheat. cotton, tobacco, cattle
and hogs. II money can win the election
next year, it looks to be easy for the
Democrats. The money will not be in
Democratic contributions to campaign
funds 1t will be appropriations from
the Federal Treasury. plus the processing
taxes raised from all the people who
consume.
Much depends upon whether the peo-
pie who are being 'proceSSed" are willing
to go along with the New Deal program.
If enough of the people who are not on
relief of one kind or another get sore
enough, the New Deal apple cart may be
upset Otherwise Mr. Roosevelt looks to
be sure winner.
Can the Republicans put the Presi-
dent on the defensive? 1t begins to look
as though they might do it, if they are
aggressive enough. In 1892, Roosevelt
and the Democrats went after the
Hoover administration and the G. o. P.
hammer and tongs. Hoover was the
target-becauSe times were hard. He
had to stand for everything from the
failure of farm prices to the drought.
This next campaign. however, Republi-
can orators are likely to tear into the
Roosevelt administration for its huge
expenditures of money: its failure to bal
ance the budget; its Set-up of in
Vulnerable bureaus, administrations" and
what not; for its disregard of the Con-
Stitution and the line of demarkation be-
tween State and Federal governments,
and for the failure of the Roosevelt ad-
miniStration to put millions OF workers
back to work in private industry.
y
The President has been immune from
personal attack for a long time. But
more and more his critics are beginning
to charge him with broken campaign
pledges. He is being called a Socialist
rather than Democrat. He was so
dubbed on the floor of the House recently
by Representative Rich of Pennsylvania,
a Republican. Some of his most severe
critics. however, are found among the
Democrats. Down in Texas, there is
lively group of Democrats organizing
who are out to hamstring Roosevelt If
they can. They call themselves a States
rights organization.
Every effort will be made by the Roose-
velt leaders to head off a split or splits
in the Democratic party-shoots from
the main trunk with independent Demo-
cratic candidates for President. Yet in
some of the Southern States signs of
revolt are strong. Huey Long of Louisi.
ana, Gov. Talmadge in Georgia are
among the threats to a solid South for
the Roosevelt ticket next year.
The dumping of a $50 900, 900 P. w. A.
project into Maine, the Passamaquoddy
Dam to harness the tides and generate
electricity, is sample of what the ad-
ministration may do to strengthen
itself in various States which have fire.
quently been Republican. It means
spending lot of money in the State
which is often referred to as the political
barometer of the country-"as Maine
goes, so goes the Nation" If the Demo-
Gratis can carry thes Pine Tree State in
September 1885, it is a foregone con-
clusion they will carry the country in
November, administration leaders be-
lieve. They might, of course, even lose
Maine in September and still carry the
country. But they would like the
psychological advantage of Maine VIC
tory next year.
The Passamaquoddy Dam project will
be vigorously fought in the courts and
in the State Legislature. If present indi-
cations are correct. There are power
companies established in Maine, with
thousands of investors in their securities,
which look with horror on the PaSSama-
quoddy project. They see no market for
both their own product and the product
of "Quoddy," and they do not figure that
any private concern can compete with
the Government when it comes to pro-
ducing and selling anything. For the
Government can sell for anything it de-
sireS under cost of production and make