Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-03
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By G. Could LINCOLN.

Northern California is to be the scene
of q Republican rally and drive this
week, with former President Herbert
Hoover, titular leader of the G. o. p. as
the principal speaker. The Republican
gathering comes on the heels Of Presi-
dent Roosevelts Democratic drive in
Southern California, Los Angeles and
San Diego, where he spoke strongly for
the New Deal and pleaded to the liberals
of all faiths to unite" The Western
States Republican Convention" which
opens in Oakland tomorrow and runs
through Saturday and Sunday, is being
staged by the younger Republicans Of
II Western States-California Oregon,
Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Ne
vada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho. Montana
and wyoming. The California Repub-
lican assembly Is the host Of the con-
vention.
The address by Mr.. Hoover will be
campaign speech, aimed at the Roosevelt
New Deal. The former President, it is
clear, intends to take an active part in
the fight to defeat Roosevelt in the
coming national campaign. He is still
the titular head Of the Republican party
and as such he believes he should be
in the front line of the battle against
the New Deal, which he has charged
breaks down the American system of
Government. This will be the attitude
of Mr.. Hoover from now on, it is said
by his friends. He Is not Offering himself
as a candidate for the presidency, but
he is bent on carrying the war to the
New Dealers, they say. Moreover, 1t is
clear that Mr.. Hoover will use whatever
influence he may have in the coming
Republican National Convention to make
the G. o. P. platform condemnation
of the Roosevelt New Deal from stem
to stern.
Because Mr. Hoover was badly beaten
in the national election of 1882, some of
the Republicans look askance at his
political activity. They fear that the
people will come to believe that the Re-
publican campaign is for a return to
Hoover, and they do not believe that a
Republican campaign so labeled will aid
the G.. o. p. They would like to see
Mr.. Hoover retire from public view, say
nothing about policies or candidates, and
will under no circumstances accept the
presidential nomination. These Repub-
licans may yet come to the view that
the issue in the 1896 campaign will not
be Mr.. Hoover, but President Roosevelt
and the things he has stood for. That
such will be the issue, despite the very
desperate efforts of the Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis to make it otherwise and to drag
the depression of 1929 on across the
trail, with Mr. Hoover as their particular
target, is becoming clearer and clearer.
What Roosevelt has done or not done in
the last three years will be the real
subjects of interest to the voters-not
what Mr.. Hoover did in the earlier four
years.
More and more it looks as though the
Democrats were looking to the solid
South" and the Midwest and the West,
with the border States thrown in, to re-
elect President Roosevelt next year. The
play to the farmers by the President on
his present trip. his assurance that
Government checks will be paid to them
for complying with the A. A. A. crop
curtailment program, whether the Su-
preme Court turns down the present
processing taxes or not is indicative OF
the desire to hold the West. Incidentally,
| the Presidents statement regarding the
payment of the farmers for complying
with the A. A. A. program was an alibi
for any new tax legislation that may be
necessary at the coming session of Con-
gress. And il new taxes are put through
to take the place of the processing taxes
they will be no light affair. For the
processing taxes at present bring into
the Government hundreds Of millions
Of dollars annually, to be distributed to
the farmers.
The Roosevelt Democrats are by no
means letting up in their desire to carry
| the States of New England and the East.
| But the anti Roosevelt sentiment is more
rampant in those sections. 1t may be
difficult to persuade the people Of Mas
sachusetts and Of Pennsylvania, of New
Jersey and New York and Maryland to
back the New Deal In the coming cleo
ton. For that reason the Democrats, if
they lay out sound campaign. will
make tremendous efforts to win again in
| New York New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
for example. So far as New England is
concerned. Democratic leaders informally
say they can get along without those six
States.
| The Republicans are really becoming
active at last Every time President
Roosevelt opens his mouth Republican
leaders hurl back criticisms at him. They
| are planning to use the radio in a big
way. Chester C. Bolton, Representative
from Ohio, chairman of the Congress
sional Campaign Committee, in a speech
| delivered over the Columbia Broadcast
| ing System last night, charged that
President Roosevelt once more Is max.
ing promises to the American people in
the hope Of reviving lost confidence in
the New Deal" The Ohio Representa-
tive referred to the New Deal Congresses
as entirely SubServient to the Chief Ex-
ecutive and insisted that what the
country really needed to check the die
tatorship of Roosevelt was a return to
Legislative responsibility"
The Republican leaders continue to
| insist that there must be no talk of
| candidates. If they keep that kind of
thing up long enough the people may
come to believe that there are no Re-
publican candidates worthy of the name.
The sooner strong Republican contest
ants for the presidential nomination be-
come widely known to the people the
| better chances Of success for the party.
There is theory now advanced by
some of the older leaders in the G. Q. p.