The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-10-04
POLITICAL SPECULATION

Congress has adjourned, and a
great quiet has come over Washing
ton. theoretically, the political
open season" has ended, and will
not begin again until the next Con-
gress, which will convene with the
start of the new year. Actually,
however politics never ends-and
during the present brief breathing
spell" between sessions, laymen and
publicists alike are spending most of
their time specializing on what is
going to happen in next years cam
oaign, and the campaign of 1910.
Principal question at issue is this:
What changes, if any, have occur
red in the status of Roosevelt popu-
arity since 1882 By way of
answer, you can get almost anything
you want. 1t is human frailty,
shared alike by Republicans and
Democrats, to regard a thing as be-
.ng true simply because you wish it
were true. AS result, political
opinions on forthcoming campaigns
must be weighed exceedingly care
'ully-they are dictated almost en-
tirely by partisan bias. The Demo-
cratic spokesman will tell you that
Mr.. Roosevelt will sweep the field as
completely in SO as he did in 80
the Republican spokesman will tell
you that he will lose, and that the
G. o. P. will come back after the
worst four years of it's history. More
or less unbiased observers, who are
lot tarred with any party label, will
ell you that both of these extreme
yiews are wrong.
One of the best obtainable gauges
or measuring the popularity or lack
Of it of any Administration, is news
paper editorial opinion.
Papers which were once highly
favorable to Mr.. Roosevelt and his
policies, have become cold and non
,ommittal Papers which once were
Uncertain and said little, have taken
20 denouncing Administration acts.
And some very important papers,
which normally back Democratic ad-
| ministra tions-such as the New York
| Times and the Baltimore Sun-find
| much to criticize in the Presidents
program.
The drop in the Presidents popu-
larity as statesman-which is a
very different matter than his popu-
arity as an individual-has given
unbiased writer's the belief that the
G. o. P. has a chance-even though
remote-to win in 1886, if it puts the
| right man forward. And there is a
great problem The Republican
party is pretty well split up in fac
tions. The progressives, led by
Senators La Toilette and Norris, do
not want conservative candidate.
The conservatives, under the Hoover
leadership, are bitter against present
radical trends. Some think that the
best candidate would be Senator
Borah-but the Idaho lion has
passed the biblically-allotted span of
life, and that is great barrier to his
candidacy. Colonel Knox of Chicago
is making a bid for nomination-but
he is relatively unknown outside of
a few big cities. Senator Vanden-
berg is another figure to be reckoned
Without he too faces much GOODNESS
within his party Senator McNary
has influence as Republican leader
in the Senate-but he comes from a
small and remote state.
Under any circumstances, the next
campaign will be bitterly fought.
The issues are many, but the out
standing question for the voters to
consider is whether to continue the
swing to the left or turn back to the
right. There will be no quarter CIV
en- by either side. And a great deal
can happen in the year that must
pass before vtes are counted.-Indus-
trial Review.