Evening star., 1936-03-23
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G.. Could Lincoln.

Cne preSlQenClal elecLl0n WILL SWING ueXt
November. Both were carried In 1882 by
Franklin d. Roosevelt: Illinois by $4,000
votes and Ohio by about $4,000. There Is
some significance in the difference be-
tween the size Of the Democratic lead in
the two States, a significance that has its
bearing on today's situation. In Illi-
nois the Republican leadership had
crumbled utterly by 1882, and 1t Is In
little better case today. In Ohio, on the
other hand, the Republican leadership
has continued to be strongly held. BY
the same token, the chances Of the
Republicans to carry Ohio in the coming
general election appear to be much
better than their chances to carry ILL
nois.
The G. o. p. in Illinois, which had been
an overwhelmingly Republican State,
was on the skids in 1880. 1t was the
election of Senator James Hamilton
Lewis, a Democrat, over Mrs. Ruth
Hanna Mccormick Simms, his Repub-
Ican opponent, which signaled the rout
Of the Republicans which followed in
1882 and was continued in 1884. Senator
Lewis Is a candidate this year for re-
election, and, despite desperate Demo-
cratic row now under way in Illinois, it
looks as though Senator Lewis would
come through the election with flying
colors. Two Republicans who have a
chance for the Republican senatorial
nomination are former Senator Glenn
and former Representative Ed Hull.
Both. are out campaigning vigorously,
and It is the impression here that Glenn
has the inside track. But whichever
candidate succeeds in winning the nom
ino ffnY, ho yuiI bou dc f,,II
the resourceful Senator Louis.
On the Republican side, the same old
figures, Len Small, Frank L. Smith, and
even big Bill" Thompson, are bobbing
up again. Small is engaged in hot
race with Wayland Brooks for the
Republican gubernatorial nomination
There are several other candidates for
the nomination, but real fight seems to
be narrowing down to Small and
| Brooks.
All Is not beer and skittles in the
Democratic camp; quite the contrary.
Gov. Henry Horner is engaged in
knock-down- -drag-out battle with the
Nash-Kelly organization of Cook County
(Chicago and adjacent territory. Kelly,
the mayor of Chicago, and Nash have
| built up strong organization in the
| county which has almost one-half of the
| voting population of the State. The
! organization has determined to throw
| the Governor into the discard. Horner
| insists it is because Kelly has not been
| able to boss" him and because he has
| given the State an honest government.
! The Nash-Kelly organization has backed
| DR.. Herman N. BundeSen, former health
| commissioner, for the nomination for
| Governor. There is large Jewish vote
| in Chicago, and it is rallying to the sup
| port of the Governor, himself Jew
It looks as though a kind OF anti-Na1
row were on, so far as the Jews are
| concerned.
If Gov. Horner is defeated for re-
| nomination, there is the chance of
| serious schism in the ranks of the Demo-
| Gratis. 1t may have its effect on the
| general election in the State next No
| vember. If it results in the Jews going
back in almost solid block to the Re-
publican side of the fence, 1t will be
distinctly bad for the Democratic ticket
| Senator Lewis, however, has kept entirely
aloof from the intra- party fight over the
| governorShip. AS Senator of the United
| States and not therefore involved in local
| politics, he has been able to maintain
this position. He has practically no
opposition for the senatorial nomina-
ton. President Roosevelt still has a
big following in Illinois despite the fact
| that here, as in other States, business is
generally opposed to him and to his
policies. In the big farming areas of the
| State the Government checks handed
| out to the agriculturalists continue to be
an important factor. Furthermore, busi-
ness is better in Chicago than in other
| cities of the State. 1t will be very diff
| cult for the Republicans to carry the
| State against Roosevelt unless there
! should be real swing against him in
the next six months. The Republicans
are hopeful. They feel that if "the right
man" can be nominated at the Cleve-
land convention, they will have chance
No one is quite certain just who the right
man is. The Illinois candidate for the
nomination is Col. Frank Knox. But
there seems to be growing sentiment
| here for Gov. Landon of Kansas. Knox
is salutary influence in Republican
politics in the State. He has the back
ing Of the State organization, such as it
is If he makes good showing, even If
he does not finally land the presidential
| nomination, he may become dominant
| figure and be able to rebuild the Repub-
| ucan party.
Mayor Kelly has SIMULATED Joshua of
| old, who in biblical times commanded
| the situation and the moon to stand
still. Through his influence, the clocks in
Chicago have been rearranged; the city
| Is on Eastern standard time instead Of
Central time. This is year round prop
| osition and not the old daylight saving
| time for the Spring, Summer and Fall
months. Mayor Kelly jammed the time
ordinance through with all the assurance
| Of dictator. It has caused travellers
coming into the city to rub their eyes,
| But beyond that it has aroused lot
| of resentment on the part of many of
| the citizens. The antagonism to the
change in time has grown to large pro-
portions and there is talk of forcing the
| mayor to rescind the order. The order
| grew out of trouble between two news
| papers, the Chicago Tribune and the
Chicago Daily News, one morning and
| the other an afternoon publication, be-
cause of the overlapping of their editions.
Registration of voters in Cook County
| has gone beyond any figures ever found
| in the county'S history-the total figure
being well beyond 100000. The prun-
| ing knife is being used, however, on the
| registration lists by judges and clerks
| of election, and scores of thousands of
| names have already been removed as
| fraudulent. Many of the names have
been on the lists for years and have been
used by unscrupulous politicians for bal
| lot box stuffing. It is estimated that
| when the pruning operation has been