Evening star., 1936-02-12

Republicans joy over Democratic in
ternal strife is short-lived. With the
Borah-old guard fsticuffs they now have
a family feud of their own, capable of
rivaling, if not outStripping, the
Smith-New Deal and Talmadge-Roose-
welt ruction. The controversy which
the Idaho Senator has provoked
with Senator Fess over the Ohio pri-
maries is certain to prove epidemic as
soon as Borah extends his campaign for
delegates, and finds himself in collision
with G. o. P. regulars elsewhere. II
friction proceeds along Buckeye lines the
chances favor Republican split that
might conceivably develop into another
Bull Moose crisis at Cleveland and rend
the party before the campaign is over.
Pre-convention hostilities, of course. are
no novelties in American presidential
politics, but the Smith, Ely Robinson
Liberty League Talmadge-New Deal i'm
broglio and the Borah-old guard var
fare are marked by bitterness that FORE
shadows more violent turmoil than any
thing experienced in recent history. AS
things are shaping, there's slender pros
pect that either major party will go
to the country bearing even faint re-
semblance to a united phalanx.
X x
Supreme Court Justice George Suther-
land, who delivered the decision in
validating the late Huey Longs Louisi-
ana newspaper tax, was born in the
"Disraeli country Buckinghamshire.
England. That circumstance lends spe-
cial interest to the stress his opinion
laid on the eighteenth century efforts
nf tho prific1 f1 or
abridge free press criticism of the gov
ernment through imposition of taxes
The famed stamp tax on colonial
out, was among the fundamental
causes of the War of Independence.
Mr. Sutherland came to the United
States in his youth, studied law at the
University of Michigan, and later hung
out his shingle in Utah. Following serv-
ice as a State Senator, a term in the
national House of Representatives and
two terms in the United States Senate,
he was appointed to the Supreme Court
by President Harding in 1922. He is
past president of the American Bar
Association.
With possible exception of Secretary
OF the Navy Swanson, practically all
members of the Roosevelt cabinet are
likely to be drafted for active service
on the stump in the battle for perpetu-
alton of the New Deal. Most of them
are seasoned campaigners. Secretary Of
State Hull and Attorney General Cum
mings are former Democratic national
chairmen. Postmaster General Farley.
whether he remains In the cabinet or
not, will, of course, be in the thick Of
the fray as head of the National Com
mittee. Secretary of War Dern and
Secretary of Commerce Roper are.also
battle-scarred warriors. To Secretary
of Labor Perkins will probably fall the
task of appealing to the woman's vote.
Interior Secretary Ickes and Secretary
of Agriculture Wallace viii be expected
to line up the Republican progressive
Roosevelt administration. Secretary Of
the Treasury Morgenthau Is inexperi-
enced on the national hustings, but
doubtless will be thrown into the breach
to defend New Deal fiscal policy-in the
light of current events, q particularly
tall order.
Because of the Constitutions present
towering importance as national issue
a proposal has been made that q lofty
mountain peak near Mount Whitney, in
California, highest peak in the United
States proper, shall be named Mount
Constitution. The as yet unnamed emf
nence Of nearly $4,000 feet stands mile
northwest of whitney, and is only about
500 feet lower than that famous sky
scraper. The Mount Constitution pro-
posal originates with the Sierra Club OF
California and has been formally SUBJ
mitted at washington. The suggestion
Is that the l50th anniversary OF the Cor