Evening star., 1936-04-16
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By C.. Could Lincoln.


a considerable vote for Col. Henry
Breckenridge in the Democratic presi-
dental preference primary there on May
4. They look upon the appearance OF
President Roosevelt in Baltimore last
Monday night, and his address to the
Young Democratic Clubs of America, as
an attempt to "overwhelm" the voters,
and by show of power to discourage the
anti-NeW Dealers. The failure of the
President to instill any very great en-
thuSiasm into the large crowd which
heard him Monday night has caused
these anti-Roosevelt Democrats to pat
themselves on the back.
The anti-Roosevelt Democrats in
Maryland do not have the slightest idea
they can carry the State for Breckin-
ridge against the President. They do
believe, however, that they may be able
to roll up vote of $1,000 to Is, 600 against
the President, and If they do they will
give the organization Democrats the lit
ters, and incidentally will greatly en-
courage the Republicans. Twenty five
thousand votes, in all probability, will be
more than 10 per cent of the vote cast
in the Democratic presidential prefer
ence primary.
In Maryland there was organized sew
eral months ago the Association for the
Defense of the Constitution. 1t is solely
Maryland organization and has around
5000 or 10000 members. 1t was not or
ganized as Democratic association, but
most of its members are said to be
Democrats. Breckenridge, it is believed,
will have the support of the great ma
iority of the members of the association.
In addition to this anti-NeW Deal organ
ization there is the Breckinridge-for-
President Committee, which is strictly
a Democratic affair which also is work.
ing to hold the vote for President Roose-
yelt down to minimum in the May
primary.
How much the Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis in Maryland will be able to ac-
complish is disputed question. Strong
Roosevelt followers insist that the Breck-
inridge vote will be very small; that
Breckenridge is not known in the State
and the President is enormously popular.
breckenridge will get the vote of the
Maryland Club in Baltimore and that
is about all" was the way one of the
pro-RooSeVelt Democrats put it to me.
But the ants are nevertheless much
encouraged. Breckenridge is to come into
the State to campaign for a week or two
before the primary, and will speak con-
Stantly against Roosevelt and the New
Deal. Every vote cast for Breckenridge,
who was an Assistant Secretary of War
in the Wilson administration until he
went into the Army and the World War,
will be vote against the President.
Breckenridge has offered himself as
rallylng post for anti-RooSevelt Demo-
Gratis, not with any idea that he can pre-
vent the nomination of the President,
but merely to give the antis in the Demo-
cratic party chance to vote against
Roosevelt.
One of these anti Roosevelt Demo-
Gratis who is taking prominent part
in the Breckenridge campaign is of the
opinion that practically all of the Demo-
Gratis who vote for Breckenridge in the
primary will vote against Roosevelt and
for the Republican nominee in the gen.
eral election next November. Others
say that these anti-RooSevelt Democrats
will either stay at home on election day
or will actually go the length of voting
the Republican ticket. Obviously, if
considerable number of Democrats in
MAI ldIlQ 1OllOW SuCIl IIlc
publicanS are likely to carry the State.
And if Maryland goes Republican there
is very good chance a lot of other
States will do the same. For Maryland
has been a pretty good barometer of po-
ltical sentiment during the last half CEN
tury. To be exact, Maryland has been
on the winning side in presidential cleo
tions during the last A years, or in IL
consecutive elections.
The anti-Roosevelt Democrats in
Maryland had planned to persuade the
late Gov. Albert c. Ritchie to enter the
Democratic primary against Roosevelt,
had he lived. With Ritchie, they insist,
they might actually have had chance
to carry the primary against the Presi-
dent. But whether the former Governor
would have consented to enter the pri-
mary is another question. Ritchie had
ambitions to run for the Senate in an
other couple of years, against Senator
Tydings. He might have preferred to
bide his time.
The Republican organization in Mary
land, which is largely dominated by for
mer Senator Weller, is out to send an
uninstructed delegation to the Repub-
lican National Convention, or delega-
ton which will vote for Gov. Harry Nice
as a favorite-son candidate-which Is
another way of saying an uninStructed
delegation Senator Borah and his cam
paign managers have toyed with the idea
of going into the Maryland presidential
primary but have come to no final de-
cision. If Borah files he must do so by
next Saturday. There is considerable
anti-Nice sentiment among some OF the
old Republican leaders, and it might be
brought into line for Borah. On the
other hand, Maryland is rather conserva-
tive and the ideas of Senator Borah
might not make a hit among the Re-
publicans.
X
The results in the Illinois and Ne
braska primaries on Tuesday are giving
the politicians plenty of food for thought.
President Roosevelt appears to have
rolled up a big vote in the Democratic
presidential primary in both States-un-
opposed. Senator Borah, while losing the
preference primary in Illinois to Col.
Knox, q favorite-son candidate, never
theless rolled up an imposing number of
votes, and is likely to have some Is
Illinois delegates in the national con-
vention. With no organization to back
him, Borah faced Col Knox, who was
backed by the Republican organization.
In Nebraska Borah had no opposition in
the presidential primary-for Gov. Lam
don of Kansas declined to go into the
race against Borah. Landon supporters