Evening star., 1936-01-31
NEW DEAL MUFFS
SMITHS SPEECH
Address Seen Vehicle fol-
Breaking Up Democratic
leadership.
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.

0x DAVID LAW WnENN6s
The national political campaign has
moved this week toward . definite and
positive cleavage between groups that
may eventually lead to realignment
Of parties, if not this year, then GER
tainly in 1888.
Those who think that the speech by
former Gov. Smith is Q mere incident
in . bitter campaign are overlooking
the smouldering logs Of political dis
content Of the last two years. Smith
blew the fire into blaze last Satur-
day night, but the inflammable SUBJ
stances have been there for some time.
The New Deal has completely
muffed the ball on the Smith speech.
It has done exactly what Republican
opponents Of the administration would
like to see happen-it has intensified
bitter factional fight inside the
Democratic party. The New Deal made
its mistake by regarding Smiths ad-
dress as a personal affair. The at
tack on Smith in Congress was, of
course, engineered by the New Deal
strategists who thought that smear
Smith" campaign or an effort to smear
the Liberty League would be adequate
to dispose Of the opposition.
Chance for Local Revolts.
But the trouble is deeper than q
single speech and far more important
than any individual. The underlying
issues which AL Smith crystallized in
his speech will now furnish oportuni-
ties for the local politicians to start
their revolts. The Smith speech was
more important as a vehicle for break
ing up the Democratic party leader
ship in various States than 1t was as
q direct method of lining up Novem-
ber votes against the New Deal.
For this Is January and not No.
vember. This is the time when the
local leaders-and there are always
factions-begin to make up their
minds whether they will support this
or that interest in primary fight.
The task has been made relatively
simply for the would-be insurgents.
Any one who wants to break with q
rival leader or any one who envies the
power and patronage strength welded
by q rival now in New Deal job
can ceize upon the AL Smith doctrine
as the basis for the naming Of an in
dependent ticket in local or State
fight.
Stage Set for Break Up.
From strictly organization stand
point, the New Deal is vulnerable be.
cause in many States it has forsaker
its own party and played ball with
radical Republicans. In other States
1t has ignored the dyed-in-the-wool
Democratic organization or has
alienated some of the local leaders.
The stage is set, therefore, for q
breakup of major proportions. Ado
to this the fact that there are many
conservative Democrats to whom the
New Deal is just about as bitter a
pill to try to swallow as 1t is to reg
.tilar Republicans, and you can see
the nucleus Of internecine strife In
side the Democratic party.
Much can happen between now and
next June. when the party convention.
are held, but it is apparent that there
will be some opposition at the Demo-
cratic National Convention, though
not enough to endanger in any way
Mr.. Roosevelt's denomination. The
record will be made there, neverthe-
Jess, and preparations will be made
for bolt and possibly an independent
Democratic convention to be held af-
ter the regular Democratic conven-
tion. The Talmadge movement is no
fash In the pan.
The independents will insist that
tha New Dealers are Socialists and
should call themselves by that name
and that the true Jeffersonian Demo-
Gratis would be justified in having q
convention Of their own.
What the effect Of all this will be
On the outcome of the presidential
election cannot be determined until
after the conventions have been. held
and a measure of popular strength Of
these respective movements Is ascer-
tainable.
A1SAAssVAS <3RRC0AS 4A 2@C80s
Certainly at the moment Gov. Lam
don appears to be in the lead for the
Republican nomination. His speech
In Topeka made good reading to many
Eastern Republicans, who recognized
IN it q breath of fresh air and the
kind Of appeal that must be made to
reconcile Eastern and Western Re-
publicanism.
Bat will the Jeffersonian Democrats
votA the Republican ticket? Many of
them may support their own nomi-
nees, still others will vote the Repub-
1ican ticket, and others may do as
al Smith suggested-they will take
q walk"
II q large number Of Democrats do
not vote, it will have the same effect
Is vote for the Republicans, and 1t
Is this prospect which might well make
the New Deal uneasy.
Politically, the New Deal has made
about every mistake it can possibly
make with respect to holding its own
party strength intact and has gone out
dehberately to win over Republican
votes among the farmers and workers.
This Is doubtful strategy at best, be-
cause 1t ignores the large number who
vote straight tickets on the Republican
side In States with the heavy electoral
votes.
Radicals Weld Influence.
The New Deal strategy should have
been to recognize the advice Of men
like Secretary Hull, Attorney General
Cummings, Secretary Roper and Post
master General Farley on matters Of
policy. These men stand high, Of
course, in the confidence of the Presi-
dent, but they have not had any real
influence in shaping the major policies
o. the administration on domestic af-
fairs. Instead Secretary Ickes, an in
dependent radical Republican; Secre-
tary Wallace, another radical Repub-
lican: Harry Hopkins and Undersecre-
tary Rex Tugwell have been DOMINATE
in White House councils and in de-