Evening star., 1936-06-28
VICTORY OF REPUBLICANS
INDICATED, SULLIVAN SAYS
Detection of Smith and Lemke.C Coughlin
Blocs Held FOrerunner of Others.
COP. Seen Compact Army.

parture developed further in the form
Of the vote case against President
Roosevelt in Democratic presidential
primaries in Maryland, PENNSYLVANIA,
Ohio and New Jersey. The conserva-
tive walkout-more accurately the
conservative "stay away'-appeared
once more in the announcement by
Senator Royal Copeland of New York
that, although elected a delegate to
the Democratic National Convention,
he would not attend. The especial
significance Of Senator Copeland's in
surgency lies In the fact that he is a
Senator In ONCE, one who is in public
life and intends to remain in. He
apparently judges that his chance of
remaining Senator is not jeopardized
by opposing Mr.. Roosevelt Nearly all
the other conspicuous insurgencies Of
individuals, so far, came from Demo-
Gratis whose ofice-holding days are
past. Finally, came the open letter
of five distinguished Democrats, led
by former Gov. Smith, made public
just as the Democratic convention
was assembling.
Predicts ReaIignment.
We shall see now formidable re-
alignment of Democrats. Some OF it
will take place within the next few
days and it will continue for weeks.
The quantity of it will be large. Con-
slider the case of an individual DEM
ocrat who is disturbed by what has
been done by his party, and to it. He
contemplates secession. At once he
realizes that secession involves no
great wrench. The moment he puts
his mind on secession, he realizes that
the breach has already taken place
and the action was not his, but his
party's. The Democratic party has
become something utterly different. 1t
has become the New Deal And be-
tween the New Deal and the Demo-
cratic party Of tradition there is more
difference than between the Demo-
cratic party and the Republican party.
Under the conditions. departure of in
dividual Democrats from their former
allegiance involves no upset of emo
ton or conscience or principle. The
individual Democrat may in some
cases hesitate to go the whole length
of uniting with the Republican party.
but to detach himself from the Dem
ocratic party is nothing TO become
moody about.
This condition is the price Mr..
Roosevelt must now pay for having
turned the Democratic party into the
New Deal party. The party that
today carries the label Democratic
is something wholly new in American
politics. 1t must make its appeal as
something new, without the advantage
of tradition and habit-eXcept, of
course, so far as the name Demo
cratic" still has for many the pull of
tradition and affection. BY the time
this campaign is over, the fact that
the term Democratic" has q new
meaning will be made apparent to
about every voter It will be realized
even in the South, indeed especially
in the South, the section to which
Democratic tradition and true Demo-
cratic doctrine is most important.
Says Republicans United.
While the Democratic party Is e.
peTiencing widespread detection. what
of the Republicans? They have now
no detection to fear. For them. what
detection is to be has taken place soms
time ago. Any one who remained a
Republican through the election of
l932-and there we're nearly 100000
of them-must be Republican still.
Can any one imagine a reason why
any person thinking of himself as a
Republican should leave the party
low? The Republican party today is
compact army, which can experience
no defections, but only accretions.
The accretions to the Republican
party under Gov. Landon can ccmc
not merely through distaste of Demo-
Gratis for President Roosevelt but also
for Affirmative reasons inherent in
Gov. Landon and the new Republican
party. Gov. Landon will hold substan-
TALLY all those who voted Republican
in 1882. He will get more as the re-
suit of new Republican policies. He
will get yet more as a refuge for Demo-
Gratis who turn away from the New
Deal.
The number of accretions Gov Lam
don needs is not great. The Repub-
lican vote in 1882 was nearly 16.o00,-
000 Mr.. Roosevelt's vote was scme-
what less than % 100000. The Roose-
velt majority was slightly less than
6,500,000. Switching by as many as
3,250.000 voters would give Gov. Lam
don enough.
During the early part Of the coming
campaign, much of the interest will
lie in the switching from Democratic
to Republican. Along with this will go
interest in the number who leave the
New Deal to join the new party of
Lemke and Father Coughlin.
OF defections by important Demo-
cratic leaders there will be many.
There will be series of announce
ments as important as the pre-conven-
ton one made by ex-Gov. Smith and
his four associates.
(CopyriEht 1886,