Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-12-24
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

/ ~ VI OSOAD AflESOANs
Gov. All M. Landon, the defeated
candidate Of the Republican party for the
presidency, made q good impression on
many people when he came to WASH
ington the first of the week, called on
President Roosevelt and later at the
Oridiron Club dinner was the only other
speaker on the program with the Presi-
dent. The Governor is not the kind to
sulk In corner after defeat Although
the speeches Of both President Roosevelt
and Gov. Landon were not made public,
nor will they be. the fact that they dined
together quite amicably is no secret.
The Kansas Governor was not on a po-
litical trip to Washington. He did not talk
politics. He did not say anything about
his future plans. 1t has been reported
that he Is not going to be q candidate
again for the presidency or for Senator
from Kansas or for any other office. If
that Is q fact, and there is some reason
to believe it is, the Governor is still keep
ing It to himself. The future in politics
is still obscure, and prophesying the
names Of presidential candidates in 1910
Is hazardous matter. That goes for
the Democratic party as well as for the
Republican. Presumably President
Roosevelt is not to be q candidate to sue
coed himself second time. There may
be . great deal Of pressure brought to
bear on him three and half years hence
to run for third term, depending largely
upon how things 60 in this country. He
has had four years in which he has been
tremendously popular. He has had four
years IN which he has launched his New
Deal. He has four years more In which
to make it operate. He may be as popu-
lar at the end of his second term as he is
at the beginning Of 1t. Even so, he might
be tempting providence or fate If he
chose to run for q third term. Calvin
Coolidge. after more than six years in the
White House-almost seven-once told
visitor who was urging him to run for
another term that he did not believe any
President would be likely to hold on to
his popularity and the people for more
than eight years. Coolidge had years of
success and prosperity in the White
House. Had he run again, and been
elected. he would probably have retired
finally, as things turned out. q disap-
pointed man.
1t looks today as though the field would
be wide open when 1t comes to the pre-
convention campaign for presidential
nominations in the Spring of 1940 AL
ready some of the Democrats have their
lightning rods up. The Republicans are
more backward. They are not anxious
to make a move at this time, particularly
when the G. o. p. is still trying to make
up its mind which way to leap.
The recent overwhelming defeat of the
Republican party may have one effect.
1t may draw the remnants of the mi
nority party in Congress more closely to-
gether In fight against the democracy.
The individual Republican Senators and
members of the House probably realize
that the situation for them is anything
but rosy unless the party can stage a
comeback. They must make q record not
only for the party, but for themselves.
II they fail to make record for the
party. they probably will fail to be re-
elected. Few Of them look forward to
their personal defeat with relish. If
they do not hang together in the coming
Congress, they may very well hang sepa-
rately in the next election. There is rea-
son to believe that some of these Re-
publicans are thinking seriously along
these lines notwithstanding the fire.
quent reports that the various Re-
publican groups are widely separated by
political differences.
The Republicans have a big lob on
their hands-the payment of the deficit
Of the Republican National Committee.
growing out of the last campaign. It
amounts to more than 5000 900. It is going
to be task Of considerable magnitude
to raise this money, and also to keep
raising money enough to maintain their
national headquarters. Already there is
demand in some quarters that the con-
tributions be limited in size and that care
be used to discriminate against contribu-
tons from big business men. The Re-
publicans who make such demands in
sist that the party must associate it
self from men of wealth and become q
peoples party.
Raising nearly a million dollars to pay
OF Q debt is no light task The Demo-
cratic National Committee was at it for
nearly eight years, after the defeat of
AL Smith in 1928. The Democrats did
LoS scluPle 10 accept Contributors from
men Of wealth-and they got some of
them, particularly from John j. Raskob,
connected with the du Points in business,
and even from some of the du Points The
Democrats also had some stable con-
tributions from men of wealth during the
last campaign. 1t would seem q bit silly
for the Republican National Committee
now to refuse to accept contributions of
considerable size to help pay its debts
provided it can get them.
X
The death yesterday of former Senator
Simeon D. Fess of Ohio removes q Re-
publican of the old school. Senator Tess
was . strong partisan. No one ever had
the slightest doubt where he stood on q
political question. He was q regular"
Republican, rs regular as clock. He was
. good fighter in the Senate and on the
stump. His last campaign was in 1884,
when he went down to defeat in strong
ly Democratic year. He never COM
promised with the New Deal. In fact,
Senator Fess was never one to compro-
mise. He did not believe In the New Deal
measures and he did not hesitate to say
30. He made vigorous anti administers
ton campaign in .193-and he was
showed under on election day. He went
down with his nag flying.
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