Evening star., 1936-11-09
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

ouQ kICttcE cLnplOyuicut. lie hulcIlChu
people have been cropping for better
times for 1ive years and they seem to be
at hand. In fact, the improvement in
business has been easily discernible for
more than year. Still better times are
the immediate prospect. If they ma
terialize and the country is fairly pros
porous at the end of the next four years,
it will be practically impossible to dis
lodge the Democratic party from power.
With more prosperous conditions, too,
radicalism of all kinds is likely to be
less impressive. RadicaliSm has always
fed on hard times.
II the country's tax burden becomes
distreSsingly heavy, political sentiment
probably will react against the party in
power. Much, therefore, Is likely to
depend upon the way In which the New
Deal administration handles the fiscal
affairs of the Nation. Already there has
been built up the greatest public debt
the country has ever known-approxi-
mately $35, 1000, 900 900. The demand for
further heavy Government expenditures
is looming-with many projects, both
material and social, in the wind. Presi-
dent Roosevelt is the doctor. He can
undoubtedly 60 forward with great and
costly projects II he SO desires. On
the other hand, he can call halt and
demand retrenchment-a course which
would have the approval of many
Democrats as well as Republicans. He
has declared in the past that heavy
governmental expenditures were needed
to prime the pump-as well as to keep
CT nrryfvn 190 ctof ante
OF better business which come from all
parts Of the country mean anything,
they mean that the pump has been
primed.
The Federal budget for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1898, now in the making,
therefore becomes of great interest and
importance. 1t will be submitted to
Congress when 1t opens In January by
President Roosevelt. 1t should be re-
vealing and give some line on the
policies Of the Chief Executive. And in
this connection the demand for curtail-
ments in the estimates Of the various
departments and agencies of the Gov
ernment which has been communicated
to the heads of the departments and bu-
reaus is significant
The announced retirement Of Father
Coughlin from political activity and
from the air promises a rest from at
least one source OF agitation. The De-
troit priests influence has waned with
the betterment Of conditions in the coun-
try. 1t waned, also. when the more
radical elements decided to throw their
lot with the New Deal administration.
Instead Of polling 9,000,0O0 votes for his
presidential candidate, william Lemke.
Father Coughlin was able to roll up less
than q million votes.
The tremendous outpouring Of votes ut
the polls last Tuesday was brought about
in part by the strenuous activities Of
the most powerful political organization
on q national scale-that the country
has ever seen. This organization had
been built carefully and painstakingly
by Chairman James A. Farley Of the
Democratic National Committee and his
lieutenants. If President Roosevelt had
not been popular with q great mass Of
the people, and II times had not i'm
proved, the organization could not have
functioned so well. The fact remains.
however, that 1t did function. and was
responsible for . great part of the in
creased registration of voters in all the
cities Of the country and to q less degree
in the towns and rural districts. 1t
functioned in Kansas as well as in Penn
sylvania and New York. The great in
crease in the Government bureaus and
the Federal pay roll played Its part
In the campaign, too. The political po-
tentialities of q bureaucratic govern
ment have had their demonstration. II
the New Deal administration continues
to set up new Government agencies, this
control may be demonstrated to greater
degree. Here again. the country is watt
ing upon the President to learn what
Is in store for it.
New Deal Congressman have been re-
turned to Washington, and many new
members have been elected along with
them. There is certainly no reason to-
day to believe that the new Congress
will decline to follow the leadership Of
the President. He Is sitting on top of
the heap today, on top Of the world.
much as was President Woodrow Wilson
at the close Of the World War. The
recent election IL interpreted as mean
ing that the voters are for the New Deal
and all its implications and attempted
social reforms. 1t would scarcely be ex-
pected now that the President will do
. right about face-and yet there are
those who insist that he will move
sharply to the right. There seems little
doubt that he is sincerely anxious for
greater conservatism in Government
finances and Q balanced budget. But
that the President will abandon his So
cial reforms does not seem in the cards
at all.
Walter H. Newton, former member Of
the House and former secretary to Presi-
dent Hoover, made q real bid for return
to the House In his old congressional
district in Minneapolis. He was de-
feated by only three or four thousand
votes by his Farmer-LAbor opponent,
Dewey w. johnson. The Roosevelt land
slide was responsible, which had been
fostered in Minnesota by q deal between
the Roosevelt Democrats and the
Farmer-Labor party. Dillon, q Demo-
cratic candidate in the fifth district, re-
ceived only 10 per cent of the total vote
cast in the congressional race. Prac-
tically, no campaign was made for him
and the Democratic vote went to john
son, Just as the Farmer-Labor vote went
to Roosevelt. However, Mr.. Newton made
a far better showing in the fifth congress
sional district than did Gov. Landon, the
Republican presidential candidate. Ian
don lost the district by about $4,000
votes. Had this been an off-year elec-
tion-with no presidential centest-
T. ~