Evening star., 1936-03-26
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. Gould Lincoln.

MS nrSt campaign trip, Is planning an
other drive into the Middle West almost
Immediately. He will 60 to Milwaukee
| for q speech the first week in April. The
| primary there takes place April Z.
| Borahs supporters for the Republican
presidential nomination are anxious to
make good showing in the State, where
there are two states of delegates, one
| pledged to Borah and the other "un-
| instructed" If there is one kind Of
delegate that Mr.. Borah dislikes 1t is
| the uninstructed variety. Borah was
the first in the field in Wisconsin, and
| as no one else determined to enter Wis.,
| consin it was rather taken for granted
that he would have the States "A votes
| in the national convention. 1t develops
| now, however, that there is a real fight
on in Wisconsin, and BorahS supporters
believe that he should come into the
State for rousing speech on the eve Of
the primary.
From Milwaukee the Idaho Senator
plans to go to Southern Illinois. 1t is
not his present schedule to 60 again to
Chicago for a speech, though he may be
In that city during his trip for confer
.ences with his campaign managers in
the State. The Illinois primary is to
take place April IA, and there he has a
stiff fight on with Col. Frank Knox,
Chicago publisher.
Today is the final day for filing in the
California primary. Gov. ALT M. Landon
of Kansas has a big following in the
State, although he has not consented
to have his name put formally in the
race there. There is another group of
Republicans who believe, with former
President Hoover, that the California
delegation should 60 to the Republican
National Convention "uninstructed," with
free hand to support the candidate
they believe best when the roll is called.
Borah has been strongly urged to put
slate of delegates in the California pri-
mary. Involved in so many other pri-
mary fights, the Idaho Senator feels that
it would be impossible for him to 60 to
the Pacific Coast during the next few
weeks to deliver q number of speeches.
Unless he changes his mind in the next
few hours it is not expected that he will
enter the California fight. However, even
If the delegation should be uninStructed,
or should the slate be supported by Will
liam Randolph Hearst, who is strongly
for the nomination of Gov. Landon,
Borah supporters feel that he will have
a number of delegates friendly to his
candidacy when the convention opens.
Senator Hiram johnson of California
has big following in the State. Despite
the fact that Borah supported johnson
for the presidential nomination in 1920,
the California Senator is not in the
Borah camp this year. Unless he has
change of heart before next November,
Senator johnson is expected to be again
for the election of President Roosevelt,
as he was in 1882.
Another "favorite- candidate for
the Republican presidential nomination
has cropped up this time in North Caro-
lima. Meeting in State convention on
Tuesday. in Raleigh, the Republicans in
dorsed Judge Isaac NJ Meekins for the
presidential nomination. This was, in
effect, a declaration for an uninstructed
delegation, delegation that could shop
around until 1t decided which of the
most prominent candidates 1t would 60
to. No one expects the Republicans to
nominate a candidate from Southern
State. Not even the Democrats have
nominated Southern man for President
since the Civil War, although they have
counted upon the support Of the solid
South" for all those years.
The decision of North Carolina to send
"favorite son." or uninstructed dele
cation, to the Republican National Con-
vention may prove an example for the
Republicans in other Southern States.
Usually the Southern States have been
considered good "pickings" for prominent
candidates for the Republican presiden-
tial nomination. Bids for State delegations
have been many in that section of the
country. AS matter of fact, even before
North Carolina Republicans picked q
favorite-son candidate, its sister State
South Carolina, had decided to send an
uninstructed delegation to the national
convention. The Southern States Re-
publicans are few and far between. They
like to jump aboard the band wagon"
when they know which way the band
wagon is going. What they get out of
the election of Republican President is
Federal patronage. If they land on the
winning candidate and help to make his
nomination sure in a national conven-
ton they figure they are just so much
the better of.
r
Eight years ago Senator Borah invaded
the States of the South in support of the
election of former President Hoover.
When he determined to go into that
territory the Republicans in the North,
including Mr. Hoover himself, were con-
vinced that not even the opposition to
AL Smith in the South would avail to
break the solid South and its allegiance
to the Democratic party. Events, how
ever, proved that Borah was right, for
four of the Southern States-Virginia,
Florida North Carolina and Texas-gave
their electoral votes to the Republican
candidate Despite the fact that Presi-
dent Roosevelt has his enemies in the
South, among the Democrats who be-
lieve he has cast into the discard many
of the principles of jefferson, jackson
and. Cleveland, it is not expected that
any of these States will leave their DEM
ocratic moorings this year. Had Huey
Long lived and had he persisted in his
opposition to the reelection OF Presi-
dent Roosevelt. he might have caused
some real trouble for the President in
Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Gov. Talmadge of Georgia has sought
to stir up trouble for the President in
his own State and in other States OF the
South, but it looks as though his efforts
had been a fash in the pan.
The Republican National Convention