Evening star., 1936-09-17
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

to Growing and the Roosevelt New Deal
ers to smiling on the wrong side Of their
mouths. The first was the Republican
clean sweep in Maine. The Democrats
there and elsewhere had expressed the
utmost confidence they would carry the
senatorial fight in Maine, with Gov.
Louis j. Brann as their candidate against
Senator Wallace White, Republican. The
second event which has caused Joy to
the Republicans was the defeat Of Sena-
tor James Couzens of Michigan for re-
nomination. Couzens had plenty Of
Republican enemies already, but when
he came out with a statement q few
weeks ago that he intended to support
President Roosevelt for reelection, that
wound the matter up. After such a
declaration he apparently did not have
a chance despite his big personal follow
ing in Detroit and despite the efforts Of
the New Dealers to get the Democrats
to 60 into the Republican primary to
support CouZens. Couzens was beaten
by former Gov. WILDER NJ Brucker by up
ward Of 100000 votes.
The New Dealers have trouble, it
seems, taking defeats. Already there is
talk of a demand for a recount in the
Maine senatorial election. which Brann
lost by 5000 votes. Barring that, Brann,
1t is suggested, may file contest, but on
what grounds it has not been disclosed.
The Maine Governor has been in confer
ence with Chairman Farley Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, and also with
Senator Guffey of Pennsylvania, chair
man Of the Democratic Senatorial Com
mittee. If a contest is filed it may bring
charges of excessive expenditures. The
Senatorial Campaign Investigating Com
mittee sent investigators into Maine a
week ago and learned that contributions
had been made to the Republican cam
paign fund by some of the Du Points.
The committee did not look into Demo-
cratic campaign expenditures, so far as
is known.
1t looks, too as though the New Deal
ers might seek to bring a contest in the
Michigan senatorial election, on the
ground that large sums of money were
used to defeat Couzens in the primary.
The Senatorial Campaign Investigating
Committee some time ago sent investi-
gators to Detroit to run down report
that some SO OO0. 900 had been raised as a
slush fund to be used in the elections.
presumably to defeat Couzens.
The administration hand-picked cam
didate for the Democratic gubernatorial
nomination, Frank Murphy, former
mayor of Detroit, was successful in his
contest fer that nomination. His Demo-
cratic opponent, G. w. Welsh, however,
received very considerable vote.
Murphy was given "furlough" from his
Job as United States high commissioner
to the Philippines to come home ana
make the race With Murphy and
Couzens running, the New Dealers
thought the Roosevelt ticket would be
greatly strengthened in Michigan. The
Republicans, however, have eleminated
Couzens from the ticket.
~ -
Gov. James M. Curley of Massachu-
sets won. as was expected, the Demo-
cratic nomination for Senator. He was
bitterly opposed, however, by many
Democrats, who rallied to the support
of Robert E. Greenwood Greenwood
received more than 100 900 votes. Thomas
C. OBrien. the Union party candidate
for Vice President, entered the Demo-
cratic senatorial primary and had up
large, things do not look rosy for Curley.
He will have to face Henry Cabot Lodge,
the Republican nominee, in the Novem-
Der election, with practically solid Re-
publican backing There are thousands
of Democrats disinclined to vote for
Curley Furthermore, the New Deal to
which Gov. Curley has clung, is not as
popular in Massachusetts, as 1t used
to be.
The New Dealers. are taking consid-
erable satisfaction from the results in
the Wisconsin primary. There the La
Toilette Progressives polled larger vote,
it appears. than did either the Repub-
licans or the Democrats. The way the
New Dealers figure it in Wisconsin is to
add the Progressive vote to the Demo-
cratic vote when they make estimates
of the strength of President Roosevelt in
the Badger State. Both Gov. Philip La
Toilette and Senator Robert M. La Fol-
lette are out for the reelection OF
President Roosevelt, and the La FolletteS
are very largely the Progressive party in
Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the State which
Chairman John Hamilton had in mind
when he predicted recently that Gov.
Iandon, the Republican presidential
candidate would carry every State east
of the Mississippi and north Of the Ohio,
with one exception.
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The Republicans have turned out two
sitting Democratic members Of the House
of Representatives, by the Maine elec-
tions They carried all three congress
sional districts in Mondays election, and
by substantial majoritieS. They are
counting heavily on winning a great
many seats in the House now held by
Republicans, and are taking good deal
of satisfaction from this start. Maine
has gone back to its Republican moorings.
It has turned its back on the Roosevelt
New Deal. In November the State is
expected to 60 even more heavily for
Landon and against Roosevelt. Many
other States have in years before 1882
been considered as strongly Republican
as Maine, and those States voted Demo-
cratic four years ago, and again in 1884.
in the congressional and gubernatorial
elections. Take Iowa, for example, or
Illinois. If the swing back to Republi-
caniSm is on, as shown in Maine, there
may be reason to believe that these other
strongly Republican States may be found
again supporting the G. o. p. national
ticket.
Lewis o. Barrows, Republican Gov
ernor-elect of Maine defeated Dubord,
hie Dapoocrotic onDonent nv ~ f(10 votes