Evening star., 1936-09-10
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN,

address in Portland, winding up the
campaign which ends at the polls on
Monday. makes the result in Maine all
the more test Of strength that may
have national implications. The per-
sonal entry of the G. o. p. presidential
candidate into the Maine campaign,
also, is likely to impress the voters with
the idea that the Maine election is not
a local afiair-although they vote on
Monday for Governor, Senator and three
members Of the House, and not for
President. The Democratic candidate
for Senator, Gov. Louis j. Brann, has
been running along on his personal pop
ularity and edging as far away from
the Roosevelt New Deal as possible. He
does not wish to be known as q New
Dealer among the Republicans in Maine,
whose support he must have II he is to
beat Senator Wallace White Well, the
visit Of Landon to Maine, plus declara-
ton by him that vote for White is q
vote for Landon and q vote against
Roosevelt, may have considerable effect
in that senatorial contest.
II Maine goes strongly Republican on
Monday Landon will get the praise. 1t
looks as though his determination to
get into Maine was wise, anyway 1t is re-
garded. For II the Democrats should ac-
complish the impossible and carry the
State for Governor and for Senator, 1t
would be black eye for Landon,
whether he was in the State or not.
Reports from Maine indicate that the
Democrats are moving heaven and earth
there to elect Brann. He is their chief
hope in an election which seems to be
pretty well Sewed up for the Repub-
licans. II Brann is elected Chairman
Farley OF the Democratic National Com
mittee will proclaim it a great Roosevelt
victory, although he has acquiesced in
the plan to have Brann shy away from
the New Deal in his campaigning in
Maine.
Senator Joseph F. Guffey of Pennsyl-
vania, Democratic boss of that State, in
Labor day address, said that the Con.
stitution had been used as "an instru-
ment to destroy rather than to protect
human rights" by the Supreme Court
OF the United States. He was referring
to the manner in which the court had
knocked down certain New Deal legis-
lation. among them the Guffey coal bill.
II Mr.. Guffey believes what he says, and
undoubtedly he must. then under his
plea one OF two things. or both. should
be done. Either the Constitution should
be drastically amended, or the Supreme
Court should be denied the power to
pass on the constitutionality Of laws Of
Congress. A lot Of New Dealers believe
that both these things should be DONE
But they have not, as a party, come
forward with any such definite and spe-
cific proposals. There is an alternative.
II President Roosevelt is reelected, in
all human probability he will have sew
eral places to fill on the Supreme bench.
Those judges selected to fill the vacan-
cies may be thoroughly catachised and
their views on New Deal theories ascer-
tanned before they are appointed.
-
Senator George w. Norris, 75-year- old
veteran and ardent supporter Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt, has been drafted to run
for reelection by 40,504 voters in Ne
braska. His name will be on the ballot
as an independent candidate for the
Senate unless he refuses to remain
drafted and orders his name taken of.
The petition, signed by his supporters,
Republican and Democratic, has been
AAACd WIN tiiC 0CSACtdly "a otdbc. OllQcI
the State law he does not have to give
assent. Presumably, however, II he is to
be q candidate, he will get actively into
the campaign. He has already promised
to do all he can to aid In re-electing
President Roosevelt. Obtaining 40,504
signatures is quite a feat. Every effort
was made by Norris friends and the
New Dealers to swell the number Of
signers.
Norris will be opposed by former
Representative Bob" Simmons, Repub-
lican, and former Representative Terry
Carpenter, Democrat, In the senatorial
election. The Republicans hope to be
able to put Simmons across, with the
New Deal and Democratic opposition
divided between Norris and Carpenter.
Strenuous efforts have been made by
the New Dealers and by many Of the
Democrats to get Carpenter to withdraw
| from the race. He has hung on. If
| Carpenter should withdraw now and take
an important Federal Office either before
| or after the election 1t would look pretty
raw.
Simmons, Norris Republican opponent,
| is an active and able campaigner He
| made q good record for himself during
his service in the House, and two years
ago was the Republican senatorial nomi-
nee against Senator Burke, Democrat.
That was strongly New Deal year, and
| Simmons lost.
-
| The New Dealers sent Senator Schwel-
lenbach of Washington out to Columbus
Nebr, few days ago to make q cam
paign speech. He started it of with q
| eulogy of Norris. In fact, the New Deal
ers are hoping for help from Norris
candidacy for the Senate, just as they
are hoping for help from the candidacy
| of several other senatorial and guber-
material candidates whose nominations
have been dictated from Washington
| among them Brann in Maine, Frank
Murphy in Michigan, Lehman in New
York. They are hoping. too, for the nom.
ination of Senator James Couzens in the
Republican primary in Michigan on Sep
tember is, and today the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Investigating Com
| mittee is conducting an inquiry in that
State designed to hamper former Gov
william M. Brucker in his race against
Couzens. Schwellenbach said everything
he could for Norris in his Nebraska
speech:
"I have come to regard Senator Norris,
he said, "as the outstanding figure in the
Congress Of the United States. In the
| minds Of all Of our people George Norris
| is the patron saint to whom we haye
looked for inspiration and encourage.
ment. In the last year and q half II
has been my special privilege to work