Evening star., 1936-01-27
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By C. Could Lincoln.


national convention next June goes on
record as indorsing the Roosevelt New
Deal? That is the burning question
which is burning up the high command
of the Roosevelt Democratic organiza-
ton. They don't know. Nor are they
able yet to make any kind of estimate.
The former New York Governor and
former Democratic presidential nominee
said that he and the other Democrats
who believed in the principles Of Jeffer-
son, Jackson and Cleveland could do one
of two things If the partys national
convention wrote into the platform ap-
proval of the New Deal and its admin
istration. They could, he said, wear
the mantle of hypocrisy" or they could
take a walk" He added that they
probably would do the latter.
It is a foregone conclusion that the
convention will nominate Roosevelt and
Garner again and that it will extol the
New Deal and the Roosevelt administra-
ton. Admitting that premise, 1t looks
as though AL Smith and his friends will
be taking walk" Just what does that
mean? Does it mean that they will put
up an independent Democratic ticket,
that they will support Republican
nominee or that they will just stay away
from the polls? Smith said at the
American Liberty League dinner that
he was not going to be candidate for
any Office. Undoubtedly he meant what
he said. If there Is to be an inde-
pendent Democratic ticket some other
nominee will have to be found. 1t seems
scarcely probable or possible that Smith
tn ~ fnv h.
lican nominee for President. He said
that he expected to die Democrat.
%* X
If Smith and a considerable number
Of Democrats followed any one of the
three courses here mentioned it would
be blow to RooSevelt's chances OF re-
election. How many Democrats feel as
does Smith? There seems to be an in
creasingly large number of them. There
probably would be many more If Al
Smith went out and talked to the peo-
pie. at political gatherings, as he talked
to the Liberty Leaguers Saturday night.
He has great appeal to the common
man. He was one of them. He has been
the champion of the people on countless
occasions. The setting for his address
Saturday night was not the kind of set
tlAIe W WIllCll WdS dCCuStOIIlcU
in the old days. He was talking to men
and women representative of business in
big way. He was talking not only to
Democrats. but also to Republicans. The
enthusiasm with which the Republicans
greeted his address was high light. 1t
was indicative, however, Of the change
which has come over part Of the body
polite in the last few years.
Il a%x
policies and administration can be
summed up in one brief statement-they
are not democratic, but socialistic. In
the end they will lead to bureaucracy
on huge scale and to dictatorship. Can
he make this indictment stick?
The reaction to Smiths speech from
the leaders of the Democratic party in
Congress and the leaders of the Roose-
welt organization outside of Congress was
just what might have been expected.
They did not like it little bit. They
are shouting and will continue to shout
sour grapes" at the man whom they
once followed They picture him as
having sold out to big business and as
having forgotten the common man. And
the very fact that he appeared before
a gathering of what they call the
privileged" to make his attack on the
Roosevelt administration is Of course
seized upon to convey this picture. What
will the common man believe?
The fact that Smith has come out at
last with a blast, devastating in many
respects, against the Roosevelt New Deal
and its leaders is likely to encourage
other Democrats who do not believe in
either the New Deal or the President to
60 and do likewise. Smith provides a
rallying post in himself. The Roosevelt
administration, however. is strongly in
trenched. It will have the backing in
the campaign of practically every DEM
ocratic Office holder. and they are legion.
1t will have the support of all the Dem
ocratic members of Congress, or very
nearly all. They must run on the same
ticket with Roosevelt next November.
Only very clear evidence that the New
Deal has lost majority support in State
and district could wean any of them
away. Generally speaking, they must
stand by the ship, sink or float.
X
The Democrats who will applaud and
follow Smith in any walk" that he may
take are not those in Office. They are
the "outs." Some Of them were at the
dinner Saturday night. There was big
sprinkling of Democrats from Maryland,
with former Gov. Albert C. Ritchie at
their head. Howard Bruce, the Demo-
cratic national committeeman, was there,
too. It is true that he attended the
recent Jackson day dinner, which Presi-
dent Roosevelt turned loose on his crit
les. referring to them as gang" But
1t looks as though Mr. Bruce's heart was
on the other side of the fence and with
Smith.
Incidently, Mr. Ritchie's friends are
saying that the former Governor would
like to make the race for United States
Senator in Maryland in 1898. They say,
too that If he does he can win over
Senator Tydings, the incumbent, who
comes up for reelection then. Mary
land Democrats are sick of the present
Republican Governor, Harry Nice, and
wish they had Ritchie back in that office,
the friends of Ritchie assert. Further
more, they insist that it was Tydings
who helped to put the skids under
Ritchie-an open foe of the Roosevelt
New Deal from its inception. It is pos
sible that former Gov. Ritchie himself,
being human, would not be averse to
supplanting Tydings.
X
The Liberty LeaguerS put on their
speaking program Saturday night, two
Democrats and one Republican, to as