Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-05-06
BRECKENRIDGE RISE
HAILED AS LESSON
More Cautions Dissenters OF
Party Taught Moral
of Action.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

There Is q lesson In the Maryland
primaries which transcends the ques-
ton of how large or how small pro-
test vote was recorded there inside
the Democratic party. It is what a
young man Of courage can do almost
single in American politics.
The story Of Henry Breckenridge
and why he offered himself in Penn
sylvania and Maryland primaries OF
the Democratic party is the narrative
of a man who believes the New Deal
is not in accordance with the traditions
of the party Of Jefferson, and who
thinks that if candidate in oppoSi-
ton to Mr.. Roosevelt were named, it
would reveal a large number Of the
Democratic voters, who are not con-
trolled by Federal patronage, as anx-
1ous to show their dissent.
Breckenridge was Assistant Secre-
tary of War under President Wilson
and served in Washington at the same
time that Franklin Roosevelt was
Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Breckenridge comes from the old
American family of Kentucky, which
played vital part in the early his
tory of the Republic. When the
United States entered the war. Henry
Breckenridge entered the service and
won the rank of colonel.
Subdued Limelight.
In recent years Col. Breckenridge
came into the limelight as the trusted
adviser and attorney for Col. Lind
bergh. In the 1882 Democratic pre-
convention campaign Mr.. Breckin-
ridge was manager of the presidential
candidacy of Senator Harry Byrd of
Virginia.
All this background is necessary in
order to indicate that while Breckin-
ridge is an excellent speaker and a
splendid campaigner, he is by no
means as well known nationally as
Messrs. Landon, Vandenberg, Borah
or Al Smith or any of the other promi-
nent personalities in the major par
ties. He, moreover, has no following
among any group or any financial sup
port that could enlist for him large
groups of followers.
Yet the Breckenridge vote in Mary
land was Is per cent of the total cast
in the Democratic primary for the
Presidency. Anybody in Maryland who
preferred to cast his ballot for a man
who came from another State, and
hence could not even be called a
''favorite son." must have had some
grievance against the political philos-
ophy of Franklin Roosevelt.
Could Change Results.
If there were 16 per cent detection
In the Democratic vote, using the 1882
figures. it would change the 1886 re-
suit. Thus:
Roosevelt 1882 vote of 22,82l, 857
minus 16 per cent equals 1s,17O,36O.
Republican 1882 vote of 1891, 841
plus 3,651,497 Democratic equals
19,413.338.
On the basis of the above a plurality
for Roosevelt Of 7,06o.016 in 1892
would be changed into Republican
plurality of 242,978 in 1886.
Now, of course, it will be irnme-
diately remarked and properly SO
that not all the 1851, 497 represent
ing the Democratic detection would
60 to Republican candidate. Like
wise, there are many persons, doubt
less who voted Republican in 1882
who will shift to Mr.. Roosevelt this
year. This is especially true in farm
areas benefited by the A. A. A.
: Discord Not Negligible.
But the Breckenridge idea of showing
the extent of the protest affords and
opportunity to measure what has been
suspected for some time, namely, that
dfscontented Democrats are by no
means as negligible a percentage as
the Rooseveltian spokesman would
have the country believe.
If Col. Breckenridge could subtract
Is per cent of the Democratic vote
in State like Maryland, what would
an independent Democrat of the quail
ity Of Gov. Ely o. Massa chusetts, for
instance, be able to do in States in
the North and Eastern section of the
country? This query will be heard
again and again in the next few weeks
as the question of organizing an in
dependent Democratic ticket, such as
was offered to the country in 1896, is
considered by the Democrats Of the
Jefersonism tradition.
- Copyright. 1850