Evening star., 1936-08-31
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

the United States Senate. They are Gov.
Louis j. Brann of Maine. Democrat:
Gov. James M. Curley of Massachusetts,,
Democrat: Gov. H. Styles Bridges of New
Hampshire, Republican, and Gov. Theo-
dore Francis Green Of Rhode Island.
Brann already has been nominated.
Curley is expected to be nominated by
the Democrats in the Massachusetts,
September Is primary. and Bridges prob
ably will win nomination in New Hamp-
shire on the same day, although he has
determined opposition from Senator
George Moses. Green has still to be
nominated in Rhode Island.
Every one of the States is reckoned q
battle-ground in the senatorial elections.
Bridges, Green and Brann are seeking to
succeed Republican Senators. while Cur
ley is after seat in the Upper House
now held by Senator Marcus A. Coolidge,
Democrat. If Bridges wins the nominal
ton he will be faced by Representative
a vote getter in New Hampshire. Curley
will be faced in the election by Henry
Cabot Lodge, a grandson of the late
Senator Lodge, who for so many years
was dominant figure not only in Re-
puOilIdll pOllClCO Ill GllC Day 0IdIC Wv
also in the Senate.
Gov. Curley last week went to Portland,
Me-, to urge the election of Gov. Brann
to the Senate. Probably there is no one
in the Democratic party today who is q
more effective campaign speaker than
the Massachusetts, Governor-not even
excepting President Roosevelt. Curley
speaks without manuscript. He has
a great, resonant voice, which he con-
trolls admirably. He hammers home his
arguments in a manner known only to
a master of oratory. There was one thing
noticeable about the Curley meeting in
Portland. Neither Gov. Brann, Demo-
cratic candidate for the Senate, nor
Harold Dubord, candidate for Governor,
was present. Both sent kilograms ex-
pressing regret that speaking engage
ments in other parts Of the State pre-
vented their attendance. However, there
is a suspicion that these gentlemen did
not relish the idea Of being too closely
associated with Curley, who is not par
ticularly admired in some parts Of
Maine, although there are an appreciable
number of Democrats in Portland whom
Curley could and did stir to white-hot
enthusiasm.
Bridges campaign for the Republican
senatorial nomination In New Hampshire
Is creating good deal of interest in and
out of New Hampshire. In the first place
he is young man, one of the Republican
candidates for Governor who won in the
overwhelmingly Democratic year of 1884.
He was mentioned frequently and seri-
ously as a candidate for Vice President
on the Republican national ticket during
the Cleveland National Convention and
prior thereto. He is considered symbolic
of the rejuvenated Republican party.
Pitted against him is George H. Moses, a
veteran of many political battles and
for years Senator from New Hamp-
shire until his defeat for reelection in
1882 Moses is brilliant and caustic
speaker. He has referred to Gov Bridges
as little boy blue" but beyond that he
has kept away from wiSe-cracking.
Bridges has the support of the younger
element among the Republicans. and he
may be expected to have his share Of the
older. 1t would be a surprising thing II
the veteran Moses staged comeback.
While Maine turned the prohibitionists
out two years ago and repealed its dry
laws and now permits the sale of liquors
and beer under certain regulations. there
is to be q referendum on September IA,
the Maine election day. on the question
of local option. Provision was made for
such referendum every two years when
the liquor law for Maine was put through.
In other words, the various communities
of the State are entitled to say whether
they wish to be wet" or dry" The drys
have been working hard in Portland. the
States largest city, to bring about a re-
turn to prohibition, at least in part. Up
to the present the local option contest
has attracted little attention. 1t may be
that the vets will get busy in earnest
during the next two weeks. The prohibi-
ton question has not, and probably will
not, enter the gubernatorial and sena-
torial campaigns. Neither the Democrats
nor the Republicans seem to be anxious
to stir up this question again, in party
politics.
The contrast between the courses pur-
sued by the Democratic vice presidential
Office on the Republican ticket is one OF
the remarkable features of the campaign.
John N. Garner of Texas, Vice President
of the United States. is no mean speaker.
He has plenty of fire and ability, yet Mr..
Garner has consistently refrained from
campaign speaking. He is as quiet today
as he has been during the nearly four
years he has been the second highest
elected official of the United States Gov
ernment. His attitude has been that the
President does the talking for the ad-
ministration. For that reason he has
declined to make any speeches on any
occasions. In some respects, Mr.. Garner
has been rated a conservative. There
have been many stories to the effect that
New Deal measures and administration
have made him slightly sick. None OF
them, however, has been publicly con-
firmed.
How long this silence of Mr.. Garner
will continue remains to be seen. 1t is
quite within the bounds of probability
that he will be called upon by the Roose-
velt high command to get into the CAM
paign vigorously before the end of the
battle. He might do quite bit to offset
the attacks of the Jeffersonian Demo-
Gratis for he has always been regarded
as belonging to that class of Democrats.
In the old days of his membership in
the House, when he was first Democratic
leader and then Speaker, Jack" Garner
was a tower of strength, both in the
House debates and in the political cam
paigns. The bottling up of the Vice
President has been one of the strange