Evening star., 1936-03-02
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By C. Gould Lincoln.

The entry of Col. Henry Breckenridge
into the Ohio Democratic presidential
preference primary and his expected
entry into the Pennsylvania primaries
adds interest, at least, to the preconven-
ton campaign. It is the first open chal-
lenge on the part of anti-Roosevelt DEM
ocrats to the Presidents denomination.
Gov. Talmadge of Georgia, bitter critic
of the New Deal and the President, has
played around with the idea of becoming
q candidate for the presidential NOM
ination In opposition to Roosevelt. That
Is as far as he has gone up to date. The
entry of Col Breckenridge, a member of
the American Liberty League, into the
race against Roosevelt may bring a new
element into the anti-New Deal fight by
the league. It is reasonable to believe
that he will have the support of the
1eague-and this may mean the neces-
sary money to finance campaign.
Breckinridge served at one time as
Assistant Secretary of War in Woodrow
Wilson's administration. President
Roosevelt was an Assistant Secretary of
the Navy in the Wilson administration.
Both are lawyers. But while Breckenridge
has kept at the law, Roosevelt turned
years ago to politics. He was the rum
ming mate for former Gov. Cox of Ohio
in the 1920 presidential campaign. More
recently he was twice Governor of New
York and finally President of the United
States.
Breckenridge may provide rallying
post for the anti-Roosevelt Democrats
in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and other
States if he carries his campaign further.
1t Is a question, however, how many
votes he can get. He is not national
figure. He is not widely known to the
electorate The votes that are cast for
him will be simply votes cast against
Roosevelt. They will not be affirmative
votes, but negative. New Dealer leaders
already are saying that his entry into the
Ohio primary will merely serve to show
how strong the Roosevelt sentiment is.
There is a considerable anti-NeW Deal
sentiment among Democrats in both
Ohio and Pennsylvania. For example, AL
Smith had big following among Demo-
Gratis in Pennsylvania in 1882 when he
made the race for the delegates to the
Democratic National Convention that
year in the State. How many of these
former Smith followers will get behind
Breckenridge in the coming weeks?
Senator Robinson of Arkansas, Demo-
cratic leader of the Senate, has started
campaign supporting Roosevelt out OF
the news columns of various Republican
newspapers. It is ingenious. He gathers
excerpts from these newspapers setting
forth how much improved conditions are
in business and industry and showing
how much better off the farmers are
under the New Deal. Every so often the
Democratic Senator places summary OF
these news items in the Congressional
Record, presumably for the information
of the voters and for use in the national
campaign, when it gets under way.
Among the newspapers from which
Senator Robinson has culled these items
favorable to the New Deal are the Chi
cago Tribune, the New York Herald
Tribune, the Chicago Daily News, the
New York Journal of Commerce. the
Minneapolis Tribune and the Fargo
IN Dak) Forum. Here are samples OF
Senator Robinson's industry:
From the Chicago Gll) Daily Tribune
of February Is, 1896:
Farm values of live stock rise sharply.
The value of live stock held on farms
of the United States rose sharply during
1885, the Department of Agriculture re-
ported yesterday. The total January l
was estimated at $4,885, ,302 900, compared
with $3.50, ,085 900 year earlier and ST.
976,677,O00 two years ago. -"
From the Los Angeles (Calif0 Times OF
February II, 1896:
Wholesale index mounts to new high.
WASHINGTON, February 1.-THE
wholesale index compiled by the Ma
tional Fertilizer Association rose to 87.3
in the week ended February Is. This was
the highest point reached since the week
of January 4. and compared with IT'S a
week ago.
From the New York Herald Tribune of
February 81, 1886:
The railroads and business.
The class railroads of the United
States last year earned their largest net
operating income since 1881. The figure.
$5OO,O7l, 1874, compares with $465 688 ,586 in
1884, $474,247,45 in 1888, and 1926 ,298, 900
in 1882. The 1881 net operating income
was $525,628,0oO.
Friends of former President Herbert
Hoover have been much encouraged by
the reception of his speeches, in his far
flung campaign against the Roosevelt
New Deal. They do not yet 60 to the
length of saying they expect the Repub-
lican National Convention to turn to
Mr.. Hoover and nominate him to run
against President Roosevelt. But they
insist that he is the only Republican
leader who has made a real impression
with his speeches against the New Deal.
They contend that his speeches have
been effective and they have changed
the tide of public sentiment which has
run strongly against him ever since the
disastrous days of 1882. He is, more
over, they say, the titular leader OF the
Republican party. Furthermore, he had
undoubted ability. Mr.. Hoover's next
address, which will be broadcast through
out the country, will be delivered March
Z in Colorado Springs. He will address
there q gathering of Young Republicans
from the Intermountain States. The
Republican National Committee has an
nounced a list of speakers who will go
on the air during the next three weeks.
In addition to Mr.. Hoover, the list in
cludes Representative Chester Bolton OF
Ohio, chairman of the Republican Con-
gressional Campaign Committee; Rep
resentative Hamilton Fish of New York,
Representative Mott of Oregon, Repre-
sentative Crowther Of New York, Rep
Il