Evening star., 1936-03-15
I'M AND OUT DEMOCRATS
WILL FIGURE In CAMPAIGN
Tydings, Glass and Byrd Will Stick to
Roosevelt, While Smith, Reed and
Bruce Will 'STake Walk
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

BY MARK SULLIVAN.
~ DEMOCRATIC leaders
IA leaders as distinct from rank
and flle-there are two
~ groups whose actions will
have strong bearing on the coming
presidential election.
One group-a very distinct group
consists of leaders who are out of
Office and do not expect to return,
leaders who have completed their po-
Itical careers and neither wish nor
hope for more. Their present relation
| to their party is a leadership of
thought, Of sentiment, rather than
leadership in the sense of active Or
ganiZation.
Among Democrats of this type a
large number of the most important
are opposed to the reelection Of Mr..
Roosevelt-and are willing to say so.
A partial list who have stated publicly
that they do not want Mr.. Roosevelt
reelected in November includes ex-
Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York.
ex-Gov. Comstock of Michigan, ex-
Senator James A. Reed of Missouri,
| ex-senator William Cabell Bruce of
Baltimore. I think ex-senator Ely
| OF Massachusetts, is also in the list
| know he has made speeches strong
| ly critical of the New Deal-I am
merely not certain whether he has
ever stated specifically that he is op-
posed to the reelection of Mr. Roose-
welt. I am mentioning here only
Democratic leaders who are so op-
posed TO Mr.. Roosevelt that they are
willing. in ex-Gov. Smiths phrase,
to take a walk" on election day.
am only mentioning these, and I am
mentioning only the more prominent.
! No one knows yet what form the
walk" will take, whether it will take
the form of organizing a third party
Of Independent Democrats, or voting
the Republican ticket and advising
/ their followings to do so, or merely
going fishing on election day.
Free TO Speak Mind.
In one convincing respect the ac-
| ton Of these Democrats carries more
weight than that Of any others. These
Democrats are acting upon their con-
victions. and upon their convictions
only. Their thinking is not confused
by personal ambition. They are not
| confused by present active obligation
to the party organization. They are
free to say what they think. They
will have much weight in the election.
It might very well be that they will
carry with them almost the whole of
that margin of Democratic voters who
vote only upon intelligent convictions,
and are not moved to go to the polls,
I OF taken there, by the Office holding
party organizations. These leaders,
formerly active and highly placed. are
now the party sages, the elder
statesmen" They may have more
weight than other leaders who try
| to drum the voters to the polls merely
as a matter of party organization.
Public opinion, making a choice be-
tween these leaders of thought and
sentiment, and, on the other hand,
the party wheel horses and hacks, big
and httle-public opinion may well
decide that the party sages are the
better guide.
Trio Weld Power.
Consider now a second group OF
Democratic leaders This group is
practically as eminent as the group
/ already named. The relevant charac-
teristics of this second group are as
! follows:
They are as strongly opposed to the
New Deal as former Gov Smith and
! former Gov. Ely.
They have, during past months, ex-
pressed their feelings about the New
Deal as strongly as former Gov. Smith
and former Gov. Ely.
But-and this is formidable but
these leaders are in Office. That they
are in Office and that they hope to
continue in Office is what distinguishes
them from the group of party sages
and elder statesmen.
Typical of this group are three very
well known. There are others, but
these three are familiar to the public,
and their strong expressions of opin-
ion against the New Dealers are re-
membered. The three whom I pick
out as typical are Senator Carter Glass
of Virginia, Senator Harry F. Byrd OF
the same State and Senator Millard F..
Tydings of Maryland
These three. and others like them,
have been coming face to face with
difficult situation. They are. by reason
of their courage, on record in opposi-
ton to the New Deal. BY that fact
they are distinguished from, and per-
haps above, other Democratic leaders
who feel as strongly against the New
Deal, who in private conversations
have spoken as strongly, but who have
never expressed themselves in public,
who are not on record.
Hope to Continue in Office.
AT the same time these Democrats
such as Mr.. Glass, Mr.. Byrd and Mr..
Tydings-these men hold office as
Democrats and they hope to continue
to hold Office If they are to hold
Office at all, it must be as Democrats
If they should now do what ex-Gov
Smith has done. they would be out of
| CIle O6I1OCIdIlC patty dLl0 VAaiOuSA SS-
ing out of the Democratic party they
would be out of public life. It Is not
desirable that they should be out OF
public life It is most desirable that
they should continue to be in the
public service. They are men Of the
highest character and intelligence. If
America were managed by men all Of
whom had the qualities of Senators
Glass, Byrd and Tydings, America
would be a fortunate country.
Conceivably, If there were great
mass movement Of Democrats away
from the New Deal, If the bulk of the
Democratic party should recognize. as
many do, the dangers Of the New
Deal-if there were such movement,
these leaders could afford to join it
and lead it. But most of the rank
and file of Democrats, the little local
leaders everywhere who form the
backbone Of the party organization,
\ are going to remain Democratic. Be-