Evening star., 1936-09-03
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The meeting of "progressives," to de-
clare for the reelection of President
Roosevelt, II all reports are correct, is to
be held In Chicago September IL. Sen
ator Robert M. La Follete, jr., Of Wis
consin set the ball rolling weeks ago when
he announced that such q conference
would be staged. It was at q progress
sive conference in Washington back in
1881 that Senator George w. Norris of
Nebraska made his famous remark that
what the country needed was another
Roosevelt" Norris, who Is working now
for the reelection of Roosevelt, will be
one OF the leaders at the coming pro-
gressive conference, 1t is said. Another
is expected to be Mayor Fiorella La
Guardia of New York.
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La Guardia's participation in q con-
ference called to indorse President
Roosevelt for reelection may have def
mite political repercussions. There has
been talk that the President might get
behind the candidacy of La Guardia
for reelection next year as Mayor of
Greater New York. What a pleasant
thing that would be for Tammany Hall
to contemplate. La Guardia, who has
been at odd times a Republican and
Socialist, was elected Mayor on a Fusion
ticket, after the Tammany candidate
had been thoroughly trounced. The
Roosevelt Democrats in New York at
that time put in the field candidate
OF their own for Mayor. He only made
the going easier for La Guardia
1t is widely rumored that Tammany
does not look with favor on President
Roosevelt and his first lieutenant, Chair
man James A. Farley of the Democratic
State Committee of New York and also
of the Democratic National Committee.
There is suspicion that Tammany will
do lot of knitting of the Democratic
presidential ticket in New York. If 1t is
generally expected that La Guardia is
to be the pet of the administration in
the next mayoralty race, there is little
doubt Tammany will do little to help
in the reelection of the President. The
Democratic New Dealers are relying upon
big vote in New York City to offset
the lead which Gov. Landon will have
upstate. in order to carry the Empire
State for the President If Tammany
runs out, or takes a walk, the chances
for Roosevelt in his home State will be
considerably lessened.
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The progressive conference may, it Is
said, consider plans for 1910. Indeed, it
is understood that La Toilette said as
much to other progressive Senators when
he was in Washington about the time of
the adjournment of Congress. It seems,
however, that to take third party plans
for 1910 when there is a presidential
election right in the offing Is futile and
perhaps only a camouf1age for the real
work of the conference, which will be to
bring about, if possible, the reelection
Of President Roosevelt. There will be
several progressive Democrats at the
conference, among them Senators Wag-
ner Of New York and Bone of Washing
ton. Their particular interest right now
is the November victory of Roosevelt.
The death of Gov. Floyd B. Olson Of
Minnesota leaves something of a hole
in this progressive conference. Senator
E. A. Benson, Farmer-Laborite, of Min
nesota and a candidate for Governor,
will seek, in part, to fill this gap. The
death of Olson, however, was a real blow
to the Roosevelt people in Minnesota.
1t was Olson, dynamic leader, with whom
the Roosevelt Democrats dealt, and 1t
was to Olson they looked for a large
Farmer-Labor vote for Roosevelt in the
presidential election and for other
favors.
Evidence that the Roosevelt New Deal
ers are moving heaven and earth to win
at the polls next November Is not lacking.
President Roosevelt is hurrying back to
Washington from the drought regions
of the West to deliver Nationwide
radio address on Sunday night. In it he
Is expected to talk about the drought
situation and also to make an important
announcement about the employment Of
those workers who have been on relief
and relief projects. Roosevelt's journey
into the drought regions has been dubbed
clear bid for votes, just as was his
recent visit to those regions which suf-
fered last Spring from disastrous floods.
And his coming radio address, no matter
how 1t is labeled, will be another bid for
votes, and so interpreted.
Members of the cabinet are girding
themselves for the campaign, among
them Miss Perkins, Secretary of Labor,
who is hurrying back from Europe to
do her bit. And now the Works Prog
ress Administration has promulgated q
ruling that workers on these relief prof.
ects are to be permitted to take time
of to vote in the election without any
danger of their losing time and money.
They are to be permitted to rearrange
their work schedules SO that they will
be protected in their earnings If they are
q couple of hours or more OF to vote
on November 3. The w. p. A. officials
claim that this Is not q political move.
They say that it will give the workers
chance to vote, and to vote any ticket
they desire. But it is q safe bet that
1t would break the hearts Of the admin
istration If these relief workers do not
step up and pull the lever or mark their
ballots for Roosevelt.
In the light of all the charges that
have been made about coercing the
w. p. A. workers to register and vote
the Democratic ticket, the new order
now put out seems pretty fragrant, despite
the protest of Harry L. Hopkins and
others that politics are kept out Of the
w. p. A. Following rapidly on the
heels of the publication of the Repub-
lican National Committee of q secret
memorandum" issued by Mr.. Hopkins
apparently as a complete guide to the
art of propaganda, the order permitting
the workers to take time Oh to vote Is
bound to cause a lot Of conversation.
The Republican National Committee
called otteption IN the huge number