Evening star., 1936-10-26
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY C. GOULD LINCOLN.

tahs uAidCA -tllc oOCldi bcCulty dCby otuA1
operating on January !, 1887, instead OF
some date prior to November 3, did a
good job for the New Dealers. The pay
roll tax Is not going to be popular. Wage
earners are particularly sensitive to re-
ductiops from their pay envelopes. And
in this case they are told that after they
get to be IS years of age they will benefit
from these deductions. To wage Garner
now Is or 80 years old this does not
sound so appealing.
The Republicans. starting with Gov.
Aim M. Landon's vigorous attack on the
social security act as 1t now stands, con-
tanned in a speech he made a month ago
in the Midwest, have been carrying the
pay roll tax issue home to labor at every
possible turn. They are trying to convince
labor that the New Deal, after all, is not
quite as much its friend as the President
would have labor believe; that it Is q
little too paternalistic. The Democrats
are screaming with pain because many
Of the manufacturers are calling the
attention of the workers to the fact that
with the first of the year, per cent OF
their pay is to be deducted under the
law, to be turned over to the Federal
Government.
The Democrats say this Is trying to
"coerce" the workers. Well, II informing
the men what is going to happen under
a New Deal law is coercion, that's that.
However, this is one tax which Is new.
The law calls it tax. The deductions,
OF course. are to be used to pay old-age
pensions to the workers after they are
IS years old. 1t Is measure OF saving.
But it Is compulsory saving, not volun-
tary. Labor does not like compulsion,
whether 1t is New Deal compulsion or
any other kind.
How far the Republicans have gotten
with this campaign to turn labor away
from Roosevelt will not be known until
election day. On the surface, labor Is
still wildly enthusiastic for Roosevelt.
Their leaders for the most part have
Endorsed the President and are working
for his reelection. 1t is quite reasonable
to suppose that rank and file members
of labor unions. If they have made up
their minds to vote against Roosevelt, are
not saying much about 1t. The ballot Is
secret, however, and the wage earners
are likely to do Just what they want with
the ballot when they go into the polling
booths on election day.
The ardent hope expressed by Repub-
licans-and not few DemocratS-iS
that the Republicans will succeed in
electing a substantial number of the
House of Representatives, even If Landon
fails of election. If the Republicans form
a large minority group in the House,
ready to combat New Deal experimental
measures and New Deal appropriations
in the next Congress. the administration
may be forced to change its tune. Par
ticularly if there is group Of conserva-
tive Democrats ready to join with them.
There seems no doubt that the Republi-
cans are due to make gains in the House.
In many of the States I have visited in
the last month. this is frankly admitted
by Democrats themselves.
X X -
There are seven congressional districts
in Philadelphia County. -Four Of these
districts are represented in the present
Congress by Republicans and three by
Democrats. In the fourth district, now
held by Representative DAILY, a Demo-
crat, the Republicans have put up Boise
PenroSe, I'd. If there is anything in a
name, and Philadelphia can think back
to the first quarter Of the century, PEN
rose should have chance. Boise PenroSe
lst had Pennsylvania in an iron grip
when he was in his prime. 1t happens
that PenroSe End has a chance. For
there is third candidate in the field
there, running on the Royal Oak ticket,
backed by Lemke and Coughlin. In the
fifth district, also represented by a
Democrat, Dorsey, the Republicans have
nominated former Representative Con-
nelly. He, too, seems to have a chance,
for there Is labor candidate in the
field who may split the Republican
opposition. The sixth district. repre-
sented by Stack, Democrat, is the scene
of a close fight, too. Not all of the
Republican incumbents are without their
troubles, however. Darrow in the seventh
district and Fenerty in the third, both
Republicans, seem sure of coming
through successfully. The Republicans
in the first and second districts are fight
ing hard.
Ralph Beaver Strassburgher of Norris
town, who has been Republican in the
past, is out for Roosevelt. Moreover, he
believes that Roosevelt has real chance
to carry Pennsylvania.
The progressive march of old-line
Democrats. some of them formerly con-
nected with the Roosevelt administra-
ton, to Landon is becoming impressive.
Lewis Douglas, Roosevelt's first director
of the budget, is the latest to take a
walk" 1t is reasonable to suppose that
If SO many former leaders of the party,
including two former Democratic presi-
Dental candidates, have decided they
will not stand for the reelection of the
New Deal President, considerable
number of the rank and file and lesser
lights in the party have the same feeling.
AL Smith, speaking in Chicago, predicted
that millions of Democrats this year
would vote for the Republican nominee.
If they do, it will be tough for President
Roosevelt. In the first place, Roosevelt
must have the support of millions of
Republicans in order to be elected. He
had that support four years ago, plus
all the Democrats. 1t must be obvious
to any one that many of the Republicans
who left their party in 1892 are back
in the ranks of the G. o. P. now.
* X X X
The Democrats are counting heavily on
the relief vote and on the Negroes. The
latter in the past have been Republican.
Many of the Negroes who have jobs will
continue to vote Republican. 1t Is those
who are on relief who are most amen
able to the New Deal arguments.
1t is impossible, Of course, to count
these Negroes in addition to the relief
vote. They are part and parcel OF 1t.