Evening star., 1936-11-29

mia has not supported the Republican
candidate for President in any of the
last three elections. In 1882 he spoke
for Franklin D. Roosevelt. During
the recent election-indeed, during
the last two or three years-Washlns-
ton gossip said that Senator johnson
felt outraged by the New Deal. that he
detested it. In the recent campaign
he was silent.
Senator Borah of Idaho did not
support the Republican candidate for
President in 1882 or 1886, though in
neither election did he support Mr..
Roosevelt. Senator Frazier of North
Dakota in the recent election sup
ported Lemke. Senator Norbeck of
South Dakota remained nominally
Republican in the. recent campaign.
but his Republicanism is very nomi-
nal indeed.
Senator Norris of Nebraska, in the
coming session will not even have "R"
behind his name; in the three last
Presidential elections he opposed the
Republican candidate, and finally, in
the recent election, being himself up
for reelection, he ran as an inde-
pendent and will be so designated in
the next Congressional Directory.
There are left II Senators who can
be called Republican in any true
sense. OF these, two may be con-
sidered possibilities for the next Re-
publican Presidential nomination
The one whose name occurs first to
practically all observers is Senator
Vandenberg. He is the leading
Presidential possibility in the whole
Republican party as it Is today. He
has already acquired much leadership
in the party and in puplic thought.
He was a most vigorous stump
speaker in the recent campaign. He
has-what is important-the oppor-
tunity to keep himself before the public
during the coming four years. He is
in the Senate. and of all the Repub-
lican Senators he is the most forceful
speaker. In the Senate there is no
rule of cloture that amounts to any
thing; Mr. Vandenberg. can speak
when he pleases, on what topics he
chooses. He has the brains and force
to lay out for himself a program of
craftsmanship about what the Re-
publican party should do. In this op-
portunity to perform before the public
eye lies much of Senator Vandenberg's
availability.
McNary rs Possibility.
In the Senate is one other Repub-
lican who by some yardsticks and
standards of qualification is Q posi-
bility for the Republican nomination
in 1910. He is Senator McNary of
Oregon. Admittedly, indeed decidedly,
Mr.. McNary is not a very orthodox
Republican. During the recent cam
paign, he himself being up for re-
election. he made his fight mainly
upon his own record, with very little
allusion to the Republican Presiden-
tial candidate, Gov. Landon And the
Senate record of his own, which Mr..
McNary emphasized, included sup
port Of, or sympathy with, much Of
the New Deal. These facts about
Senator McNary might seem to dis
qualify him as an orthodox Repub-
lican Presidential candidate But it
is precisely a possibility that the Re-
publican party in 1910 may turn
away from the othodox course and
seek its candidates among other than
orthodox Republicans. In that pos
sibility lies the chance that Senator
McNary might emerge.
We should not leave the Senate
In that body, beginning next month,
will be one Republican who is a new
Senator and who is quite young. only
"a. But this man has one extraordi-
nary distinction. AS practically new
figure in politics, he got himself elected
to the Senate this year by beating
Democrat, and for any Republican
to beat Democrat this November is
itself an outstanding distinction. Mr..
Henry Cabot Lodge, jr., defeated Gov.
Curley of Massachusetts,. With the
start given him by the almost unique
record of Republican, young in poll
tics, beating a seasoned Democrat in
the year 1886, Mr.. Lodge, II he does
well in the Senate during the next
three years, might conceivably be a
formidable figure in 1910.
Material in the House.
In the House are SO Republicans.
Are there among these any possibili-
ties for the Republican presidential
nomination in 1910? Nearly all these
80 were in the House last year and e
before. None of them figured as pos
sibilities for the presidential nomina-
ton in the Republican National Con-
vention last June. If, being in the
House for years, they have not so far
emrged as presidential possibilities,
they would seem unlikely to do so
during the coming four years.
Besides. the Republicans in the
House will be under an especial han
dicap. They can't talk. They can't
make themselves known. There are
so few OF them that there are not
even enough to demand a debate on
any question. The Democrats can
make and enforce any gag rule they
choose. This and other circumstances
make it difficult for the Republicans
in the coming House to engage in de-
bate or otherwise impress themselves
on the country.
Next to the House and Senate ar