Evening star., 1936-08-30

mt senior Senator has signed his own
nd second, that the chances of a Roose--
':velt victory in the State have been
greatly enhanced.
When it comes to doubtful States
Michigan in 1886 is one of the most
teetery on record. Every observation
shows the parties running neck and
neck. Every straw vote shows it. To
date most careful observers have no
ticed the opinion that there has been
slight Democratic advantage, but
it has been SO slight that the slightest
breath could shift the beam.
Michigan Lacks Machine.
To understand the situation here
one must also know that Michigan
is a most independent State politi-
cally. In the last quarter of CEN
/, tury there has been no political ma
chine in this State worthy of the
name. There has been no boss who
held the States vote in his pocket,
or any portion of it sufficient TO af-
| feet an election. There is a tremen-
dous silent" vote that has strong
progressive leanings.
The State in the past has been
overwhelmingly Republican, but
Theodore Roosevelt carried it in 1912.
In the presidential primary of 1920,
Hiram johnson took the States vote.
| The senior Senator, Robert M. La
Toilette, polled $4,000 votes here in
1924, within 10000 of the total taken
| by John w. Davis. Franklin D. Roose-
velt rolled up 871 900 votes in Michi-
| gan to carry the State in 1882.
The strength of Senator Couzens
always has been with this big inde-
pendent vote. Ever since he first be-
came public figure, his name has
been anathema to organization Re-
publicans. They hated him because
Couzens never would have anything to
do with them, and would win, never
theless, with handy majorities.
Landon Termed Progressive.
knowing the strength of the :nde-
pendent progressives here, the Re-
publican strategy has been to attempt
| to sell them on the idea that Gov.
Landon is a great progressive. The
party brain-truSters knew that if the
impression cnce got abroad that Lam
don was reactionary, or the tool OF
the reactionary group in the party. his
chance of carrying Michigan would be
/ knocked galley-west.
| Here you have the underlying rea-
son for the CONSERVATION in the
G. O. P camp after the Couzens state
ment. They have good reason to be-
/ heve that Couzens, in the course of the
campaign, is going to let go few blasts
concerning Gov. Landon and his back
ers that will not square with their
own carefully built-up picture of the
Republican nominee They fear that
the loyal Couzens supporters still left
in the Republican ranks are going
to be weaned away from the ticket,
and that might well spell disaster to
Republican hopes. With the parties
as evenly divided as they now are in
this State, the Republicans cannot af-
ford any defections from the progress
sive wing.
The early Republican strategy in
meeting the Couzens threat seems to
be to cry "sellout" Now, this is
piece of political ordnance that has
to be handled in a most gingerly
fashion to keep it from backfiring.
No Financial SelIout.
Couzens cannot be accused of q
financial "sellout." they realize, be-
cause he has more money than he
could count during the rest of his
life. Instead, then, the charge has
been carried in hide-bound Republican
newspapers that Couzens has sold
out" for political preferment, cab
met position, to be exact. To the
calmer minds such a charge appears
to be the most errant nonsense, be-
cause there are plenty of people who
know that Couzens has twice been
offered a cabinet post, and has twice
refused it. If he wanted to be in
the cabinet it was not necessary for
him to "sellout" to get there. How
ever, the charge has been made, and
may have some effect, for all minds
are not calm, but the danger in it
is that it will still further ALLEVIATE
the residue of Couzens' following from
the Republlcan 1old.
AS to Couzens own political for
tunes, they look dark. Most Repub-
licans will tell you that Couzens, by
his statement, has made his renomi-
nation on the Republican ticket at
the September IS primary impossible.
The organization Republicans we're
against him anyway, and his state
ment probably will scare of large
numbers of independent Republicans
who sincerely believe in the holiness
of their cause.
The trouble is that a great many
of the people who have supported
Couzens in the past have migrated
in the last four or five years to the
Democratic party. He still has plenty
of supporters left in the Republican
ranks, but the chances are there are
not now enough of them to over
balance the opposition.
Couzens, in all probability. will find
himself in much the same position
as did Gov Phil La Toilette and Sem
ator John Blaine, when they ran on
the Republican ticket in Wisconsin in
1892 and discovered too many of their
followers had become Democrats to
permit their nomination as Repub-
licans.
Knew Statement Meant Defeat.
Couzens himself, close friends say.
knew that his statement Of support
for Roosevelt meant his defeat when
he wrote 1t.
Political seers predict that the up-
shot of the whole affair will be tAss
defeat of Couzens in the primary anu
the election of Democratic Sena-
tor in November. probably Represent
ative Prentiss M. Brown Of st. Ignace.
One of the amusing aspects Of the
situation is the spot on which certain
Republican oficeholders in Michigan
are finding themselves. These men.
although they always have opposed
Couzens, have been making overtures
to him lately and have been passing
the word among their followers to