The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-09-09

Whdfs the making Senator
AnSUer? Guffey or any
man of his type a
spokesman for the administration?
Further, can the President afford
politically to strike at the very heart
of the Democratic party by permit
ting even secretly the political de-
struction of such brilliant men as
Wheeler, Burke and O'Mahoney?
The answer to those questions, as
far as I can see it, or as far as I
have been able to gather opinions
on the point, must inevitably lead
in the direction of a party purge.
By that I mean, the President and
his closest New Deal advisers must
be seeking to drive out of the Demo
cratic party, the machinery of
which he controls, any and all Dem
ocrats who are unwilling to be one
hundred per cent for the theories
of economics and social reform
which the New Dealers counte-
nance. If that be true, and / re-
peat it is only an assumption, then
the President evidently is hoping to
create class party, radical party
which can be made to include such
outfits as the John L. Lewis follow
ing, the communists and haf-baked
nitwits who are opposed to the prin-
ciple of individual employment, the
accumulation of personal belongings
and even the idea of owning homes
by individuals, free from debt.
On the other hand I cannot con-
vince myself that Mr.. Roosevelt
would make a political mistake of
this gravity. For it would be mis-
take in two ways, namely, virtual
destruction of the Democratic party
and the blighting of any hope the
President may have for being elect
ed third time.
It may be that one result will
be that Senator Wheeler or Senator
Burke may find himself in a politi-
cal situation where one or the other
will be forced to seek the Demo-
cratic Presidential nomination in
1910. 1t is quite apparent now that
the split in the party is going to
cause violent explosion in the next
Democratic national convention.
There is no way to avoid it. 1t may
be added in the same breath that
Mr.. Roosevelt can go into that con-
vention and force his own renomi-
nation because surely the Farley
political machine cannot be dis
lodged unless the factional dispute
spreads to the rank and file of Dem
ocrats throughout the country. This
is to say that, having control of the
party machine, Mr.. Farley can
muster the election of enough dele
gates to the party's national conven-
ton to assure the Roosevelt nomi-
nation, especially since Mr.. Roose-
welt demanded and obtained the re-
peal of the age-old Democratic rule
that required vote of two-thirds
of all the sitting delegates before
the convention dominates candi-
date.
With further reference to Senator
Guffey, Senator Barley told the
senate during the violent Wheeler
Burke-O'Mahoney attack that Sena-
tor Guffey had rendered his resig-
nation as chairman of the Demo-
cratic senatorial committee week
previously.
1t may well be that the rupture in
Democratic harmony will turn out
to be a great is
May BE sue as early as
Big Issue the 1888 congress
sional and sena-
torial elections. There are a num-
Der Of senators who opposed the
court packing bill and, therefore,
fall within the Guffey castigation,
who will be up for reelection next
year. If the Guffey attack is fol-
lowed up at all in the state organi-
cations, those Democrats who OPP
posed the Presidents will necessar-
lily must defend themselves. The
only way they can defend their
course of action is by a counter at
tack on the President and those
policies of his which the candidate
for the senate opposed. I predi-
cate my prediction of continuation
of the row in 1888 on the statement
made by Senator O'Mahoney in an
swer to the Guffey radio TRADE. In
that statement of position, Senator
O'Mahoney stated, to quote a single
paragraph:
81 would rather walk out of the
door of this chamber and never re-
turn, than to surrender any honest
convictions / have. / say to you,
senators of the United States, so
long as I am in this body I shall
raise my voice and cast my vote as
my conscience dictates and nobody.
whether he comes from Pennsyl-
vania or from New York or any
other state, can tell me or the peo-
pie of my state what I should or
should not do"
Contrast that statement with the
following declaration by Senator
Guffey in his radio speech:
st was elected to the United
States senate in 1884 because I as
sured the voters of Pennsylvania
that it was my intention to support
Loyalty and without wavering the
program of the Chief Executive"
And in calling attention to that
statement of subservience, Senator
Burke of Nebraska declared:
pennsylvania may want tina,
kind of representation in the senate
and, if they do, God bless them, lei