Evening star., 1937-11-30
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.


November 8. Maine is the single excep-
ton, where the election will be held Sep
tember IL.
With Congress already in session and
presumably to remain in Washington
well into the spring and probably sum-
mer, the coming primary contests are
not without their significance. Admin
istration leaders are counting on the
fact that Democratic members must 60
before their constituents for renomina-
ton. They believe that this will have a
Christening effect; that it will tend to
keep Senators and Representatives up
for denomination within the party re-
seryation. How effective this urge to be
regular, to follow the leadership of the
man in the White House, will actually
be in still something Of a conundrum
Some of the Senators and Representa-
tives who declined to follow the Presi-
dents wishes in connection with the court
bill learned during the congressional
recess that they did not lose cast with
the voters. Also the talk of reprisal
among some of the strong supporters of
the administration has sunk to q very
low key.
AA bAAV Acoo NOAA6A CoolOlldl ClCCllOIlS Vic
Republicans have everything to gain and
little to lose. OF the thirty two Senators
who come up regularly for denomination
and reelection, only four are Republi-
cans and twenty-eight are Democrats.
In the House the Republicans are 80 and
the Democrats. .more than 800. II there
has been any material change in senti-
ment toward the Roosevelt New Deal,
If ha ovnortoi fN IN al
tion results next November. Mid term
congressional elections have proved
tough hurdles for an administration
many times in the past. However, in
each succeeding congressional election,
since President Roosevelt took office in
1888, the New Deal Democrats have made
gains in both houses. These elections
took place in 1884 and in 1886.
Illinois starts the primary ball rolling
next year. 1t holds the only primary in
April, on the twelfth of the month. In
May half 4 dozen States do their NOM
mating for public Office, South Dakota,
May 3; Alabama. May 3; Indiana, May 3;
Pennsylvania. May IT; New Jersey May
II, and Oregon, May 20. In Indiana,
owing to . peculiar State law, part of
the ticket Is nominated in the primary
and part in State conventions. The
nominees for Governor and for Senator
are both picked in party convention. Last
summer, the Democratic organization,
under the leadership of Gov. Townsend
was out to get the scalp of Senator Van
Nuys who had def1ed the President on
the court bill. Today, however, the re-
port is that the Indiana Democrats have
had change of heart, and Van Nuys
may get the nomination after ALL
Xxx
June will produce another crop of pri-
maries, as follows: North Carolina, June
4; Iowa, June 6; Florida, June I; Maine,
June 20; Minnesota, June 20, and North
Dakota, June 20. In North Dakota, Sena-
tor Gerald P. Nye, Progressive Republi-
can, Is up for denomination Politics in
that State have been even more chaotic
than usual. Nye, however, has always
proved far stronger on election day than
he was given credit for earlier in the
running. Senator Robert r. Reynolds
In North Carolina, Senator Guy M.
Gillette In Iowa and Senator Claude
Pepper in Florida, all must run the
gauntlet. Gillette was another Of those
Democrats who stood out against an in
crease in the Supreme Court in the last
session OF Congress.
*x+
In July there are only three State pri-
mary elections; in Oklahoma, July S:
Montana, July 10, and Texas, July %.
August, however, has long string with
Kansas, Missouri. Virginia and West Vir-
ginia all voting on August 2; Tennessee,
August 4: Kentucky. August s; Arkansas,
Idaho, Nebraska and Ohio, August 8:
Wyoming, August Is; Mississippi, August
%; California and South Carolina, Au-
gust 30. Senator George L. Berry, the
Democrat named by Gov. Browning of
Tennessee to fill the vacancy created by
the death of the late Senator Bachman,
must stand for denomination. Bachman
was known to be an opponent of the
court bill. Berry was q shouter for the
court plan of the President His ap-
pointment followed, it was reported, con-
siderable pressure from Washington.
There may be quite q scramble for thiS
seat.
The new Democratic leader of the
Senate, Alben w. Barkley, is up for re-
nomination in Kentucky. He is not ex-
pected to have any difficulty, Kentucky
Democrats are putting him forward al
ready Is presidential candidate in 1910,
Senator Bulkley of Ohio, who stood by
the President in the court fight, may
have his troubles, If not in the primary,
in the November election. The G. o. P.
will move heaven and earth to win this
Senate seat.
Senator Champ Clark of Missouri is
another of the ring leaders against the
Presidents court program. If the ad-
ministration Democrats undertake to
defeat him, 1t is on the cards that many
Republicans will rally to Clark Senator
Ellison d. Smith of South Carolina, an
other "recalcitrant" so far as the court
bill was concerned, may have opposition
from an ardent Roosevelt follower. He
has weathered many . storm, however
Mrs. Hattie w. Caraway, who has; been
Senator from Arkansas since her. hus-
band, the late Senator Thaddeus H.
Caraway, died in 1881, must go to the
hustings again. She has won two elec-
tions for her Senate seat, and is the only
woman ever to be elected to the Senate,
although two or three others have served
short terms under appointment.
The September primaries include
Nevada, September 6; Maryland (not
earlier than the eighth and not later
than the flfteentD; Arizona, Colorado,
Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Washington and Utah, Sep
tember 13; Georgia, September IA; New
York, Wisconsin and Massachusetts,, Sep
tember 40, Three Democratic Senators