Evening star., 1937-08-03
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

ROOSEVELT ana the more ardent New
Dealers in their course toward more csn-
tralized and paternalistic Government,
which succeeded in the court bill fight,
fell down In the Senate struggle over the
wages and hours bill. 1t fell down in
part because Of the sectional desire of
New England Representatives In the Sen
ate to obtain, rs they hope, some advan-
tage over the South In the matter OF
labor standards. Some advantage which
will restore to the mills of Massachusetts
and other New England States the
orders which they have lost to the South
over q long period of years. Both the
Massachusetts, Senators, one Republic
an and the other 4 Democrat voted
against the motion to recommit the
wages and hours bill to the Senate Labor
Committee. This was the motion most
feared by the administration leaders
An editorial today in the Boston
Herald, strongly Republican and con-
servative newspaper Is not without In
terest In the consideration of this Sec
tional war over the wages and hours bill
1t has kind word to say for the Senate
bill, which 1t declares Is not nearly 10
bad as the measure which the House
Labor Committee has been working on.
1t moreover indicates very clearly what
Is in the minds of New Englanders. The
editorial says, in part:
Although both Senators from Massa-
chusetts voted for the forty forty wages
and hours BILL they must have had
mental reservations They must have
realized that it contains some positive
defects and some features which are OF
highly dubious worth
New England as whole desires
enactment of the Senate bill, II the vote
OF the six States in the upper branch
may be taken as criterion. Seven
Senators favored 1t. Mr.. Lodge and 4
half lf-dozen Democrats. Four Republic
ans voted in the negative. Senator
Gibson, who comes from the Calvin
Coolidge part OF Vermont, did not choose
to announce his position. A New Eng
land referendum would probably result
in an overwhelming ajority for the
bill, as the feeling is widespread here
abouts that the present wage differ
entails between the North and the South
are to the advantage of the latter"
1t looks very much as though 1t was
just another case of economics DOM
mating the political side OF the picture
The Herald says that probably both the
Massachusetts, Senators had mental
reservations with regard to this wages
and hours bill II they did, they re-
strained themselves. Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge, jr.. has moved 4 long way
from the conservative attitude OF his
grandfather. the late Henry Cabot Lodge.
also Senator from Massachusetts,. It
is reasonable, in this day and genera
ton, that he should. particularly II he
expects to remain in politics. In justice
to the Senator, however, 1t should be
said that during his service in the Massa-
chusetts House OF Representatives he
became strongly interested in the prob
lens OF labor and that he made 4 record
which has given him the support OF labor.
The part that William Green, presi-
dent Of the American Federation of
Labor, played in the recent Senate tight
over the wages and hours bill may be
variously construed. He might, II he
had stuck fast to the opposition. which
was reported by some Senators, have
caused the bill to be recommitted. That
would have killed the legislation at least
for the present session OF Congress. He
withdrew this opposition-which was
never publicly announced by Mr.. Green
Had he announced that he was favorabl
to recomrnital, he would have been in 4
position where the White House might
have had to come to him. On the other
hand. he may now take credit for hav-
Ing given the CO. signal which pre-
vented the sidetracking OF bill.
The President in his effort to have the
wages and hours bill passed by the
Senate, was aided by the fact that
some Of the Democratic Senators who
opposed him on the court bill. although
they do not believe in the wages and
hours bill, hesitated to hand him an
other blow 20 quickly. They realized
that to do 50 would cause further strife
within the party. They realized also
that the President still has 4 wide pop
ularity in their own States. They have
their own political careers to think Of
in the future.
The part that Senator Robert NJ Ia
Toilette OF Wisconsin Is playing in the
upper House right now Is OF considerable
significance. He is not only An ally OF
the New Deal administration, but he
has also attained 4 position Of leader
ship. He Is not member Of the DEM
ocratic party, but he comes close to
being 4 member of the New Deal party.
He does not ike conservative Demo-
Gratis any more than he likes conserva-
tive Republicans. He and his brother
Gov. Phil La Toilette OF Wisconsin, hav-
ing established an Independent and
Progressive party in their own State,
are intent upon having this party be-
come national in scope. A dispatch
from Des Moines, Iowa, quotes Gov. La
Toilette as saying that the Republican
leadership has its feet in 1887 but its
thinking In 1887" In other words. the
G. o. P. is century behind the times,
according ito the Wisconsin Governor.
What Governor La Toilette has to
say about the conservative Democrats
Is just as severe, while he gives great
praise to President Roosevelt and the
New Deal party. He said: 1.-THE leader
ship Of President Roosevelt has seen the
need OF and presented . program for
common action on these problems. But
too often this progressive leadership has
been hamstrung by the swarm of reac-
tionaries that infest the Democratic
party II the La Follettes can persuade
the New Dealers to cut away from the
Democratic label in 1910, they believe
they will have \ real chance for a new
national and liberal party in this coun-
try. Whether they can persuade Presi-
dent Roosevelt that this is the proper
course remains to be seen. They would
like to see the President break away
entirely from the Democratic conserva-
tfves like Glasx and Rvrd of Virpinia