Evening star., 1937-10-22
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Representative John E. Miller, a MEM
ber of the House Judiciary Committee,
may give hope to Democratic Senators
who opposed President Roosevelt's plan
to increase the membership of the Su-
preme Court Miller was one of those
members of the House committee who
helped to keep the Presidents court bill
securely bottled up, SO far as the House
was concerned.
Senator elect Miller takes the place
of the late Senator Joe" Robinson,
Democratic leader of the upper house,
who died suddenly in the midst OF the
battle over the court bill. Senator Rob-
inson was leading the fight for the Pres
ident to get some kind OF court bill
through the Senate. If the President
is thinking about renewing his attempt
to add members to the Supreme Court.
it looks very much as though he had
lost a vote in the Senate on that propo-
sition.
The Senator ELECT ran in the election
as an independent. He had to, for the
State Democratic Committee gave that
party's nomination to Gov. Carl 4.
Bailey. For the first time in II years
an independent candidate or candl-
date not having the Democratic noml-
nation won in Arkansas. Gov. Bailey
wrapped himself in the Roosevelt New
Deal mantle and declared that his de-
feat would be blow at the President.
He published letters he had received
from Postmaster General Farley. chair
man of the Democratic National Com
mittee; Secretary Wallace of the De-
partment of Agriculture, Secretary Per-
kins of the Department of Labor and
Harry L. Hopkins, w. P. A. administra-
tor, all supporting his candidacy.
When the votes were counted Miller
was found to have won election over
Gov. Bailey by more than 10000. In
all probability, Republicans who voted
in the election gave their support to
Miller. But there are not a great many
Republicans in the State. In the last
senatorial election, in 1896, the late
Senator Robinson won by 154,866 to
27,746 for his Republican opponent. The
vote last Monday was comparatively
light, as is usual in a special election
with only one Office contested for. In
addition, there was fierce contest be-
tween Democratic factions. which aided
Miller He had with him Mrs. Caraway,
now senior Senator from the State. and
all except two of the Arkansas men
bers of the House. These are extenuat-
ing circumstances which the New Deal
ers may plead in mitigation of the de-
feat of Gov. Bailey. Nevertheless, it
does look as though the New Dealers
had taken a decided trimming in this
special election.
Miller did not claim to be anti
Roosevelt, but admitted he had opposed
some of the New Deal measures. He
said he admired the President as great
humanitarian, and added that Gov.
Bailey's attempt to raise the Roosevelt
issue In the election would only result
in embarrassment. He was quite correct.
Former President Herbert Hoover is to
deliver an address in Massachusetts, next
Tuesday which will arouse national in
terest. He will speak before the Massa-
chusetts State Republican Club. at a
dinner in Boston. which will be attended
by representatives of Young Repub-
lican Clubs from all parts of the State.
His address will be nationally broadcast.
Mr.. Hoover has sponsored vigorously
the plan for a national gathering of
Republicans next year, to lay down set
of principles upon which the G.. o. P.
may stand and to aid in arousing i'm
terest throughout the country. Be-
cause he has sponsored the plan, oppo-
nents of Hoover in the Republican party
have tried their best to hamstring the
project. They have undertaken to make
it appear that Hoover is intent upon
dominating the party and upon ad-
vancing his own personal political in
terests.
In his address next week the former
President will. it is understood, take
occasion to deny emphatically that he
has any intention either of laying down
the principles which shall govern the
Republican party or of seeking to domi-
nate the party. Mr.. Hoover's problem
is to disabuse the minds of those who
may have reached the conclusion that
he plans to reap some personal advan-
tage from this national conference. 1t
is entirely within the bounds of prob
ability that he will set at rest reports
that he has in mind seeking the presi-
dental nomination in 1910, by stating
that he is not a candidate and will not
be one.
Mr.. Hoover's effort is to aid the Re-
publican party and to give it an oppor-
tunity to draft its own set of principles.
1t is natural that he should wish to
have a part in the rebuilding of the
party, but that his friends say, is far
cry from a desire to dominate the party.
He is convinced that the party must
begin without further delay to take
affirmative action; that it must be made
the rallying post for those who are OPP
posed to the present drift of government
under the Roosevelt New Deal His
thought is that all elements and all
groups in the party should participate.
X
Former Gov. Alf M. Landon of Kan
sas the Republican standard bearer last
year, on Tuesday night undertook to
stir up the Republicans to greater efforts
against the Roosevelt New Deal-and,
indeed, against the President himself.
His address was generally approved by
the Republicans. Criticism has been to
the effect that he did not offer any,
thing new to take the place of the
Roosevelt program. But that was not
necessarily the purpose of Landon's ad-
dress. He believes that the Republican
party should become strong opposition
party, and he gave his reasons quite
clearly for opposing much that is being
done or attempted by the Roosevelt ad-
ministration. Nor did he mince words
when it came to speaking of the Presi-
dent himself, whom he described as
athirSt for more and more power.
X
In some quarters the Landon speech