The Washington times., 1937-09-06
COPELAND RACE.
HOLDS INTEREST
or POLITICIANS
Result May Give Hint
Of National Trend
By FRANKLIN G. sARTWELL

By FRANKLIN q. SARTWELL
Politicians who for their own
sake are trying to figure out which
way the cat will jump in next
years Congressional election are
devoting considerable thought
right now to the mayoralty fight
which goes into the primary in
New York City later this month.
Crystal gazers are polishing
their spheres trying to get the lit
tie foibles Of New York City poll
tics rubbed off in time to see the
more fundamental aspects Of the
primary with their possible indica-
lions of the standing Of President
Roosevelt, Postmaster General
James Farley and the cat with
more than nine lives, Tammany
Hall.
EYES ON COPELAND
The reason New York City'S
campaign has attracted washing
toms political eye is that Senator
Royal Copeland is trying for both
the Democratic and Republican
nominations for mayor.
The Senator, who admits that
he has been persona non grata at
the White House since he voted to
override the Presidents veto OF the
restoration Of Federal salaries to
normal in 1884, and who has be-
come steadily less popular at the
Executive office through his OPP
position to the court reorganiza-
ton bill, may be the signal which
will tell whether or not others who
have opposed Mr., Roosevelt can
expect to survive IN the forthcom'
ing elections.
In the race for the Democratic
nomination Senator Copeland Is
opposed by jeremiah T. Mahoney,
running with the New Deal or at
least the Farley blessing. He was
entered in that race by Tammany
which, it will be fresh in the pub
lie mind, is not exactly sympa-
thetic to Mr.. Roosevelt. Also Mr..
Copeland expects to have former
Gov. AL Smith speaking on his
behalf before the campaign is
over. ~
WHAT IT MEANS
Political fortune tellers are
about ready TO concede that If
Senator Copeland wins the Demo
cratic nomination it will be a
pretty severe blow to the PreSi-
Dental prestige.
Actually, however, it may only
mean that Mr.. Mahoney didn't
get into Manhattan with enough
votes to overcome the vote-gather'
ing miracles which have made
Tammany Tammany.
The fact that Democratic Sen
ator Copeland is also running for
the Republican nomination for
mayor adds further Zest to the
political dish that is being cooked.
In the Republican party fight he
is opposing Mayor Fiorello H.
LaGuardia, serving as a fusionist,
formerly a Socialist, and generally
a follower of the Roosevelt New
Deal.
Will enough Republicans resent
LaGuardia's New Dealishness to
vote for Democratic Copeland in
the Republican primary?
Will enough Republicans want
to reward Democratic Copeland
for his fight on Democratic Roose-
welt to give Copeland the Republi-
can nomination?
SEERS BAFFLED
And if the Democrats are shown
to be anti-New Dealish in the
mayoralty fight in New York and
if the Republicans are shown to
be anti-New DealiSh enough to
give the mayoralty nomination to
Democrat will that mean that
the same trends exist throughout
the country?
Washington boasts some Of the
best seers in the political industry.
They have to be the best to keep
their jobs. But they are puzzled
over what they see in New York
and what it will mean when eX-
tended on a national scale.
Maybe it won't mean anything
except that New York politics is
still New York politics.
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