Evening star., 1937-10-01
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

CouLCTy Will near ABOUT 1t. In the mean
time. very definite feeling is growing
among insiders in Washington that
special session beginning about November
Is will be called. 1t is q logical sug-
gestion, and the triumphal reception of
the President in the West, plus distinct
Democratic victory in a special Massa-
chusetts congressional district, not to
mention the showing made by the Roose-
velt Democrats in the New York may
orally primary, may well encourage the
President to bring Congress back to
Washington. 1t is logical because there
is strong demand for farm legislation
and for the wages-andho bill.
4 X
Both these measures, plus the Presi-
dents own pet measure for the reorgani-
zation Of the executive departments of
the Government, were left hanging in the
air when Congress adjourned in August.
The President has gone into the West
and made further promises to the farm
ers and to the laborers. The Agricultural
Committees of both the Senate and the
House are out on the road today, making
further inquiries into the needs of the
farmers. They are seeking to get first
hand statements from the farmers them
selves. There is no reason why they
should not have been able to collect all
the data they wish in the next six weeks
and be in position to draft the legisla-
ton, it is contended here.
1t has been clear from the time OF
the announced intention of the Presi-
dent to make his Western trip that he
was going to ascertain how the people
felt toward himself and his policies. The
answer, judging by his reception, has
been very favorable. He can return to
Washington and tell the Democratic
members Of Congress what he learned on
his trip. Most of them have kept I'D
with the reports, anyway. With a con-
gressional election next year, the Presi-
dents influence with these Democrats
may be expected to increase rather than
diminish, in the light of his Western
greeting
The special election in Massachusetts,
on Tuesday, to f1ll a vacancy in the
House caused by the death of the late
William P. Connery, jr, can be inter-
preted in only one way. 1t was New
Deal victory Lawrence j. Connerv.
brother and former secretary of the late
Representative, carried the district by
1920 votes over his Republican oppo-
nent State Representative Edward Devlin
Sirosis. This margin of victory, reduced
TO percentages, was almost exactly as
large as the margin Of victory of Bill"
Connery over his Republican opponent
in last years election The vote was
light, approximately $4,000 less than that
cast last year, when Connery won with
lead OF more than $4,000. The fact
remains, however, that the Democratic
candidate on Tuesday, despite the fact
that he did not have the big personal
following of his late brother and despite
the fact that the Republicans picked
their strongest candidate and made a
desperate antiNew Deal fight. won by
an impressive margin. II the President
needed encouragement from the East,
he got it in the Massachusetts, election.
An upset in the Connery district would
have been a severe blow to New Deal
prestige. Even greatly reduced plu-
rality would have given the President
something to think about. But here is
= smashing victory for the New Dealer,
with the voters apparently caring little
or nothing about the Supreme Court issue
or the appointment of Justice Black and
Ku Klux Klan connections. Senator
Royal S. Copeland, running as anti-New
Deal Democrat, raised the Black ap-
pointment issue in New York City
Democratic primaries recently. But he
went down to defeat against the candi-
date OF the Roosevelt Democrats, Jere-
miah T. Mahoney, in the contest for the
Democratic nomination for Mayor
So on Capitol Hill an impression is
held that the President will strike while
the iron is hot and get Congress back to
Washington and polish of his legisla-
tive program as fast as possible. While
Speaker Bankhead is still away from the
Capitol, 1t is reported that he is looking
for a special session. Other members
of Congress as we'll as oflcials of the
Senate and House are taking the same
view.
There is plenty for the Congress to do,
If it is called here. Farm legislation has
been given the right of way by more or
less common consent and understanding
There is one joker in the wood pile A
special order of business was agreed to
providing that the anti-lynching bill be
taken up for consideration by the Senate
as soon as the farm legislation has been
disposed OF. The anti-lynching bill has
been the bette noire Of Southern Demo-
cratic leaders for long time. With the
overwhelming Democratic membership of
the present Senate, from the North and
the West, it looks as though the anti
lynching bill may be jammed through.
The special order entered into shortly
before the last session closed says nothing
about the next regular" session Of Con-
gress, which does not open until Janu-
ary. 1t merely states that the anti
lynching bill shall have the right of way
after the farm bill has been put through
at the next" session Of Congress.
1t has been repeatedly stated that the
President would shy away from spe-
cial session this Fall because the Senate
and House would be used as sounding
boards for continuing the attack upon
his appointment of Hugo L. Black of
Alabama to be an associate justice of the
Supreme Court. Justice Black is to de-
liver q radio address to the country to-
night and make answer to those who have
criticized him on the ground that he has
been a member Of the Ku Klux Klan. It
may be that he will clear the atmos-
phere and that his appointment will drop
more and more out of the limelight be-
fore November Is. If, on the other hand,
the Black speech is such as to encourage
further attacks on himself and the Presi-
dent, some other means may be found