The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1937-09-09
Has EN- Guessing
|$l.S1}sI<lN1 PRESS BLDG

Has EN- Guessing
Washington. =. Political students
and observers in Washington find
themselves in a quandry concerning
the detectives of the New Deal adj
miniStration because of a series OF
late developments. Frankly, most
students of politics have to confess
their inability to fathom the var
ious developments of recent weeks
or to measure their significance.
I have written, heretofore, about
the wide open split in the Demo-
cratic party and about the presiden-
tial moves to heal that split but
instead of the new developments be-
ing of kind designed to heal
wounds, they appear specifically
at least to be doing directly the OPP
posite thing. Confessing my own
inability to understand the political
strategy, let me merely call atten-
ton to such things as:
The recent radio speech by Sena-
tor Guffey, Pennsylvania, Demo-
crat, which thoroughly read out of
the party such able men as Sena-
ors Wheeler of Montana, Burke of
Nebraska and O'Mahoney of Wyo-
ming.
The speech of Postmaster Gen.
eral Farley before the Young Demo-
Gratis at their Indiana meeting,
stating that there will be no re-
prisals against those Democrats who
have seen fit or now see fit to OBJ
ject to parts of President Roose-
velt's New Deal program.
The so-called harmony dinner of
Democratic senators at a Washing
ton hotel after the election of Sena-
tor Berkeley of Kentucky as Demo-
cratic leader of the senate, and the
absence of President Roosevelt from
that meeting.
The renewal by President Roose-
welt of his criticism of Economic
Royalists" in his speech in celebra-
ton of the birth of Virginia Dare,
the first white child born in Ameri-
ca, at Mante0, N. G.
The speech Of Senator Guffey in
New York declaring without equiv
ocation that the Committee for In
dustrial Organization, headed by
John L. Lewis, should provide q nu-
cleus for an American Labor party.
This party should have among it's
detectives the political destruction
of any one who fails to carry thru
the New Deal policies or who OPP
poses a program designed to make
the court structure of the United
States subservient to the President.
There are other phases, other cir
cumstances that might be included
in this list, but those enumerated
serve to show the confusion that
prevails. They present to me q
wholly nonunderstandable and UNI
explainable hauling and filling
breath hot and cold without q
change Of face.
There has been nothing Of q pure
~ political nature create quite so
much of a stir in q long time as did
the radio speech Of Senator Guffey
in which he called for defeat of all
those who opposed the Presidents
plan to reorganize the Supreme
court of the United States by adding
to it six justices of the Presidents
own choosing. It was in this speech
that Senator Guffey singled out
Senators Wheeler, Burke and O'Ma-
honey for destruction. He did this
because these three senators led the
fight against the Presidents plan
to pack the Supreme court. Senator
Wheeler and Senator Burke con-
Quoted the fight on the floor of the
senate; Senator O'Mahoney wrote
the devastating report by which
the senate judiciary committee adj
viSed the senate to kill the court
packing bill.
Senator Guffey's speech was
made at night. When the senate
convened at noon the following day,
Senator Wheeler took the floor and
delivered one of the most vicious
speeches of which he is known to
be capable. It was excelled in Bit
terness only by the attack which
came from Senator Burke. Senator
O'Mahoney likewise made sure that
the senate record revealed the feel
ing of those who were convinced the
President had made vital mistake
in proposing the court reorganiza-
ton.
What's the Answer?
have heard these questions
asked many times: What can the
President gain by making Senator
Guffey or any man of his type
spokesman for the administration?
Further, can the President afford
politically to strike at the very heart
of the Democratic party by permit
ting even secretly the political de-
struction of such brilliand men as
Wheeler, Burke and O,Mahoney.
The answer to those questions, as
far as I can see it, or as far as I
have been able to gather opinions
on the point, must inevitably lead
in the direction of party purge.
BY that mean, the President and
his c10SaSf Nouy nooJ orlu;ca,., ,,,,,,x