Evening star., 1938-08-14

full to his candidacy. There were
many wise dissertations as to the feel
ing Of the Kentuckians in regard to
outside interference in what they re-
garded as domestic affairs. After the
President had come and gone they
pointed out that the action had been
adverse to the New Deal and they
adduced certain alleged straw polls as
evidence Of the further decline of the
Roosevelt influence.
Now with Senator Barkley renom-
mated. the attitude appears to be that
there was small significance to be at
tached to the Kentucky primaries.
The day before the primaries, for ex-
ample. the Philadelphia Inquirer.
which is as anti-New Deal as the Chi
cago Tribune or the New York Herald
Tribune. published that "a victory for
Barkley would be tremendous feath-
er in the administration cap. A de-
feat for Barkley would be q smashing
repudiation Of the President" A few
days later the Inquirer put it this way:
While 1t was a personal victory fof
the President. 1t was not an expression
OF the views OF Kentucky for or against
the New Deal since that issue was not
raised"
Defeat Would Be "Shattering."
The New York Herald-Iribune.
while admitting that the President
has escaped what would have been an
absolutely shatering blow to his pres
tige." goes on to say that these ad-
vantages are all tactical: and though
the President had 4 great deal to lose
If Dear Alben' had gone down to de-
feat. he never stood to gain much by a
victory so far as the basic strategy of
the situation is involved"
This theory-that II the New Deal
candidate loses the administration has
been dealt staggering blow. and if
the New Deal candidate wins there is
no significance to the victory-per.
meates the whole tide OF the Presi.
dents opponents reaction to the pri-
maries. For instance. Senator Holt of
West Virginia, one Of the conspicuous
"Yes-but' Senator'S. announced the
congressional primaries in West Vir-
glnia did not constitute a test Of ad-
ministration strength because the New
Deal was not an issue" The same
newspapers that carried the interview
with the youthful Senator also carried
an Associated Press story beginning
West Virginia's six New Deal Con-
gressmen won denomination" And the
West Virginia papers recounted. COM
menting on the struggle between Rep
resentative Robert L. Ramsay, New
Dealer. and Frank c. Raymond. that
Ramsay was opposed by practically
every corporation and special interest
in his district" and that Ramsay
scored the most impressive victory OF
his career. despite the fact that the
hardest sort OF a campaign against
him has been waged for the past year
or so and the moneyed interests made
his 100 per cent support Of Roosevelt
the main issue"
Jumping to Tennessee, Stewart. the
New Deal candidate for Senator, beat
Senator George L. Berry. the anti
New Deal incumbent, about 2 to in
the primaries. In Tennessee also, Rep
resentative Atkinson. who fought the
wages and hours bill and other New
Deal measures, was retired to private
life by young Joseph w. Byrns, son
OF the late Speaker. who represented
that district for IS years. Young Joe
Byrns made his fight entirely on the
Roosevelt issue
Opposit IN and Explaining.
suppose it is as natural for the
administration friends to crow over
these things as 1t Is for the adminis-
tration foes to minimize their signifi-
canoe. The only purpose in citing it
here is to parade the fact that our side
has something to crow about and the
other fellows have something to ex-
plain. As we come nearer and nearer
to election day we will encounter the
same situation many times over. The
minority party and its motley group
OF allies will pick out = district here
and there, or perhaps State here and
there, where Democratic incumbent
who opposed the President had been
renominated, and reason from it that
this is convincing proof that the coun-
try is turning away from President
Roosevelt and that there will be great
gains for their side when the votes are
counted.
Actually, there Is no great impor-
tance to be attached to most of these
individual instances of the success OF
failure of particular Congressman. A
few Of them really are definite indica-
tions Of how the political tide is run.
ning-such as the Barkley election
for example. The talk about a genera
purge" was all moonshine. President
Roosevelt himself was not elected
unanimously. Nor is there any likeli.
hood that all of those Democrats listed
as administration opponents will b
defeated. either in the primaries o.
in the election. The only thing that Il
important Is the aggregate member.
ship Of the two houses Of Congress
and have yet to hear any Repub.
lican, or near Republican. spokesman
venture the assertion that the com.
plexion of either chamber will be ma
terially different after next November
from what 1t was when Congress ad.
journed.
QUEEN MARY SETS MARK