Evening star., 1938-02-01
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G. COULD LINCOLN.

his best to put the skids under the po-
litical party which John L. Lewis, chair
man Of the Committee on Industrial
Organization and of the so-called Labor's
Nonpartisan League, is endeavoring to
build up. If Mr.. Green receives the
backing of the A. F. L. in this undertake
ing, the political aspirations Of Mr..
that he is quite ambitious-may be set
back considerably.
The contention of Mr.. Green is that
Labor,s NonpartiSan League is not non
partisan at all-that 1t is being run in
the interest Of the c. I. o. 1t is only a
step from the league to the American
Labor party, fostered by the league and
by John Lewis. This is the party upon
which Mr.. Lewis and his colleagues set
SO much store, as the nucleus OF a ma
tional political uprising, perhaps in 1910.
So far this party is strong only In New
York. It is seeking to expand into New
Jersey-but has run up against Mayor
Frank Hague, who will have nothing
whatever to do with the C. I. O. nor any
offspring Of that organization.
Mr.. Lewis has recently urged the farm
ers OF the United States to join up with
the c. I. o. in an organization Of their
own but allied with the industrial work.
ers. What will the farmers do il they
see organized labor divided into two
great groups, one favoring a political
party and the other throwing stones at
1t? Mr.. Lewis was at some pains to point
out that the farmers have no central
organization to which they all belong.
What, the farmers may ask, does Mr..
Lewis mean when he talks of solid front
on the part of industrial labor, when
the A. F. L. and the c. I. o. mix just
about as well as oil and water?
Mayor Fiorella La Guardia of New York
City has af1iliated himself with the new
American Labor party. which along with
the Republican party, supported La
Guardia in the mayoralty campaign last
wish to tie himself up with the G. 0. p,
not at this time at any rate. So he has
tied in with the labor party. II there is
to be a real division in the ranks of
labor. 1t will 90 into the politics, too. The
members Of the A. F.. l.. are not going
to troop to the polls to support candi-
dates for Office backed by John L. Lewis
not If Mr. Green has his way. 1t looks
as though La Guardia might have picked
q stronger horse.
John Patrick Devaney, who for some
years served as chief justice OF the Su-
preme Court of the State Of Minnesota,
may be the Presidents selection to fill
the next vacancy in the Supreme Court
Of the United States, according to gossip
here. He was at the White House not
long ago for conference-and since the
appointment of Justice Stanley F. Reed
to the bench. Devaney came to Wash
ington and spoke before the Senate Ju-
dietary Committee last year in support
Of President Roosevelts Supreme Court
bill. According to report Devaney has
played an important part in politics in
recent years in Minnesota, and it is said
he was responsible at least in part for
the withdrawal of Democratic candidates
in the State from the 1896 race, SO that
the Farmer-LaboriteS would be free to
elect their candidates-for which the
Farmer-Labor party turned in for Roose-
welt for President. Rumors that an asso-
ciate justice or two may retire from the
Supreme Court during the coming sum-
mer have given rise to much Specula-
ton regarding the Presidents next pos
sible selection for the bench. The West
is due another appointment soon.
~ + r
Kentuckys political situation. not to
mention the ambition of Gov. Happy"
Chandler, was laid In the Presidents S lap
yesterday. The Governor took himself
and his ambitions to the White House
and had talk with the Chief Executive.
When he had gone, Rhea, the Laffoon
candidate in the primary against Chand-
ler couple of years ago. and John
Young Brown, another member of that
faction, also had their innings with the
President. They were all pretty close
mouthed when they left the White House
Rhea and Brown both allowed however,
that they would be for the man the
President wanted for Senator, and they
were sure the President wanted Bark
ley, the majority leader Of the Upper
House. whom Chandler is threatening to
oppose in the senatorial primary next
August.
intended to become q candidate for the
Barkley seat or not. He said he would
make any announcement he desired after
he had gone back to Kentucky. Some of
those who saw the youthful Governor
got the impression that the President
had not been able, II he tried, to call
Chandler of. And Chandler insisted
that If he made the race. he could beat
Barkley. One way out Of the difficulty,
it is said. would be to appoint Senator
Logan to the appellate bench, and so
leave room for Chandler to step into the
Logan Senate seat. A vacancy has re-
Gently occurred.
It looks more and more as though the
administration may be calling for help
soon from that old political standby,
Jim" Farley, Postmaster General and
chairman OF the Democratic National
Committee. In recent months, 1t is
rumored, the genial national chairman
has not been consulted-or if consulted
his advice has been cast aside. There
was the case of Associate Justice Black,
for example, which upset Mr.. Farley con-
siderably-after he had heard of it. And
more recently the attempt to give Robert
H. jackson, newly appointed solicitor
general, the spotlight as a prospective
candidate for Governor Of New York.
have ranked. If there Is any one man
to whom the President might be ex-
pected to turn as q candidate for Gov
ernor of New York, Farley's friends say,
it is Jim" Farley. Farley may have rea-
Ii f~~. t.