Evening star., 1938-06-08

clans of the party believe their judg-
ment in advising a hands-off policy
by the President and the administra-
ton generally in the various primary
contests within the Democratic party
was and still is a wise strategy.
3. The Republicans are distinctly
and substantially encouraged because
again left-wing Republican has been
beaten by right wing or conserva-
tive in a Republican contest, just as
happened in Oregon and Pennsylvania.
The drift is clearly toward conserva-
tive rather than radical lines inside
the party.
So far as indicating what the re-
suit may be in November, the Iowa
primary is not at all criterion. The
Republicans this year cast a vote
much larger than did the Democrats,
but this happened in the 1886 pri-
marieS, too. But it also is worth
noting that Senator Herring was
elected that year by only about $4,000
votes, whereas President Roosevelt
carried Iowa by $4,000. Former Sem
ator Dickinson was running then
and he has just won the Republican
nomination again. 1t is interesting to
observe that he has polled a much
bigger vote this year than he did in
the Republican primary of 1886.
Gillette Talks Firmly.
The administration spokesnlen have
been very eager to call quits on the
Iowa fight and to present harmo-
NOUS front. Chairman Farley, who
didn't intervene, could gracefully con-
gTatulate Senator Gillette, but it is
characteristic of Senator Gillette that
he didn't mince any words in his
after-election statement He said the
result was not so much a personal
victory as a rebuke to outsiders" who
tried to tell the people of Iowa how to
vote for their representatives in Con-
gress. Here Is note of independence
and even defiance which has made
Senator Gillette the object of admira-
ton on both sides of the political
aisle in Congress today. el
And 1t would not be surprising If
Senator Gillette's slogan is picked up
in other parts Of the Union. For if
a sovereign State is to retain its
identity as an independent member of
the Union of States, then nobody out
side OF a given State, and certainly
nobody connected with the national
political machine, should intervene.
Naturally, the high command here
will bow and scrape to Senator Gill
lette and offer him all the aid possible
in the coming campaign, for after ALL
with the exception of the bill to
pack" the Supreme Court, he was a
faithful New Dealer and better ally
for the President than a Republican
would be. But it is amazing that the
Presidents own little group of ad-
visers didn't see this in advance.
Senator Gillette, Of course, will have
to assert his independence of this
new wave of administration affection,
especially if he Is to get any sub
stantial Republican votes next au-
tumn, and he needs them as will
be apparent to any one who realizes
that the last Democratic Senator won
by q narrow margin in Iowa even In
1895.
Counties Largely Republican.
The explanation Of the high Re-
publican vote which is heard here
abouts is that Republicans like to
vote for local Republican officers espe-
cially since rs out Of the 80 counties
in Iowa are Republican at the county
courthouses, which may or may not
account for the large Republican vote
rolled up in the primary.
1t is surprising that although
10000 persons voted in the presi-
DENTAL election in Iowa in 1885, only
i4l, 900 voted in the Democratic pri-
mary that year and 100000 in the
Republican primary. The final figures
for the primaries this year are not
yet available but the trend with SO
per cent of the precincts heard from
would seem to be that about 100000
persons went to the polls. What
happened to the other 100000? Why
didn't they vote in the 1896 or in
the 1888 primaries? Is it possible that
primaries bring out the respective
political machines of the candidates
or rather bring out the vote which can
be persuaded to go to the polls by
the machines?
The answers to these questions may
have bearing on whether anti-New
Dealers are really entitled to much
comfort out of the result except pos
sibly in the headlines and psycholog-
ically. For Senator Gillette had the
organization back of him-the Demo-