Evening star., 1938-09-06
The Political Mill
Purge May Establish Voters Habit of Breaking
Away From Roosevelt.

ton, II it happens, will be dishearten-
ing to the New Dealers. They will
doubtless say, as they have of other
defeats they have suffered in their
attempts to eliminate" various Sena-
tors this summer, that local conditions
and local issues were the real reason
of their failures. But the Maryland
battle is an open and shut affair. The
President has asked the defeat Of
Senator Tydings and the nomination
Of Mr.. Lewis. The issue has been
accepted. Senator Tydings has de-
scribed the invasion of his State by
the administration leaders as another
carpetbagging expedition. That is Just
what Senator Smith said Of the Pres
ident's attempt to defeat him In South
Carolina. And just what Senator
George is saying in Georgia
The Democrats in New York are
not particularly happy. The Presi-
dents effort to apply the purge to
Representative John O'Connor of the
18th congressional district. chairman
of the House Rules Committee, is not
making for party harmony in the
Empire State.
But worse than that is the threat
OF Racket Buster" Dewey, whom the
Republicans now seem bent upon
nominating for Governor Dewey is
in the midst of the trial Of James j.
Hines, a Tammany Democratic leader,
as district attorney of New York
County. He has given a terrible pic
ture Of the hook-up Of politics and
the underworld in New York City.
No matter how the trial ends, Dewey
was triumphantly elected district at
torney last fall with the aid not only
OF the Republicans. but also OF the
American Labor party
Would Be Powerful Candidate.
If Dewey becomes the Republican
nominee for Governor and campaigns
on his record as racket buster. he Will
be a tough candidate for any Demo-
cratic nominee to defeat. He will
run with tremendous strength in up
State New York. The probabilities
are he will do exceedingly we'll In
New York City, where the Democratic
organization Is at SKIES and sevens.
The loss of the Empire State would
be blow to the New Deal admin
istration. After all. New York is the
Presidents own home State. His
entry into the Democratic primary
nor cannot be criticized on the ground
that the President does not live in
the 18th Congressional District. He
lives in the district represented in
Congress by Representative Hamilton
Fish. Republican, and an ardent
critic of the New Deal President.
If the Democrats of Maryland
should turn q deaf ear to the Presi-
dent and renominate and re-elect
Senator Tydings, as the Democrats
OF South Carolina renominated and
will re-elect Senator Smith, will the
administration deny to these States
their full share of Federal plums?
mated and reelected over presidential
opposition be denied patronage-the
right to recommend for Federal ONCE?
II the administration seeks to replace
Federal of1iceholders in those States
with 100 per cent Roosevelt men.
will the Senate rise on hind legs and
turn them down?
The potentialities Of a desperate
intraparty strife - as in the Demo-
cratic party in q number of States
today-are many. Republicans tried
the rule ruin program back in
1921 and the years thereafter-though
never to the extent the Democratic
administration has attempted it this
year. In the end. the G. o. P. was
thoroughly smashed-although it took
time.