Evening star., 1938-03-01
THE POLITICAL
MILL
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

~ u. GOULD LINCOLN.
Everything points today to unusually
bitter contests in congressional primary
elections this year. This is true in
Pennsylvania, in Illinois. in Indiana, in
Ohio. in Kentucky, in Florida, in South
Carolina, in Oklahoma, in California
and in many other States. More and
more the President is being importuned
to extend helping hand to those Sena-
tors and Representatives who stood by
him in his court bill fight and in sup
port Of other New Deal legislative pro-
posals. And already he has given un-
usual signs Of approval to some of the
candidates, as in Kentucky, Florida and
Wisconsin.
Several OF his staunchest supporters
Of the court bill are engaged or about
to be engaged in desperate efforts to
save their political necks One of these
supporters. Senator Dieterich of Illinois,
who did not receive the helping hand,
has Withdrawn from the race for the
Democratic senatorial nomination in his
State. The Illinois Senator was caught
between the cross-fire of the Demo-
cratic organization of Gov. Horner and
that Of the Kelly-Nash organization of
Cook County. Horner is backing Rep
resentative Scott Lucas for the nomina-
tion and the Kelfy-Nash outfit has put
United States District Attorney Michael
1goe in the field. Dieterich, who not
long ago announced he would be can
didate. has quit the fight believing ap-
parently that he had little chance Of
winning IN three-cornered race with
the organization backed candidates
The President tried in vain to pull
Gov. Happy Chandler of Kentucky
on the back of Senator Alben w. Bark
ley, the Democratic leader of the Senate.
Thomas S. Rhea, unsuccessful candidate
against Chandler two years ago, has
told the President he will support Bark
ley. He was the candidate of former
Gov. Ruby Laffoon against Chandler
at that time-When Chandler was re-
garded as the New Deal choice. Rhea
argues that defeat of Barkley in his
eHort to be renominated and reelected
would give more encouragement to the
Republicans in the presidential contest
OF 1910 than almost anything else that
could happen" This, he argues, would
be 50 even If Chandler, a Democrat.
were elected in November.
barkley Is potential candidate for
presidential nomination himself, ac-
cording to his Kentucky friends. It
looks, however, as though Barkley will
need all the aid that he can get in this
primary fight with Chandler, who has
built up strong political organization.
Hhea points out that in 1892 he was a
strong supporter of the President in the
contest for delegates to the Democratic
National Convention which met in Chi
cago and nominated Roosevelt.
~
When Bernard Baruch, New York
financier, appeared yesterday before the
Senate committee investigating the
causes OF unemployment and declared
that the present depression was attribut-
able more directly to Government pol
Icy than anything business could or
should do" he stuck a harpoon into
the New Deal and the White House
policy. Baruch, strong friend and
supporter Of the late President Woodrow
Wilson and friend of President Roose-
velt, said the sore spot was the lack Of
commence OF the business world and of
investors in the Government. Repub-
licans are pointing out that the "Roose-
velt depression" is not and cannot be
attributed to worldwide conditions, but
to conditions which have been created
by the Roosevelt administration itself.
Baruch seems to confirm this charge.
On the other hand, the Hoover depres-
sion. which has been the constant target
of the RooSeveltians, really had its roots
in worldwide conditions seven years
ago, the Republicans insist.
Baruch attacked particularly the tax
system built up by the administration,
including the undistributed profits tax.
In the new administration tax bill, this
tax has been modified, but the principle
is still retained. The trouble, according
to Baruch, lies in the fact that business
has seen the administration attacking
it on frequent occasions-and that bus-
ness fears what the administration may
do in the future. The veteran Democrat
made his comments with regret. But
there they stand in the record.
Up in Massachusetts move is on foot
to draft James Roosevelt, son of the
President, for the Democratic nomina-
ton for Lieutenant Governor. Thou
sands of circulars urging him to become
a candidate have been distributed in
many Massachusetts cities. Roosevelt's
candidacy and his name on the ticket
would do much to unite the Democratic
party in that State. it is urged. Further
more, it is argued that by becoming
Lieutenant Governor, If he be nominated
and elected, the younger Roosevelt
would be in position to advance to the
office of Governor, and to aspire later
to still higher office.
It has been frequently suggested that
the younger Roosevelt would become
candidate for Governor of Massachusetts,.
But many of the Democrats insist he
should be content to start his elective
off1ce-holding career with less impor-
tant post. What will be the response Of
Mr.. Roosevelt to the effort to draft him
for Lieutenant Governor has not been
disclosed. It looks very much, however,
as though he had been definitely as
signed to important tasks in the ad-
ministration here, and the President
may insist upon keeping him at his side.
A%*
If Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Mon
tana had not already broken definitely
with the Roosevelt administration, his
speech to the Boston Bar Association in
Boston Saturday night burned all the
bridges behind him. The Montana Sen
ator commented that he did not belong
to the economic royalists, and that none
of his children had married into eco
nomic royalist families"-a reference to
&l.e - n . ~