Evening star., 1939-10-19
The Political Mill
Hatch Law Test Revelation Roises Suspicion
Thot Attempt Will Be Made to NuIIify 1t

had good chance to win the 1910
election. The political pendulum
had started swinging their way in
1888. Also, the more conservative
Democrats were demonstrating more
and more strength in their own
party. But in the last six weeks
there seems to have come a check.
with the countryS attention focused
upon affairs in Europe and upon the
adoption of a new neutrality" pol
icy--a foreign policy, in fact.
With the whole country clamoring
except for minority-to be kept
out of the European war, it would
be reasonable to suppose that If the
Roosevelt Administration keeps the
country from involvement it will
gain in the affections of the people
who now demand that America re-
main at peace. A national election
was won in 1915 on the slogan that
Woodrow Wilson kept the country
out OF war, plus Republican fiasco
in California which gave Mr.. Wilson
the necessary electoral votes to win.
If, on the other hand, the policies
of the administration or the overt
acts of any of the European bellig-
erents, should draw this country
into war during the year before the
1910 election is held, there will be
an, insistent demand from many
quarters that the present national
administration be retained in power.
There is the chance that the country
might rise in wrath and turn the
powers that be out of Office because
it had moved toward war. But the
creation of war psychology, once
American lives have been lost or
American ships destroyed, is not
difficult-certainly not in this coun-
try, And when it is, it will be urged
that it is the patriotic thing to keep
the existing Government in power
to show united front to the enemy.
Bridges Sounds Tocsin.
Senator Styles Bridges of New
Hampshire, whose friends are sup
porting him for the G.. O. P. presi-
dental nomination next year, speak,
ing at meeting of the Montgomery
StaAlty ROblANdll SluD Ill NIlcby
Chase last night, dealt with the
domestic problems which confront
the American people, which the G.
o. p. hopes to make the issues in
the 1910 campaign-rather than the
war in Europe. He said: I'VE must
go on with the fight to restore Gov
ernment to the people. The regimen
tation that has been threatening us
for six long years is now, with the
wars abroad, more of a menace than
ever. There will be the tendency of
the New Dealers to use the European
| conflict as a means of tightening
the bureaucratic bonds which they
have already wrapped about US
The present plan of congressional
leaders-and the Presidents to
have Congress adjourn as soon as the
neutrality bill has been disposed of
A minority of the Senate and of the
House insist that Congress should
remain constantly in session during
the period of the limited emer-
gency' which the President has pro-
claimed. Their theory is that Con-
gress would be on hand to meet any
further emergency that might arise.
There is also an argument that
might be made for keeping Congress
in session until the regular session
begins in January. For if Con-
gress remained here, it could 60 to
work on domestic legislation which
otherwise it must postpone until the
first Of the year It would be able to
tackle measures which the Ad-
ministration will seek to have passed
at later date-and to have more
time to deal with them.