Evening star., 1939-01-24
The Political Mill
Vote on Hopkins Confirmation Fails to Measure
Strength Of Mental Reservations

taken in the Senate on Mr.. Hopkins,
the President sent to that body the
appointment Of Thomas r. Amlie
Of Wisconsin to be interstate
commerce commissioner, succeeding
Balthasar H. Meyer, also Of Wis
consin. Mr.. Meyer has been a
member Of the commission since he
was appointed by the late President
Taft to that ONCE in 1911.
Defied the La Follettes.
Mr.. Amlie was until January
member Of Congress. a Progressive
from the Badger State. Last year
Mr.. Amlie decided that he would
seek senatorial nomination - on
the Progressive ticket. with or with
out the leave of the La Follettes.
The La Toilette candidate was Her.
man Ekern, and in the primary Mr..
Ekern won the senatorial nomina-
ton over Mr.. Amlie, and later in
turn was defeated in the general
election by Senator Wylie, the first
Republican Senator to represent
Wisconsin since 1884 when Senator
Bob" La Toilette quit the Repub-
lican party and with his brother,
former Gov. Phillip La Toilette.
started the new Progressive party.
Mr.. Amlie is not only Wisconsin
Progressive. He is known as q radi-
cal of the radicals. But one thing
he believes ina new political re-
alignment. President Roosevelt also
believes in such a reshufling and
has intimated that If conservative
Democrats feel strongly against the
New Deal they had better separate
themselves from the Democratic
party. That goes for this off" year
but the chances are that in 1910
no Democrat is likely to be invited
to quit the party camp and to 70
over to the enemy.
The President, 1t appears, decided
to appoint Mr.. Amlie to the Inter-
state Commerce Commission with
out consulting Senator La Toilette
for Senator La Toilette says he never
heard Of the appointment until 1t
was sent to the Senate yesterday.
Wisconsin is one Of those States that
Topped back into the Republican
party last November-for the first
time in several years. The success
of the Republicans in this Progress
sive State was one Of the bitter pills
for the radical New Dealers.
Alliance Seen Behind Move.
1t looks as though the President
head Of the Democratic party-was
now intent upon building up some
kind of an alliance with the Pro-
gressives, or one wing of the Pro-
gressives. in that State. In the early
days of the Roosevelt administration
the La Toilette brothers were par
ticular friends of the President. In
deed, there was some talk of Gov.
Phils being selected for a cabinet
job. But last year Gov. La Fol-
lette took fall out of several of
the New Deal policies and started a
new National Progressive party.
Whether he did this because he
sensed a growing dislike for the
New Dealers in Wisconsin or not, he
made no hit with Mr.. Roosevelt.
Mr.. Amlie, while he was in the
House. introduced an amazing pro-
posed amendment to the Constitu-
ton. to be known as the human
rights amendment" The first ar
ticle gives Congress the power to
pass laws providing for Government
ownership, management and opera
ton of business, manufacturing,
commerce. industry and banking. to
be obtained by condemnation pro-
ceedings. Also the amendment
would give to Congress the right to
make direct levies on capital" He
was the sponsor of other radical
measures.
Returns to w. p. A. Problem.
With the Hopkins nomination out
of the way, the administration turns
its attention today to the question
of bringing the w. P. A. deficiency