Show Washington i Digest 1 i J J i 1 n CI 7 IN fc fcC C Washington I I suggested In these columns a year or more ago that the campaign of Break in in to 1936 1930 would bring Party Lines forth some of the tue sties In political alignments that this country countr had ever eer known It was apparent even een during the battle battle battle bat bat- tle for ballots In 1932 that a n gigantic gigantic gi gI- gi- gi gantic shake up up In the voting alignment alignment alignment align align- ment of or citizens was In the making These things are now being demonstrated demonstrated demon demon- and more proof of the changing times seems Just around the corner We all aU have seen how such outstanding outstanding outstanding out out- standing figures as former Gov GOY Alfred Alfred Alfred Al Al- fred E. E Smith of New York the Demo Democratic Presidential nominee In 1928 have baye boldly flouted President Roosevelt and his New Deal theories and we have e witnessed such vitriolic vitriolic vUrl- vUrl olic ic outbursts as those by former Senator James A. A Reed that old old- line Missouri Democrat and we have ha watched with Interest the hauling and tilling filling by Jeffersonian Democrats who find New Deal fantasies fan fan- to be a bitter pill pilI to low Lately there has come another er most Interesting situation respecting respecting re reo re- re partisan alignment Although the action received recel much less attention than I believe bellee it deserves deserves deserves de de- de- de serves the determination of the VirginIa Virginia Virginia Vir Vir- Vir- Vir ginia Republicans In their recent convention con at Roanoke to refrain from placing a Republican candIdate candidate candidate candi candI- date In the field against Senator Carter Glass mass constitutes to my mind one of the most extraordinary twists ever er to take place under our two vo party system That convention acting utterly without precedent took the position that It was better betterto to leave leae the field clear for the election election election elec elec- tion of or the veteran senator than to precipitate a political battle b by namIng naming naming nam nam- ing a a. a Republican candidate The reason for the action of the Virginia Republicans Is quite clear In one way They felt that Carter Glass mass although a long life Democrat Democrat Democrat Demo Demo- crat who has carried on his share of bombardment of Republican principles principles prin prin- and policies could do the country more good from their standpoint stand stand- standpoint point than could be attained by placing placing placing ing a Republican candidate against him without chance of success To state this premise In another wa way Carter Glass does not swallow the New Deal as a whole and when he finds objectionable features In the Roosevelt Roose program he Is Independent ent enough and has hns the strength th of character to voice olce his feelings Doing DoIng Doing Do Do- ing this as a member of the majority majority ma ma- party In the senate necessarily ly has bas more wel weight ht than all of ot the criticism of the New Deal that could be voiced by a Republican Republican-it If one could be elected In to Vir Virginia Virginia and and lnla-and and the Virginia convention chose a course which It believed would best serve ser the nation as a whole But It is the tile circumstance of a party convention refusing to en engage age in battle that interests me most Under such circumstances the old idea of party loyalty becomes becomes' not only Illogical but ridiculous Instead Instead Instead In In- stead of a call caIl to battle we see what amounts to a call for support of a theoretical opponent Of course In the opinion of ot many Carter Carter Car Car- ter Glass mass is Is the outstanding exponent exponent exponent ex ex- ex- ex of conservative thought Inthe in inthe inthe the Democratic party and If It he speaks for conservative thought Inthe in inthe inthe the Democratic party he Is almost speaking for conservative conser thou thought ht in the Republican party It is easy to see therefore why the Virginia Republicans adopted the course they did but where does that leave party loyalty What does it mean as to the future alignment of political political cal thought The course followed by the VIrginIa Virginia Virginia Vir VIr- ginia Republicans is not more strange than the On the action of Other Hand d dent den e n t Roosevelt 1 r himself who has Indorsed Senator Hiram Biram Johnson of California and Senator George NorrIs Norris Nor- Nor rIs of ot Nebraska with almost boyish enthusiasm Senator Johnson and Senator Norris have not been regarded regarded regarded re re- as regular Republicans but they have been flying the Republican can banner for a good many years Yet the President verbally pats them on the back and offers his blessing During the same period we have watched Mr Roosevelt playing touch and with the La in Wisconsin Of course the La catalogue themselves as Progressives but they never have had a great deal In n common with old Uric Democrats Likewise in the senate If one aile Is Isto Isto isto to believe gossip frequently bandied handled about Senator McNary of Oregon the titular Republican leader has bas been only heartedly half fighting the New Deal In fact some of Senator Senator Senator Sena Sena- tor McNary's Mc s own colleagues claim that he has really reany given gl aid and comfort to their political enemies In the meantime one can cnn wander around the halls of at congress am and bear hear private observations from men who were supposed to be stalwart partisans that they have been unable unable unable un un- un- un able to determine yet what their course ought to be One of them remarked confidentially to me that he believed believe he would have ha to consult consult consult con con- sult n a clairvoyant before he could say whether he was going to support support sup sup- port the New ew Deal or oppose It or ortry ortry ortry try to straddle the fence Of or course his bis remark was In a humorous vein but It epitomized the thou thought ht and I may say the worry of a very ery great many ninny partisans at this time So we have e a picture six months ahead of the actual casting of ot the ballots in which party part Tines lines are torn asunder for countless hundreds of more or less Important party figures I 1 think everyone agrees that the condition comes from the development development develop Iop ment of New Deal principles and policies under the leadership of oC President Roosevelt Roose There will be many who are now doubtful as to their course who will realign themselves themselves them them- selves seh-es with the New I Deal because they were originally Democrats and there thele will be many who will again follow Collow the Republican banner down the stretch But It seems to m mG and that three years of Roosevelt probably have bave established a greater segment of Independent voting oUng strength In thin country than had resulted from Crom froma Croma a quarter of a century of partisan politics before The situation must be construed then as Indicating that hereafter those who stick definitely in party harness barnes will continue to stand hitched because the they have po political political po- po aspirations and ambitions or because economic conditions In their communities are better fostered by bythe bythe bythe the party with which the they have aligned themselves t At last after almost two years of at promotion work President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt has Las aban- aban Quoddy Dream don doped two of ot Dropped n h hIs J I s cherished dreams h harnessing harnessing har har- a r the fhe tl tides es of ot bay In Maine and construction of ot a gigantic canal across Florida The Quoddy project designed to produce electric power In quantities never before turned out out was to cost 40 The The great grent job of excavatIng excavating excavating ing a silt slit across th the face of the state of Florida to l let t ships go direct direct di dl- from the Atlantic to the Gulf without going around the toe of the state was to cost Only a small amount that Is a small sum compared to other New I Deal expenditures had been wasted on the ship canal plans before it was tossed Into the limbo of forgotten forgot forgot- ten things but something like 10 already has been used In the attempt to make the moon work through the medium of the tides of ot Quod Quoddy y bay Both Loth projects can b be charged up to politics and experiments ments meats and probably the country willbe will willbe willbe be better off 00 to take the loss and antI antII avoid the use of ot further money I The President fully tully Intended to go through h with his plans respecting these two projects until he ran Into vicious opposition In congress Too man many representatives and senators realized that they were going to have ha the names Quoddy bay and Florida canal hurled at them through the coming campaign If It they voted their approval by including additional addition addition- al funds for these projects In the relief appropriations I dont don't know what is going to become of the homes the model city erected for tor workers near the Quoddy bay project Photographs of this ma village e In Indicate indicate In in- it to be a community of at which any resident might be proud It was constructed to assure the workers on the Q Quoddy oddy project a comfortable ble bie place In which to live They still sun have the comfortable place in which to live because the government government government govern govern- ment still owns the homes but what is to become of those people and what disposition Is to be made of or orthe the property Is something else again Most engineers have contended that it was WIS Impossible to place In to Inthe Inthe the ba bay equipment F Faced aced that could Difficulties tion satisfactorily ly Iy while at the same time producing electric cur- cur ernt at a rate that would bring a return on the tremendous Investment Investment investment Invest Invest- ment necessary Further than that no one yet has been able to show where so much electric energy could be marketed The territory Is sparsely settled and the Industrial production Is small While It was contended that limitless power would bring Industries Into that section section section sec sec- tion the Indications were even atter after after aft att- er actual work started for only a asman small Increment In the the number number of or factories and other users of energy The Quoddy power Idea Iden probably was was the most fascinating and most romantic of anything proposed bythe by bythe the New Deal for the purpose of creating jobs Like the proposed Florida ship canal It held potentialities potentialities potential potential- lUes but those whose opinions heretofore here here- have hae been sound remain un un- unconvinced unconvinced convinced that either the II power ower plan planor or the canal for a short cut aern across s Florida ever could repay the government government government gov gov- for mone money spent Silent there 0 e Western Union anion |