Show I 1 0 national topics interpreted by william bruckart national press building washington D C washington certain signs of transition are appearing in the political picture they are third party becoming clear rumblings gs enough to deserve attention what they may mean in the ultimate can be made only the subject of a guess politics les being what they are but interesting circumstances can be noted as ot of this day and time third party rumblings gs are be beginning inning to be heard along the whole political front this Is noteworthy because third party rumblings gs usually are confined to a few sectors some important some unimportant the insurgents radicals progressives progress ives and independents all seem to be examining the political horizons of 1936 roughly those factions faction enumerated have been classified as the sons of the wild jackass an appellation given them by george H moses of new when he was filling a republican seat in the united states senate the fact that they remain and that mr moses has passed out of the political picture Is not the point it was his description of them that gane gae the country its first grouping of the political factions that have consistently kicked over the traces of the major political parties the fact that these various groups are again examining the potentialities and the possibilities of 1930 30 brings directly into question the progress made by the new deal in its program of reformation or revolution depending on the political perspective from which you consider the new deal it Is two years since president roosevelt carried his new deal into the white house much water has gone over the dam since many experiments peri perl ments have been tried and many have failed doubtless considerable progress of a satisfactory form has resulted yet tet the sons of the wild jackass are not satisfied it may be because mr roosevelt has ceased to pull so many white rabbits out 0 of a hat after the fashion of a magician that has caused unaffiliated factions so much disturbance or it may be because the republicans as the opposition party at present have been utterly stymied in their efforts to perform opposition functions that have proved the temptation for the so called left wingers to capitalize whatever political opportunities remain tor for exploitation I 1 think it Is the general conclusion that the new deal has not come up to expectations of the left wingers perhaps it might be said that nothing that the new dealers can offer will be quite satisfactory to the left wingers for they are difficult to satisfy their fertile minds are even more productive of experimental ideas than are the minds even of the brain tr usters and no one lias has ever said a brain trust mind was not fertile at any rate the circumstance Is cut and dried and an abundance of material for a third party awaits us by that type of politician observers here agree that one cannot consider the outlook for 1930 1030 and the national elections of that time without considering the influence that these left wingers may wield I 1 believe it Is conceded everywhere that if mr roosevelt succeeds in leading the country through to a higher level of prosperity than now graces our fortunes the republican chances to defeat him are very very low it if on the other hand conditions continue as they now are mr roosevelt certainly Is going to have to battle this progressive setup set up to adopt one label tor for all of them as well as the conservative group centering largely in the republicans from this it becomes plain that a third party probably would draw away from mr roosevelt all of those radicals and liberals who would go beyond his policies while the republicans public ans obviously will hold their own conservative strength and sap the roosevelt forces to some extent by taking conservative independents from that side all in all if tile the third party idea comes through we can look for a fine political scramble from july to november of the campaign 0 0 the progressives progress ives including such men as lafollette of wisconsin norris of nebraska a and a d need hero hera wheeler of montana leader to name only three seem to feel that the new deal program has about jelled belled they know as all political observers know that there are a good many hundred thousand votes scattered around waiting to be cast in favor of a program much more radical than that to which mr roosevelt has been willing to agree but the progressives progress ives have a distinct problem of their own it Is an entire absence of an outstanding leader of the hero type who can sound the trumpet and call tor for the to follow me my inquiries among all veins of political opinion have given me no clue to the name came of an individual who can head up the movement As I 1 said above however results cannot be predicted now and one must add to that statement also that one cannot guess at tile the leadership of this new movement bemuse because it will have bave to jell further before that leadership appears on the horizon it Is even possible that these cut cur rent third party rumblings gs will moan no DO more than they have in many cases in the past this Is true bemuse because thera Is not a theodore roosevelt in sight at the moment and some astute politicians insist there Is not one la in the country it if a man of the late teddis type and qualities should come to the tha surface then probably this third party movement would develop into for formidable mild proportions it if one does not show up I 1 do not see how the progressives progress ives will be any more in 1038 1036 than the scattered fragments of a dozen odd political philosophies that brings us to some of the circumstances cum stances in congress at the present time in previous letters I 1 have reported to you that there were signs indicating difficulties for mr roosevelt in holding ills his gigantic democratic majorities jori ties together in the house and senate that condition has become somewhat more aggravated than it appeared when hon I 1 first commented upon it there have been minor defections breaking loose from the democratic Democrat la majority in the house and in the senate with considerable frequency on one or two occasions the defections were exceedingly large and when jollied joined with the republican minority were almost large enough to constitute the majority strength the democratic leadership has wriggled out thereby saving its skin but the margin of safety was such as to cause sleepless nights not only in the capitol but la in high places in the administration As one of the signs of this growing discontent one has only to look back over the last few weeks and observe the conti continued rued prodding being given the administration from the tha democratic side the worst phase of this prodding Is the apparent willing ness of many democratic representatives and senators to promote investigations 1 there Is a faction in congress au all claiming to be good democrats who are on the trail of see Far parleys leys postmaster general scalp Far parleys leys scalp there Is another bloc ot of equally good democrats who would be ba quite happy to have secretary ickes ousted out of the position of secretary of the interior and who squawked loud and long about ahing mr ickes control of tile the relief appropriation pria tion within the last few days a gang has hag banded together on the trail of donald Rl chberg until recently the man who was closest of any in the administration to the president to add to mr RIch bergs troubles he is on the outs outa with the american federation of la bor and it must be said that the federation can do a great deal with many members of the house and senate so when the legislation for continuance of the national recovery administration gets on the floors of congress I 1 think it is likely this group will tear off some Ric Rl chberg hber bark governor eccles of the federal reserve bureau a rather new new dealer and a fast thinker has not helped the administrations situation in congress any by ills his bank bill he has antagonized the most virulent fighter in the halls of congress namely senator glass democrat of virginia by the banking proposals which he sponsored senator glass has always had a following in the senate and he has it now whatever lie he does therefore his leadership will be important because he will have not only hl his own following but the conservative republicans as well the banking legislation according to the view in many quarters may turn out to be the focal point the issue on which the line of cleavage between the administration new dealers and the conservatives will be definitely established in discussing congressional troubles for the administration no etc one dares overlook the stocky As to figure of senator huey long huey long huey just does not like ilka mr roosevelt in fact huey would like to be president himself political ambitions combined with a vitriolic tongue give huey a broad platform upon which to perform and unless I 1 miss my guess lie he Is willing to be increasingly crea singly troublesome to the administration huey knows that the administration Is going gain to overlook no opportunity for harpooning him among the executive departments in washington one ona hears hints and sometimes more than hints that nuey huey Is vulnerable and that these weaknesses in his armor will be exposed in due course how much steam the administration can call or will turn on Is highly problematical it must be remembered that it if for example attorney general cummings should authorize or direct any action against huey the louisiana sen ator immediately would capitalize those orders as an administration movement to persecute him hial in other words the administration Is in a spot where it can easily make a martyr out of huey the result of that would he bo to strengthen bucys position immeasurably mell sura bly I 1 flau am told that any fight ing back 0 on A the part of the administration tra tion in so far as huey long la concerned Is going to be given long and serious consideration because hucy is a political bombshell 0 western newspaper union |