Show 0 national topics interpreted by william Bruckart national press pre Bul building litIns washington P D a washington certain signs of tran othon are appearing tn in the political picture they are third party becom becoming ing clear rum rumblings bling gs 8 enough to deserve attention what they may mean in the ultimate can be made only the subject of a guess politics being what they are but interesting circumstances can be noted as of this day and time third party rumblings gs are arc beginning to be heard beard along the whole political front this Is noteworthy because third party rumblings gs usually are confined to a few sectors some important tome some unimportant the insurgents radicals progressives progress ives and independents all seem to be examining the political horizons of 1936 roughly those factions enumerated have been classified as the sons of the wild jackass an appellation given them by george 11 II moses of new hampshire when he was filling a republican seat in the united states senate the fact that they remain and that mr air moses has passed out ut of the political picture Is not the point it was his description of them that gave 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 1936 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 ments have been tried and many have failed doubtless considerable progress of a satisfactory form has resulted yet the sons of the wild jackass are not satisfied it may be because mr air roosevelt has ceased to pull so many white rabbits out of a hat bat after the fashion of a mag magician magdelan relan that has caused unaffiliated factions so eo 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 for exploitation I 1 think it Is tap th general conclusion that the new deal has not come up to expectations of the left wingers perhaps it might be said that nothing that tha the new dealers can otter 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 tire are the minds even of the brain trustees tr usters and no one has ever said a brain trust mind was not fertile at any rate the circumstance Is cut and dried and an abundance of material tor for a third party awaits us by that type of politician observers here agree that one cannot consider the outlook for 1930 1936 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 it if mr roosevelt succeeds in leading the country through to a higher level of prosperity than now gr graces aces 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 air roosevelt certainly Is going to have to 0 battle this progressive setup set up to adopt one label 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 a of those radicals and liberals who would go beyond his policies while the republicans public ans obviously will hold their own conservative streng strength tit and s sap a p the roosevelt forces to some extent by taking conservative independents from that side all in fill all it if the third party idea comes through we ne can look for a fine political scramble from july to november of the 1936 campaign a 0 0 the progressives progress ives including such men as Ln La Follette of wisconsin norris of nebraska and need hero wheeler of leader to name only three seem beera 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 air roosevelt has been willing to agree but the progressives progress ives have a distinct problem of their own it to la an entire absence of an outstanding leader of the hero type who can sound the trumpet and call for the to follow me my ily inquiries among all veins of political opinion have given me no clue to the name of an individual who can head up the movement As I 1 said sald above however results cannot be predicted now and one must add to that statement also that one cannot guess tit at the leadership of this new movement because it will have to jell further before that leadership appears on the horizon it Is even possible that these current third party rumblings gs will mean no more than they have in many cases in the past this la Is true because there Is not a theodore roosevelt in tight sight at the moment and some astute politicians insist there Is not one in the country if it a man of the late teddy type and qualities should come to the surface then probably this third pirty party movement would develop into formidable proportions if one does not show up I 1 do not see fee how the progressives progress ives will be any more in 1930 than the scattered fragments of a dozen odd political philosophies that eliat brings us to some gome 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 tor for mr air roosevelt in holding his gigantic democratic majorities jori ties together in the house bouse and senate that condition has become somewhat more aggravated than it up appeared when I 1 first commented upon it there have been minor defections breaking loose from the democratic majority in the house and in the senate with considerable frequency on one or two occasions the defections were exceedingly largo large and when joined with the republican minority were almost large enough to constitute the majority strength the democratic leadership has wriggled outs out thereby saving its skin but the margin of safety was such as to cause sleepless nights not only in the capitol but 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 continued prodding being given the administration from the democratic side the worst phase of this prodding Is the apparent willingness of many democratic representatives and senators to promote investigations 0 0 0 there Is a faction in congress nil all claiming to be good democrats who are on the trail of seek parleys postmaster general scalp parleys Far leys scalp there Is another bloc ot at equally good democrats who would be quite happy to have secretary ickes ousted out of the position of secretary of the interior and who squawked loud and long about giving mr ickes control of the relief appropriation pria tion within the last few days a gang has banded together on the trail ld until recently the man who was closest of any in the administration to the president to add to mr Klch RIch bergs troubles he Is on the outs outa with the american federation of iab LB bor and it must be said that the federation can do a great deal with many members of the house houie and senate so when the legislation for continuance ol 01 or the national recovery administration gets on the floors of congress I 1 think it Is likely this group will tear off some bark governor eccles of the federal lie ile serve bureau a rather new new dealer and a fast thinker has not helped the administrations situation in congress any by his bank bill ue he has it all antagonized the most virulent fighter figh te r 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 he does therefore his leadership will be important because he will have not only 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 polut point issue on which the line of cleavage between the administration aaion new det lers fers and the he conservatives will be ly established in discussing congressional trot ties ble for the administration a no one atres d ire overlook the sticky sti As to fo figure of senator huey long aue huey long shuey just does not like air ir roosevelt in fact huey would like to be president himself political ambitions combined with a vitriolic cille tongue give huey a broad platform upon which to perform and unless I 1 miss my guess buess lie he to Is willing to be b increasingly crea singly troublesome to the administration cluey knows that the administration Is going to overlook no opportunity for harpooning him among the executive departments in washington one hears hints and sometimes more than hints that huey to Is vulnerable and that these weaknesses in his bis a armor r wor will be exposed in due course how much steam the administration can or will turn on Is highly problematical it must be remembered that if tor for example attorney general cummings should authorize or direct any action against huey the louisiana ten ator immediately would capitalize those orders as an administration movement to persecute him in other words the administration la Is in a spot where it can easily make a martyr out of huey the result of that would be to strengthen hueys hues position immeasurably I 1 am told that any fighting back bach on the part of the administration tra tion in so far as huey long la Is concerned Is going to be given lont ion and serious consideration huey Is a political bombshell 0 western newspaper caw |