Symbols & Shibboleths

While Franklin Roosevelt was instructing Georgia and hinting to South Carolina about his preference in Senators, four other States last week held primaries which instructed both Franklin Roosevelt and his enemies that in politics there are still a few issues besides the New Deal. Internationalist, Graft, Third Termer, Million Dollar Candidate, many another symbol or shibboleth antedating March 4, 1933, rang through the hot campaign air.

Ohio's Democratic National Committeeman Charles Sawyer was defeated in the gubernatorial primary in 1934 by Tree Surgeon Martin Luther Davey. Davey--"the best dressed Governor Ohio ever had," a good political showman but an administrator repeatedly charged with inefficiency or worse--has long impressed Democrat Sawyer as a grievous mistake. This year he ran against Governor Davey again in the Democratic primary. Helped by Labor, which disliked the Governor's interference in strikes, methodical Democrat Sawyer eliminated picturesque Democrat Davey, 449,000 to 419,000. Meanwhile, Senator Robert J. Bulkley, with just one "my good friend'' from the President, was able to win renomination against onetime Governor George White, who was Democratic National Chairman in 1920 and the Jim Farley of Franklin Roosevelt's unsuccessful Vice-Presidential campaign.

Ohio's Democrats cast five votes to every four for Ohio's Republicans but notable was the comeback of Republican Robert A. Taft, eldest son of the 27th U. S. President. Defeated for re-election to the Ohio State Senate in 1932, up-&-coming Lawyer Taft was Ohio's Favorite Son for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1936, ran for the Senatorial nomination this year against Supreme Court Judge Arthur Day. Best issue Campaigner Day could dig up was that Campaigner Taft was trying to buy his way into politics with "the Taft millions."* Result: Taft by 62,000.

Idaho is represented in the Senate by Democrat James Pinckney Pope and by Republican William Edgar Borah, one the Senate's warmest advocate of international cooperation, the other its greatest Isolationist. When hard-hitting Representative D. Worth Clark entered the Democratic primaries against Senator Pope, whom he charged with being a New Deal yesman, confident New Dealers overlooked one fact--that this year Idaho's election law had been changed to permit voters to enter either primary without regard to previous party affiliation. Evidently many a Borah Isolationist took the opportunity to vote against Internationalist Pope. Representative Clark squeezed him out by almost 4,000 votes, scored the first defeat of an incumbent Roosevelt Senator this year.

Arkansas's Hattie Caraway, who started her political career as a protegee of Louisiana's Huey Long, was attacked by her Senatorial opponent, Representative John L. ("No Rubber Stamp") McClellan, for furthering it by becoming a yeswoman for Franklin Roosevelt. Placid Widow Caraway's chief campaign plank was that Arkansas is distinguished as the only State to have a woman in the Senate. Arkansas distinguished itself by nominating (i.e., electing) Democrat Caraway again.

Nebraska, like the U. S., has a tradition against third terms for its chief executive. If Franklin Roosevelt hopes for a third term Nebraska's primary was a good omen: popular Democrat Roy L. Cochran defied third-term tradition, swamped his nearest opponent 6-to-1.

*William Howard Taft left an estimated $350,000 in personal property, $125,000 in real estate.

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