The Daily Alaska Empire

WASHINGTON'S QUERY NOW:
Did Grass Roots' Session Consolidate Conservatives?

By BYRON PRICE (Chief of Bureau, The Associated Press, Washington)

The important question about the Springfield Republican conference, from the viewpoint of the practical politicians, is whether it helped today consolidation of "conservative sentiment" in opposition to the re-election of Mr. Roosevelt.

That such a consolidation is highly to be desired by the opposition is recognized generally now by anti-Roosevelt leaders. Almost without exception they voiced conviction that the President can be defeated next year if all those who distrust his experiments and believe his policies depart from sound American principles, can be induced to vote together for one opposing candidate.

Whether that estimate of the situation is correct or not, it is the actuating factor behind the present maneuverings in the opposition camps.

The thought of the leaders is that a preponderance of public sentiment hardly can be mustered to the left of Mr. Roosevelt, and that to oppose him with a middle-ground candidate, looking both to left and right, would be suicidal. They see their hope on the right.

Their problem is to find a means of attracting "conservative" Republicans and "conservative" Democrats to a single opposition ticket.

and none denies that it is a serious problem, indeed.

The meeting at Springfield gave ample evidence of the desire for union which burns in the breasts of so many Republicans.

Parts of the conference declaration of principles read like a defense of the Democratic party against its present leader. The Democratic platform of 1932 was quoted from liberally, in a scarcely concealed effort to show that Mr. Roosevelt had bolted his party organization. Al Smith was applauded, and the conference spellbinders spoke sweetly of other outstanding Democrats who have refused to go along with the "new deal."

The flirtation even reached a stage where one or two speakers openly invited dissatisfied Democrats to come over, and hinted that substantial rewards — such as second place on the ticket — might be expected.

On one point, however, there was not the slightest sign of a concession. There was to be no thought of abandoning the Republican label, which most of the dissenting Democrats detest so heartily. On the contrary, the G. O. P. was to be given a re-birth, and reestablished in greater grandeur and glory than ever.

That is precisely the point at which the Springfield conference fell short of complete success.

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Washington's Query Now Is About 'Grass Roots' Recent Meet

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which the big difficulty comes in.

Insofar as the conference rekindled enthusiasm for perpetuation of the Republican Party, it disappointed the hopes of those who want to accomplish a union by founding an entirely new "coalition" party.

Indeed there is a question whether the events at Springfield may not have made a "coalition" party impossible; although the leaders of the American liberty league-most of them Democrats-did not appear to think coalition dead when they assembled at Chicago a few days after the Springfield conference adjourned.

Springfield was, after all, primarily a sounding board, much remains to be said before the fate of a right-wing union, under one label or another is determined. The efforts to effect such a union undoubtedly will continue along the various lines; and the question will be whether these various endeavors will or will not kill each other off in the end.

Thus far all that it amounts to is a summer flirtation. Sometimes that leads to wedding bells. Sometimes it does not.