Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-08
Makes Politics Business
RAsKoB THOUGHT QUIET BUT BOLD.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

4
r. JOHN j. RASKOB, chairman
| N of the Democratic National
| V Committee, is c1ost certainly
4 no orator. He proved Il
abundantly at Thursdays
meeting of the Democratic National
| Committee here in Washington. Carter
| Glass, United States Senator from VIZ
| GINA and vigorous foe of many OF Mr.:
| Raskob's ideas, was so soothed ana
lulled by Mr.. RaSkob's somniterous
presentation of them that in his chair
| in the front row of Thursdays meeting
| he closed his eyes, dropped his chin,
and clearly seemed to be pursuing his
own thoughts in the world of dreams
Life One Long Research.
! Mr.. Raskob is no orator in power of
| phrase. He is no orator in vibrancy OF
voice. He is no orator in attractiveneSs
of gesture. He is no orator in any quail
ity of performance or in any quality OF
temperament. 1t is perfectly apparent
that life to him is not a material or
drama, but a material of researches,
reports, resolutions and results.
His one stroke Of humor during Thurs
days proceedings was an entirely unin-
tended one. Senator Cameron Morrison
of North Carolina was in course OF
speaking and in course also of getting
tumultuously jeered and even Kissed.
Mr.. Raskob interviewed. Don't interrupt
him." said he, 1T only makes his speech
longer" Mr.. RaSkob then flushed with
beWilderment at the laughter his re-
mark occasioned.
Mr. Raskob is prosaic, very. Through
out Thursday he was utterly uncon-
scious of the humor which pervaded
his whole position and his whole &C
tivity. He was addressing his party's
most veteran practitioners of politics.
Many of them had been engaged in
public affairs since their early twenties.
Mr.. Raskob, less than three years ago,
when he took charge of the Democratic
National Committees efforts, stated:
Il am not a politician and never have
been affiliated with any party either
nationally or locally" That was the ex-
tent of his political experience and the
full volume of his political education
In July of 1928.
Talked to Veterans.
Thursday he stood up before men
like Senator Claude Swanson OF Viz
GINA and Senator Tom Connally OF
Texas and Senator David I. Walsh OF
Massachusetts,, who knew everything
about ballot boxes when he knew moth
ing about anything but double-entry
ledgers, and told them how to be victo-
rious at the ballot boxes and how to
arrive at that high end through
method completely original to himself
namely, the intrusion OF the Democratic
National Committee into the platform
making labors of the Democratic Ma
tional Convention.
This revolutionary proposal, hurled
at political professionals by political
novice, would have required Zone might
have thought) an author with a chin
of steel and a brow of brass. At that
point, though, the humor OF the stu
alton was both heightened and soft
ened. Mr.. RaSkob is very mild. In
deed, he is in countenance and in de-
meanor almost meek. At any rate, he
is at the very opposite pole fran trucu-
lence or even assertiveneSs; he is gentle;
he is shy; he is n1anifestly extremely
sensitive.
He nevertheless, though shy, is not
shrinking and, though sensitive, is not
timid. He behaves like man in whom
an impulse of ambition or a sense OF
duty or an instinct of endeavor and OF
action can be said successfully to have
overcome a temperament given other
wise happily to serenity and quiet OBJ
security. He sets forth his intentions
modestly, amiably, sweetly. He then
carries them on relentleSsly, implaca-
bly,, unswervingly. He stops at an OBJ
stacle If he must. He, in fact, stopped
at one last Thursday. He clearly, how
ever, at the end of the day had full
determination to go straight over the
obstacle at his next chance.
This man has the strength Of flrn
man who is not bully. He does not
waste his energy in swashbuckling. He
does not multiply his enemies by inso..
lence. He simply marks out line ana
walks it without rant and without IA
tigue and without pause. The opposi-
ton to him in the Democratic party
has on its hands a consolidated COM
pendulum of the reasons why the meek
have been called terrible"
Drawn Into Politics.
He was brought into politics, 1t is
well known, through two circumstances.
One was his personal conviction about
prohibition. The other was his per-
sonal devotion TO Alfred Emmanuel
Smith. He Is a man Of strong views
and of strong friendships. 1t Is perhaps
correct to say that in politics ne has
no ambition beyond those friendships
and those views 1t is understood that
in 1928 he had an agreement with Mr..
Smith whereby Mr.. Smith, If elected to
the presidency, would not call upon him
to accept any office at Washington.
Hi. political purpose seems to be that