Evening star., 1932-09-03
WALKER CASE SEEN
LOST OPPORTUNITY
Resignation Held as Running
RooseveIt's Chance for
Gains in West.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

The resignation Of Mayor Walker oi
New York will affect the fortunes Of
Gov. Roosevelt as a presidential candi-
date in two different fields. About the
effect within New York State, political
leaders and observers in Washington
do not pretend to know. As to the
effect in the West, 1t can merely be said
that the mayor. by his resignation, takes
away from Gov. Roosevelt an opportun-
ity to gain advantage in the West. Lost
Governors detriment. He has made
lately a good impression by his treat
ment of the Walker hearings. Had the
hearings gone on to the end, and had
the Governor removed Walker, that
action would be accepted by Gov
Roosevelt's friends In the West as justi-
flying their support Of him.
It is true that the mayors resignation
necessarily will be interpreted as
amounting to confession. In that light
Governor Roosevelt's course about the
Tammany scandals may be reviewed
from the beginning. Some important
leaders of public thought have held
for nearly two years that the known
facts called for initiative upon the part
of Gov. Roosevelt, and for a house
New York City government.
Name Is Important.
One of the most important Western
Progressive leaders, disposed to favor
Gov Roosevelt, long ago expressed dis
appointment with the Governors inac-
tion, saying this is not what we expect
from a Roosevelt" The question is
whether Theodore Roosevelt would have
followed just the course that Franklin
Roosevelt has during the more than two
years of exposure by the investigating
committee and Judge Seabury.
This whole matter of Western sup
port of the New York Governor in the
presidential campaign hangs much
upon the word Roosevelt" To a sur
prising extent, reports from the West
to both party headquarters say that
favor for Roosevelt rests largely upon
his name. The word Roosevelt" has
come in that territory especially, tc
convey a meaning as definite as a COM
mon noun or adjective like block" OF
white"
What the word connotes is, of course
the quality that Theodore Roosevelt
had when President Is years ago. Tc
an even more surprising extent, Gov
Roosevelt until recently was supposed
to be the son or otherwise closer rela-
tive Of the Republican President thar
the fifth cousin which he is. In thi:
situation much Of Gov. Roosevelt's po-
litical fortunes in the West rest upon
the degree to which his public actions
and his personality live up to what the
Theodore Roosevelt Of a quarter Gen.
tury ago was.
Seek Wedge In West.
Republican leaders in the West
clamor for something to change the
impression Of Franklin Roosevelt's CLOSE
relationship to President Theodore
Roosevelt. This was the reason for tht
wish on the part Of local Republican
leaders in the West to have the Presi.
dents son, Theodore Roosevelt, jr., re.
turn from the Philippines, where he i.
governor general, for speech-makint
| tour through the West in behalf o.
President Hoover and the Republican
ticket.
The administration has taken tn,
view that young Roosevelt's duties il
the Philippines are too important to b,
interrupted for a campaign tour in tn
United States. The widow of Presiden
Roosevelt has taken exceptional pains I,
identify herself with the campaign TO
Mr.. Hoover, and to express her stroni
| Judgment and wish that Mr.. Hoover b.
reelected.
Very much Of Gov. Roosevelt's politi
cal fortunes in the West and elsewher
depends upon his avoiding any failur
to live up to glamorous expectations ere
ated by his name. Even a son trying +
live up to the particular role and pic
ture created by father sometimes en-
counters difficulties. A New York leade
! with a taste for art and bent for aci;
eqigram, pictures at once a comparison
and a contrast between Gov Roosevelt
and the former President Roosevelt b
quoting the saying of the portrait paint
| er Whistler about color, to the effec
that "mauve is pink trying to b
purple