Evening star., 1932-01-27

should advocate our entrance into the
League lust because woodrow Wilson
favored it. On the other hand, I do not
think that the Republican party ought
to be for or against the League for any
like reason
His Private Opinion.
Mr.. Baker prefaced his statement on
the League by declaring that any
opinion that I entertain on the subject
OF Americas joining the League OF Ma
tons must be such as any private cltl-
zen is entitled to entertain. As long as
he remains a private citizen, this nstur-
ally follows But once he becomes a
nominee for President. his views on the
League or any other public question
are no longer the views Of a private
citizen, It was pointed out today
The Baker interview in New York,
however, seems to have been far
greater concession to the opponents OF
the League of Nations among the
voters than any which Mr.. Baker mas
made hitherto.
He insisted that he was not candi-
date for the presidential nomination,
Vhen questioned BY his intervieWers
But he did not close the door TO the
possibility Of his becoming a candl-
date
Only short time ago Mr.. Baker was
regarded by the anti-RoOsevelt Demo-
Gratis as the most likely man to stop
the onward march Of Roosevelt to the
nomination But when he made
speech in Indiana and wrote letter to
a pro-League of Nations organization, in
which he declared his personal feeling
that the United States should eventually
go into the League Of Nations, the DEM
ocratic leaders wrote him off the books
as a possible nominee for the preSl-
dency.
The Democrats do not wish to raise
the League Of Nations issue in this
country today Nor apparently does Mr.,
Baker. if he is to be the party candidate
for President.
Must Go Farther.
The opinion expressed here. however,
was that he would have to go farther,
and place himself on record as opposed
to entry of the United States into the
League if he is to bar" the League
issue so far as his candidacy for the
presidential Office is concerned.
Senator Fess Of Ohio, Republican ma
tional chairman, when he was informed
OF Mr.. Bakers interview in New York,
said
His hats in the ring
During his interview with the press
in New York Baker said prohibition was
obviously not the big political issue.
MI. Baker, as a member Of the Wicker
sham Commission on Law Observance
and Enforcement, wrote an individual
opinion declaring that the eighteenth
amendment to the Constitution should
be repealed. Notwithstanding that fact,
some of the dry leaders in the South
have taken the ground that Baker was
more acceptable as a presidential Candi-
date than either Gov. Roosevelt or for
ner Gov. Smith.
The supporters of the Roosevelt for
President movement we're admittedly
keenly interested today IN the Baker
statement on the League of Nations,
and many of them, like Senator Fess,
believe that its intention was to remove
the League Of Nations issue as bar to
Bakers candidacy.
Daniels Interview Cited.
Some Of the Roosevelt advocates
pointed to the interview given to the
Atlanta Journal by Josephus Daniels,
Secretary of the Navy in the Wilson
cabinet while Mr. Baker was Secretary
OF War. Mr.. Daniels asserted that the
nomination Of a progressive such as
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt for Presi-
dent would insure Democratic victory
iels said:
I'm the campaign this year the pro-
gresSives throughout the country, re-
gardless Of political aff1liation, will vote
the Democratic ticket if the party NOM
mates a man whose progressive tend
encies are shown by his political record.
Franklin Roosevelt is such a man.
- The fact that he has the sup
port Of Tammany Hall and was one Of
the leaders for Al Smith in 1923 will
not ALLEVIATE the support of progressive
thinking voters.
He is what New Workers call an
upstate Democrat and on occasion
has fought Tammany when his sense of
right and justice directed.
Conditions are almost identical with
those prevailing in 1912 when woodrow
Wilson was elected"
incidentally, some Of the progressiveS
from the West who have spoken favor
ably of the candidacy Of Roosevelt have
insisted that Baker is not progressive
enough to suit them.