Evening star., 1933-03-05
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argued, cajoled, persuaded, whipped
them into line and submission by the
fervor of his conviction, elected their
anger, their resistance never their con-
tempt On the occasion of his fftieth
birthday there appeared in the public
press of Albany a paid advertisement
congratulating him upon that occasion,
signed by gentlemen who were publicly
and spiritedly opposing him. Yet these
gentlemen, because Of the man Roose-
velt, could all subscribe publicly to such
sentiments as these: "Complacency and
inertia are not in his makeup. Today,
at 81, Franklin Roosevelt can look back
with satisfaction to many a worthy
battle won against tremendous odds and
through years Of struggle, and by fair
means, in the open, with complete
candor, with dignity undeflled"
His frankness and courage is no doubt,
in its essence, an inheritance from his
Dutch forbears, the patrician stock from
which this essentially Democratic indi-
vidual sprang. His family has lived in
Dutchess County, along the Hudson
River, since the French and Indian wars.
It took part in the State Constitutional
convention, and exercised its influence
during the Revolutionary War. Tradi-
ton and wealth came down to the only
child of James and Sara Delano RooSe-
velt with ease OF life on the ancestral
estate at Hyde Park. 1t would have been
easy for a less vigorous, a less de-
termined, less ambitious, or intelligent
or industrious youth to have succumbed
to the inevitable status of country
gentlemen.
Franklin Roosevelt was moved by that
divine discomfort which drives men to
their destiny whether they will or no.
But destiny encountered, in this case.
little friction; the young Franklin RooSe-
velt was willing and eager to be driven;
he thrived on it. At % he was State
Senator; at 81 an Assistant Secretary
of the Navy; at 50 a vice presidential
nominee; at 46 the Governor of New
York State, and now, at 81, the President
of the United States-the man chosen
almost unanimously by this great Nation
to lead it from darkness and chaos and
doundering to light and order and pre-
cision of purpose and accomplishment.
co much for the innate qualities of the
man. What of his experience? What
have been the testing grounds for these
qualities? In what public crucibles has
he been nodded? It is scarcely neces-
sary to go into detail at this time with
kv.4 70 or 0f h0
public life of the President. But 1t
may not be amiss to point out the un-
usual opportunities for service of out
standing character that have been his
and the essentially vigorous and efficient
manner in which he has confronted
them. He is unique in that he estab-
lished, In a great measure, reputation
for national service before his inaugura-
ton. With due respect to those excellent
and worthy Presidents who have gone
before, with fitting and appreciative
tribute to their high intellect, their
fervent passions to serve, their un-
questioned talents and abilities, this fact
stands out: Few of them, at the time
of entering upon Office, have performed
what may be regarded as national serv-
ice-that is, service which might be con-
strued as of national significance. Their
national regulations began after they
had taken Office. Franklin d. Roosevelt,
on the other hand, took over the presi-
Dental duties yesterday, with a well
established record behind him, national
in scope and influence.
Consider his early insurgency, young
and inexperienced State Senator from
Dutchess County, successfully blocking