The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-08
FARLEY VS.. THE NEW DEAL

FARLEY VS.. THE NEW DEAL
THERE are plenty of people in the United
4 States who never heard of Mayor Elect La
Guardia Of New York City, and more who see
no reason why non-New Workers should be
particularly interested in an election in the
metropolis But what happened in New York
City yesterday is of national Importance.
1t means more than the defeat of a corrupt
and inefficient Tammany, and the prospect of
cleaner government in that great city. 1t
means that Chairman Farley of the Demo-
cratic national committee has been defeated
in his stupidity dangerous effort to advance
Democratic partisan interests by knitting the
new deal.
Last year Mr. Roosevelt, the presidential
candidate of a minority party, was over
whelmingly elected by Democratic votes
chiefly independent and progressive. His cam
paign plea was above party and he was elected
on that basis. Last spring he asked and re-
ceived from congress the widest powers ever
accorded a peace-time President, on the the
ory that he was above party in the national
emergency.
In the appointment of his cabinet and
other aids, and in his policies, the President
has not acted as a Democratic partisan He
has been true to the mandate which gave him
power His political friends have been the
friends of the new deal, his political enemies
the enemies of the new deal-regardless of
party.
That is the political strength of the admin
istration. and the President knows it.
But Mr. Farley does not know it. At least
he thinks it is better to build a Democratic
machine which he personally can control.
When a nonpartisan fusion party in New
York chose an original new dealer. ex-Con-
gresham La Guardia, to run against Tam
many, Mr.. Farley thought he saw a chance
to get political control of New York and to
capture the Democratic machine there by run
ming hand-picked third candidate He chose
for this purpose one Mckee, a former Tam
many official who had followed the notorious
Walker as acting mayor acceptably. but who
lacked the courage or the desire to fight Tam
many as the fusion candidate in this election
Mr.. Farley used all of his tricks-including
a sly attempt to show that Mckee was the
Roosevelt candidate-to defeat Mr.. La Guar
da who had fought longer and harder for
the new deal than any member of the lower
house of congress.
Using the same tactics. if successful in New
York in defeating the progressive La Guardia,
Mr. Farley would have been encouraged to
move on other states to destroy such progress
sives as Norris Of Nebraska. johnson of Cali
forna, Cutting of New Mexico, and La Fol-
lette of Wisconsin.
Whether Mr. Farley has now learned his
lesson or will try to wreck the new deal forces
in other states in order to build an orthodox
Democratic machine, we do not know. But We
can not believe that the President, after. the
New York experience, will permit Mr. Farley
TO put him in such a humiliating and unfair
position again
The administration can not survive If it is
dependent on the Democratic party machine
for the very good reason that the Democratic
machine bosses are mostly reactionary enemies
OF the new deal and they can not control a
majority of the votes either in. congress or in
the country