Evening star., 1934-10-07
Former Governor and Fess
Wage Extraordinary
Political War.
"H0NEST VIC" D0DGES
PLEDGES ON NEW DEAL
Democratic Candidate Merely Ex-
presses Faith in
Roosevelt.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


Ohio is in the midst of a canvass
for United States Senator between
Senator Simeon D. Fess, Republican,
and former Gov. A. V. Donahey,
Democrat, a campaign extraordinary
in many aspects in the political an
mails Of the State.
The issue between them is direct,
as there is only a Communist on the
ballot beside the two. Nobody knows
the name Of the third man on the
ticket and the poll for the Com
munists is not likely to exceed $4,000
or 10000 in an expected vote Of
nearly 100000. Donahey'S support
ers assert he will receive a plurality
Of 100000 Every political poll and
every straw vote conducted, except
in Cincinnati, indicates victory for
him. In Cincinnati the two appear
to be running even.
Generally over the State, in a
canvass by the Columbus Dispatch
aggregating 10000 ballots, Donahey
has approximately 10000 to $500 for
DR.. Fess, giving the former Governor
approximately 65 per cent to 35 for
Senator Fess. The Cincinnati En-
quirer has not yet begun its poll.
Senator FeSs is waging the battle
with all the vigor of a man of 40,
although he recently passed his 73d
birthday anniversary. He is billed
for series of meetings in every major
community in the State.
Nevertheless, Senator FeSs set out
to give the people Of Ohio an oppor-
tunity to register their disapproval of
the New Deal, If they can be per-
suaded to oppose it, and he means to
carry on to the end along that line.
The canvass is peculiar in that,
while Senator Fess breaches the doc
trine Of opposition to the policies of
President Roosevelt. Gov Donahey
does not preach the Presidents doc
trine. When exposition of the Roose-
welt position is needed the Democratic
Strategists call loudly for Representa-
tive Charles West of the seventeenth
district, whom Donahey defeated in
the primary. West obliges with his
repertoire of Roosevelt points on the
New Deal. while Donahey merely
says that he believes in the honesty,
sincerity and integrity Of President
Roosevelt" asserts that Mr.. Roose-
velt should have tools with which to
work" and aff1rms that he shall sup
port Roosevelt in every proper way"
Will Not Duck.
He always closes with a line that
runs something like this, Il will be
true to the people of Ohio and will
not duck or dodge a single issue, just
as took a position for or against on
every issue when was your Cover
nor"
Aside from that, there are not half
a dozen sentences which define Dona-
hey's attitude toward the philosophy
OF the New Deal He does not talk
on currency, tariff, N. r. A. regimen
tation, crop and production control,
balancing the budget, expenditures,
debts, professors. unemployment in
Surance or any Of the things cur
rently in political discussions. Dona-
hey utters commonly few trite OBJ
servations, delivered with great seri-
business and with frequent shaking of
the fist and pointing with index
fingers. Each sally of this kind is
applauded by his audience, no mat
ter when or where he speaks.
His introducer merely has to say,
Honest Vic will be our Senator" and
that appears to be enough. In a Co.
lumbus rally, a successor of the gath
erings at which Allen G. Thurman
once expounded Democratic doctrine,
Donahey merely told his audience: IT
have an Interpretation of the New
Deal, my own. To me, and think
this Is President RooSevelt's concep-
ton, it means that the man who
honestly tolls is entitled to his BIRTH
right, wage to support his family
and lay up something for the proven
bal rainy day. The New Deal is a
condition OF mind and heart. I am
for the great middle class of people"
Senator Robert j. Bulkley is speak,
ing for Donahey, but the other former
leaders, Newton D. Baker, former Sec
retary of War; former Senator Atlee
Pomerene and former Gov. James M.
Cox, 1920 Democratic candidate for
President, thus far have been silent.
Baker and Cox in perfunctory ad-
dresses may espouse Danahey before
the campaign ends; Pomerene is not
expected to do so. Republicans de-
light in quoting statements of Cox
before the primary, when he said
plainly and pointedly that Donahey
had no talents for Senate service. that
Donahey Is not in sympathy with the
President and that Donahey had a
taxation program to merge
State and Federal revenue collecting
which would set aside the historic di-
visions Of authority between State and
Nation and build up centralized Gov
ernment beyond anything that Alex.
ander Hamilton conceived.
Political writer's say that Donahey
Is q sport" applying q botanical
term to politics. In view of the dis
trust among the more highly edu-
Gated members OF the communities,
hey cannot explain his tremendous
hold on the voters. He is due to lose
thousands of discerning members of
his own party, but this is expected
10 be more than matched by acces-
lions from the normal Republican and
independent groups. Donahey never
went beyond the sixth grade in school
and thus, for the first time in Ohio
history in the last half century, a
nan without scholastic training is in
Ill probability to be sent to the Sen
ate. His lack of classical education
. hailed as positive political asset.
(Copyright. l93Al