Evening star., 1935-08-11
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

~ URING the last week publicity,
which credited the White
House as its source, has said
- that from now on Mr.. Roose-
welt is going to soft pedal his pro-
gram of bringing about what he has
called new order" That would
conform to a political purpose. 1t as
sumes that the President has gone far
enough to the left to get the allie
glance of most of the radicals-and
thereby forestall the arising of a rad
ical third party, under Huey Long
presumably, in the election next year.
1t assumes further that by now turn
ing unobtrusively toward the right he
can avert the formation of a con-
servative third party, a third party
made up of conservative Democrats.
AS political strategy that is plausi-
BILE. But let no one imagine that Mr..
Roosevelt is really going to abandon
his permanent purpose of bringing
about his new order" Indeed, one
may doubt, very seriously doubt,
whether he will abandon it even for
the IA months between now and the
presidential election.
Mr.. Roosevelt as much as the most
of us-more than most of us-doeS
what his temperament pulls him
toward, and his temperament is
strongly bent toward the radical and
the dramatic. If he has really let
his aides understand that he is going
to soft pedal" they, familiar with
his temperament, will hardly see a
day go by without anxious fear of
abrupt departure from the policy of
prudence. Mr.. Roosevelt's tempera-
ment will hardly let him keep up for
IA months a sustained policy OF re-
straint.
New Steps Indicated.
Moreover, Mr.. Roosevelt can hardly
stop, even if he should want to and
try to. Some of the steps he has taken
will press him, and the country. to-
ward inevitable further steps.
The only effect of accepting the
hint that he will soft pedal would be
to delude the public into thinking the
Roosevelt revolution" as an admiring
biographer of him calls it, is over. If
Mr.. Roosevelt should be reelected
next year the country would be in for
changes going so far that what has
already been done would be mere prel-
ude. Reelection, assurance of four
more years in the White House, would
lift from Mr.. Roosevelt even the re-
Straint that now arises from the wish
to be reelected. Among other things,
of the nine justices of the Supreme
Court, six are over 70. If Mr.. Roose-
vlet should have a second term 1t
might readily happen that he would
have the opportunity between now and
1941 to make over the court to his
hearts desire. On that point how
ever, the probability is Mr.. Roosevelt
will not rely upon making over the
court. He is more likely to try to
bring about directly either a curtail-
ment of the powers of the court or q
change in the Constitution, or both.
Whatever incentive conservatives have
had for effective action in next years
presidential campaign continues to
exist.
Reporting facts, reporting what is,
1t is necessary to say there is little
expectation of coalition ticket made
up of Republicans and conservative
Democrats against Mr. Roosevelt next
year. But again reporting facts, there
is an immense body of public opinion
in favor of this course. Many Repub-
icanS, many conservative Democrats
and, most of all, independent voters
look on the suggestion with approval
and hope. The number of Republicans
is enormous who would be willing and
glad to vote for-to take one possible
example-Democratic Senator Harry
F. Byrd of Virginia as a presidential
candidate on coalition ticket. They
would as cheerfully vote for him as
for any regular Republican candidate
The difference, in principle or in
views about public affairs, between
Democratic Senator Byrd and the
rank and file of Republican voters is
negligible. Under ordinary condi-
tions there are differences. But the
whole idea of coalition ticket rests
on the fact that the conditions are
not ordinary. Next years campaign
will determine whether America is to
keep its traditional form of society
and Government or be led into an
American modification of the new
conception of society and centralized
government that has arisen in Eu-
rope. In such a contest any differ
ence between Republicans and con-
Servative Democrats is immaterial.
1vN Ill
opposing the new conception were
behind one candidate he should win
readily. 1t is quite possible the South,
If 1t were made to understand clearly
what would be the effect of the new
conception on that section, would
support the coalition ticket
Coalition Leadership Lacking.
But, reporting what is, it is neces-
sary to say the coalition is not likely.
1t could only arise through some i'm
mense expression of mass opinion,
stimulated by dynamic leaders. The
leaders would have to be men not now
holding Office and not now engaged
In active participation in the affairs of
either party. Officeholders, national
or 0CaIe, In DOtn parties, or men ex-
pecting to hold Office, or men whose
status in public life rests on associa-
tion with one of the old parties-such
men will not lead a movement for a
coalition ticket. They will not even
give countenance to such a movement
unless it should become very formid-
able.
1t is doubtful if Senator Byrd would
consent to Identification with a coali-
tion party until after it was so strong
as to indicate great mass movement.
He cannot afford to leave the Demo-
cratic party, except upon assurance
that the coalition party would be per-
manent, or upon some extreme COM
pulsion upon his conscience. To iden-