Evening star., 1935-09-30
LETTER TO CLERGY
SEEN AS BLUNDER
FarIey's Hand Believed in
Appeal Which May Hurt
Roosevelt Prestige.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

may prove one OF those curious
blunders in politics that do many
times more harm to the prestige Of
a presidential candidate than the
good the maneuver was supposed to
do in the first place.
The incident illustrates how Mr..
Roosevelt is sometimes victimized by
his own advisers, how he lends him.
self perhaps unwittingly to political
intrigue because he gives spur of
the-moment decisions to schemes
handed to him by his political
mentors.
The ostensible object of the Presi-
dents letter to the clergymen was TO
flatter them. Almost everybody likes
to get a personal letter from the
President Of the United States With
his own signature on White HouEe
stationery. but, more than that, q
citizen likes to be asked for advice
and counsel by the Chief Executive
Of the Nation.
Farley Believed Involved.
There can be little doubt but that
Postmaster General James A. Farley,
who is also chairman of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, mad some
thing to do with the plan.
Mr.. Farley is a firm believer IN
selling goods by mail and in the
power Of the personal letter in politics
He has often told friends that he
believes the 1882 presidential NOM
ination was won by him for Nj
Roosevelt very largely because he, Mr..
Farley, had written personally to
more individuals active in politics
throughout the United States thor
any other pre-convention campaign
manager in all our history. 1t would
have been natural for Mr.. Farley, who
lunched recently with the President
TO point out the merits of a personal
letter campaign to key people.
Thus a clergyman comes in contact
with at least 20 to 80 persons and un-
questionably in every parish the pa
rishioners do look up to their spiritual
adviser and. consciously or uncon-
sciously, often accept his plan on what
is going on in public affairs.
But. it probably was asked. on what
subject could the President write to
clergymen and seem to be merely
writing a natural communication on
public business? And what kind of
letter would seem to Justify the use
If he froy nj TNripila-ra 70
Democratic National Committee is
heavily in debt and there is no money
for postage on a Nationwide circu-
lariZation. So it was determined to
ask the clergymen about social Sc
curity" legislation which, of course,
it was reasoned. would logically en-
phasize to them above the hue and
cry of critics of other policies this
achievement of the New Deal.
Nothing vas said in the letter. to
be sure, about the fact that the un-
employed insurance doesn't get dis
bursed till 1888 and that the old-age
pensions or benefits do not begin till
1912, but 1t was obviously assumed
that the clergymen would imagine the
anticipated results and see the social
value of these measures and hence
would talk about them from their pull
pits. The net effect Of such comment
would be to imply to the parishioners
that the pastors thought the New Deal
a very useful and worthy administra-
ton of government.
BungIing Ended Plan.
1t may be taken for granted that II
the test effort on clergymen had
been successful or if somebody had
not bungled in using Gov. La Follette's
literary product, palming it of as the
original handiwork of the President
himself. the plan might have beer
applied later to lawyers, doctors, den
fists, druggists-in fact. all who COME
in contact frequently with small
groups of their fellow citizens.
For the benefit Of those readers who
may not have seen the President:
correspondence with the clergy as com
pared with Gov. La Follette's circular
letter, the texts of which were flrst
disclosed in dispatch to the New
York Times from Kenosha, Wis, the
excerpts are here appended.
The La Toilette letter. which asked
Wisconsin ministers to state thell
views on the relief situation, reads:
your high calling brings you into
intimate daily contact not only with
your parishioners, but with people
generally in your community. I an
sure also that yo see the critical
problems Of your people with wise and
sympathetic understanding"
The text of the Roosevelt letter sent
to clergymen in the East, as quoted
in dispatches, stated:
Your high calling brings you into
intimate daily contact not only with
your own parishioners, but with peo-
pie generally in your community.
am sure you see the problems Of your
people with wise and sympathetic
understanding.
The second paragraph OF the La
Toilette letter of March read:
LAS I face the heavy responsible
ties of the Governor, I am turning to
representative clergymen for advice
help and counsel, feeling confident
that no group can give more accurate
or unbiased views"
The second paragraph Of the Roose-
welt letter to Eastern clergymen read:
"Beca Use of the grave responsibility
Of my Office, am turning to repre-
sentative clergymen for counsel and
advice, feeling confident that no group
can give more accurate or unbiased
views"
Similarity was also noted in the
closing paragraphs Of the letters.
Those for the La Toilette letter
read:
"All this can be done. But no one
man and no single group can do it.
We shall have to work together for the
common end of better spiritual and
material conditions for the American
people.
May I have your counsel and your
help? Your suggestions. criticism and
advice now and in the future will be