Evening star., 1936-06-29

( & lin n os vel
David Lawrence showed himself by
tn t speech far
more skillful than either Mussolini or
Hitler. He employed not the fear OF
foreign invader. but of economic
royalists" from within, whose dynas-
ties are portrayed by the President to
have taken away or sought to take
away from the citizen his right to
work and live"
An obedient galaxy of delegates,
hand picked from the pay rolls of the
Government and the party machine,
gave the President his denomination
without a murmur of dissent nor a
minute of debate. They considered
themselves already soldiers in the
ranks. The use Of the military
phraseology. the vocabulary of revolu-
ton, was conspicuous. Thus even Vice
President Garner in accepting renomi-
nation said
Il am a soldier and my duty is to
follow where my commander leads. 1
accept the rules Of war laid down in
the platform"
Roosevelt Strategy.
Coming from a man who has been
known to differ with the New Deal
philosophy and a man who four years
ago made a different sort of speech
attacking paternalism in government
the note struck by the Vice President
explains the whole psychology of revo
luton and dictatorship which envel-
pped the New Deal Convention.
Mr.. Roosevelt himself is responsible
for the strategy. He announced it
first in his message to Congress on the
''State of the Union" and he reiterated
1t in his Jackson day speech over the
radio
But the address at Philadelphia
capped the climax as it set the stage
for the campaign. Mingled with such
words as the resolute enemy within
our gates" were phrases like enlisted
for the duration Of the war" and II
accept the commission" and Il salute"
Anti-Despot Psychology.
Mr.. Roosevelt disclosed that his own
psychology is that of a man who be-
lteves he is the leader of a revolu-
tion against deSpotism and industrial
dictatorship" and he wanted the radio
audience to believe, AS he probably will
ask the voters this Autumn to believe,
that their freedom and their oppor-
tunity to live is being challenged by a
group of rich men.
In due time Mr.. Roosevelt will tell
who he means by economic royal
lists" and he will make the case
against tyranny just as strongly as
1t was made in the first keynote
speech of all delivered by Undersec-
retary Of Agriculture Rexford Tugwell
recently at Los Angeles. The Presi-
dent ought to be commended on every
side for his frank avoWal of the Tug
we'll philosophy as the basis for his
campaign attack instead of the STRAIT
egy offered him by tinlid politicians,
who urged him to go a bit more to
the right and save the conservative
Democratic vote from disintegration
Mr.. Roosevelt may have a hard
time convincing the people of the
West that the Governor of a typical
Prairie State" where covered-wagon
hardships have not yet been forgot
ten, is the leader of band of eco
nomic royalistS," but the coming cam
palgn is not going to be a debate bv
the New Deal party on issues. but
contest for the vote of those whose
emotions can be aroused. This in
eNtably means a class war with
plenty of demagoguery and plenty of
hysteria
Dangerous Strategy.
Under such circumsta noes it is 60
ing to be difficult for hitherto level
headed citizens to restrain themselves,
A speech which misrepresents the is
sues OF today as much as did Mr.
Foosevelt's in Philadelphia is bound
to stir up antagonisms that will not
have their end next November. It
has always been and always will be
a dangerous strategy in a republic.
The tactics of those who oppose
Mr.. Roosevelt ought not to be to get
caught in the snare of revolution"
psychology, but to insist on temperate
and persuasive debate, putting their
trust in the abiding fairness of the
American jury as long as constitu-
tional guarantees of freedom of
speech and press remain. Thus it
will be up to Mr.. Roosevelt to simplify
what he meant by this paragraph in
his speech, which will stand out for
all times as the embodiment of his
strategy:
The royalists of the economic Or
der have conceded that political free
dom was the business of the Govern
ment, but they have maintained that
economic slavery was nobody's busi-
ness. They granted that the Govern
r1ent could protect the citizen in his
right to vote, but they denied that the
Government could do anything to
protect the citizen in his right to
work and live"
Relief May Be Stake.
Information will be sought as In |
whether the citizens who have been |
dragged to the polls in the primaries |
will be dragged again next Fall under
penalty of losing their relief pay
ments really have their right to vote
protected under the royalists of a po-
htical tyranny.
Information will be sought likewise |
as to what steps the Government at |
Washington has taken to protect |
workers in their right to continue at |
work. Every piece of legislation de- |
signed to protect worker from the |
strong-arm tactics of union organizers |
and strikers has been frustrated by |
the President and his aSSoriates IN, |