Evening star., 1936-06-14
ROOSEVELT OPENS
CAMPAIGN JULY 4
Selects JefferSon'S Home as
Scene of First Major
Address.
BY ]. RUSSELL YOUNG.

President Roosevelt will jump into
his campaign for reelection a week
after his denomination in Philadel-
phia, when, on July 4, he will address
huge gathering at Monticello. the
home Of Thomas Jefferson, just out
side of Charlottesville. Va.
Mr.. Roosevelt has selected this
patriotic celebration and historic set
ting to deliver major campaign
speech.
Before he left Washington last Mon
day to deliver several speeches in the
Southwest, he had taken time to make
a rough pencil sketch of some OF the
more important features he will in
corporate in the July 4 address. Soon
after his return from the Southwest
tomorrow he will start the actual
writing
Mr.. Roosevelt does not consider his
Southwest swing as campaigning
and the three major speeches he
scheduled were for the most part Incl
dental to historic celebrations. He
at least prefers to have them referred
to as such. In two of his Southwest
speeches he certainly didn't entirely
ignore politics, however.
Talk to Be Political.
But Mr.. Roosevelts Independence
day grafton will be Enthusiastically po-
litical. Mr.. Roosevelt's advisers con-
slider the Monticello setting particu-
larly appropriate.
On July the President will, on his
motor journey to Charlottesville, make
an address on the Skyline Drive, on
the crest of the Blue Ridge Noun
tains, incident to the formal dedica-
ton of the Shenandoah National Park.
but his utterances on this OCCASION are
not expected to contain any political
significance.
While the Presidents actual cam
paign will not begin until July 4,
he will necessarily deliver a political
keynote speech in Philadelphia two
weeks from now, when he formally
accepts his partys denomination for
the presidency.
There will be a tremendous gather
ing of people to hear the President
at Monticello. The event has been
widely advertised, and from all early
indications there will be crowds on
hand, not only from all over the State
of Virginia, but nearby States. There
will be amplifierS to carry the Pres
ident's words to all parts Of the
grounds surrounding the old Jeffer-
son estate, in addition to Nation
wide hook-up on the two major broad
casting chains.
Attitude on Jefferson.
It has not been explained just why
the President selected this patriotic
celebration for what the Presidents
friends would have designated as Mr.
Roosevelts opening campaign speech
However, it is not hard to guess
Thomas jefferson has frequently
served as a basis for political themes
in Mr.. Roosevelt's speeches. Next tc
Andrew Jackson, who seems to be his
No. l political and patriotic hero
Thomas Jefferson is quoted more by
Mr.. Roosevelt in his public utterances
than any other American figure.
Last week, while addressing the
statehood anniversary at Little Rock
Ark, the President took occasion tt
mention Jefferson's purchase of the
so-called Louisiana Territory and al
the same time, by innuendo. re-
ferred to his New Deal Supreme Court
experiences when he declared that
jefferson "had the courage and back
bone to go through with the Louisiana
purchase without the full and unani-
nous approval of every member ol
the legal profession"
The President added in this con-
nection that Jefferson ignored warn.
ings that no specific authority ex-
listed in the Constitution for the pur-
chase and that he based his action or
a broad Interpretation of the Con.
stitution or its inherent qualities OF
goyereignty."