Evening star., 1936-10-15

whose voice has the more charming
appeal to the ear has great ao-
vantage.
have alluded before to the charm
of Mr.. Roosevelts voice. ana nave
received letters of protest. Tnere are
some to whom Mr.. Roosevelt tones
and overtones are unsympathetic, but
those are only fraction OF the
electorate. To a great majority, Mr.,
Roosevelts cadences are agreeable. II
the Presidents addresses we're de-
l,vered in the CZecho-Slovaklan
tongue, they would be listened to
with Measure. He could recite the
Polish alphabet and it would be ac-
cepted as an eloquent plea for dis
armament. One could say OF Mr.
Roosevelts speeches what Mr.. Dooly"
said of the late Senator Beverage s
aye could waltz to them" Or, as
yersifier once said Of ephemeral popu-
lar songs:
provided the tune has right
good swing.
It doesn't much matter what words
you sing
Yet I suspect the Republicans could
overcome Mr.. Roosevelt's vocal per-
suasiyeness, indeed might even turn
1t into a boomerang. This campaign
could be turned into real debate. Let
the Republicans delegate competent
debaters to take up each OF the
Presidents speeches. examine 1t with
a cold eye, analyze it from the point
of view of the intellect rather than
the emotions, and present to the
public a clear mental-not emotional
picture of what the President said.
A Mighty Inference.
The Presidents recent Omaha ap-
peal to farmers began:
I'm 1882 I pledged my administra-
ton to a farm policy that would help
the farmer. Tonight every man and
woman on an American farm who has
read today's market reports knows
that we have done what We said We
would do"
About the accuracy of these words
there could be some debate. But let
us ignore. as a point irrelevant here,
the assertion that I'VE have done what
we said we would do" Consider the
inference of Mr.. Roosevelt's persuasive
tones The inference is that the rise
in prices Of crops between 1882 and
1886 was due wholly to the Presidents
farm policy, that, but for Mr.. Roose-
welt, crop prices would still be where
they we're in 1882.
It amounts to saying that Mr..
Roosevelt brought about the recovery
from depression. If that were true,
then Mr.. Roosevelt must have been
responsible for the recovery that has
taken place throughout the world
And if Mr.. Roosevelt is the agency
that brought about world recovery,
then he is subject to serious charge
of lack of patriotism-for having dis
eliminated against America, for hav-
ing brought about greater recovery
elsewhere than he brought about In
America.
Isuspect that every competent econ
omist in the world would say that the
recovery from this depression came
about through natural forces, that the
recovery was as automatic as the de-
preston. Indeed, suspect the aver
age man would say this, if he put his
mind on it. Yet of al 1.-The fallacies
in the contemporary world, the most
widespread, the one that will influence
the largest number of votes in this
election, is the fallacy that the party
in power brought about recovery.
That fallacy, in some past periods OF
rising prosperity. has operated to the
advantage of the Republicans, who
happened to be in power at a felicitous
time. And I suppose the Republicans
are barred from complaining when the