Evening star., 1936-06-24

delegation, wish
ing him to keep
Mark Sullivan the platfor
Democratic, or from New Dealers
wishing his presence in order to make
an appearance of harmony. Finally,
Senator Glass fatty declined, he re-
mains. of course, under the obligation
of voting on the platform when 1t
is presented to the full convention.
Effective Critic.
Senator Glass has been the most
fortnight critic the New Deal has
had. No Republican in the Senate
has been half as effective because
no Republican has half the particular
kind of ability. Senator Glass and
his associates, Senator Harry F. Byrd,
have continued their attitude toward
the New Deal right up to the last
measure the Senate passed-both
voted against Mr.. Roosevelt's tax bill
last week.
This week. Senator Glass faces a
| trying condition. Some two years ago
he said in a newspaper interview that
he wished he had died before he saw
what he called the disgrace" of the
New Deal come upon his country.
His perturbancea now must be the
most painful in his long and extra
ordinarily conscientious and honorable
career. He can't possibly, as partic-
| ipant in a Democratic convention,
recant what he has said as a Senator.
If he did, he would turn into bitter
irony the words of the six college
presidents who have given him hon.
orary degrees during the past two
years, in considerable part for his
courage and candor about the New
Deal. But it will take no recollection
of honorary degrees to hold Senator
Glass to the path Of conviction.
Hardly any other man in American
public life is so sufficiently moved by
his own conscience.
| Between DilemmaS.
Yet what can he do? While he
loathes the New Deal, he loathes the
| Republican party even more. At least
he thinks he does. To him the Repub-
| lican party is the "carpetbagger" party
|
Virginia, where he began his political
career more than half q century ago
| began with the belief. not seriously un-
| justified at that time and place-that
| the Republican party was evil persona
| fed.
Senator Glass feels he can't give
comfort to the Republicans-and he
knows he can't approve the New Deal
Possibly he might have solved his
| dilemma by writing in the National
Democratic Convention something like
what he, with others, wrote in the
State Democratic Convention of Vir-
ginia a week or so ago.
1 have not seen that Virginia Demo-
cratic platform in full. but everybody
is talking about it. AS described by
those who smile about it, an epitome
of it would read something like this:
I'VE approve President Roosevelt for
all the things he has done that he
ought to have done" One literal SEN
tence puts emphasis on the word
sound" in a passage which wished Mr..
Roosevelt "the largest success in every
sound measure he may hereafter pro-
ject."
Warning to Roosevelt.
Perhaps the most significant SEN
tence in that Virginia Democratic
platform was the one which gave Mr..
Roosevelt warning: "At no time in
the history of the Nation has adherence
to sound principles of representative
government been more imperative
than today"
But if the Virginia Democratic plat
form last week. and the national plat
form this week, can by careful words
steer a course which avoids approving
the New Deal, does that end it? Every
Democratic voter in Virginia must by
now or soon realize that the New Deal
is a different thing from the Demo-
cratic party. 1t is said that if Sena-
tors Glass and Byrd should. during
this campaign, repeat in Virginia what
they have said in the Senate, Virginia
would vote against Mr.. Roosevelt. Can
this situation be kept repressed? And
If the situation emerges to the voters
as something half-concealed, some
thing mysterious. will they not be even
more disturbed than If they were told
plainly?
1t is not Virginia alone, it is the
whole South. What is known pub |
licly about the attitude of the two |
Virginia Senators is known privately |
about Senators from several other |
Southern States. Even where nothing |
is known, much is surmised.
Robinson Watched.
In this convention, Senator Joseph |
T. Robinson is to make the presid- !
ing's speech. The speech is said
to have been carefully scrutinized in
advance by President Roosevelt. Mr..
Roosevelt had better. Senator Robin
son might have lapse of mind and
say what he really thinks. Senator
Robinson is the official Senate leader.
As such he leads the Senate-as often
as he can-to do what President
Roosevelt desires. With the loyalty
enforced by his conception Of official
duty, he debates against Senator
Glass-and most well-informed lis
teners surmise that in nine cases out
of ten Senator Robinsons private and
unofficial conviction is identical with
Senator Glass.
If, when Senator Robinson makes
his high-spot speech this week, some
lapse into seance, some triumph of
the subconscious over official duty,
should cause Senator Robinson as
Roosevelt's spokesman to say what
Private Citizens Robinson must really
think about the New Deal-in that
event this convention would provide
more real news than it now seems
likely to.
It Is not easy 10 be facetious. and
rarhaS9 MT rf1ht. 10 oee the Demo. l