Evening star., 1936-06-26
FIGHT BY c. O.P.
T|RSDEMOCRATS.
Observer Says Roosevelt
ians Begin to Realize
Task at Convention.
Epecial Dispatch to The Star.

Epecial Dispatch to The Star.
PHILADELPHIA, June 26 (NAN.
A.).-The oldest of the Journalistic
cliches, and there are many old ones,
Is attributed to Charles A. Dana, the
famous editor of the New York Sun,
and is IF dog bites man, that
isn't news, but If a man bites dog,
that Is news" Probably Eddie Riggs,
or Julian Ralph. or Jersey Chamber
lain said 1t instead of Dana. but that
Is neither here nor there. The bear
ing of the cliche, at the moment, to
paraphrase Cap'n Cutie, rest on the
application OF it.
It isn't news when the Democratic
party, in national convention as
sembled, bites the Republican party,
but when the Republican party. held
by all the Democrats to be toothless
and senile ana decrepit since the
into the political arena and does
rather effective job of biting the
Democrats, that is news.
Biting Going On.
Not, of course, that there was any
biting done here, on the spot where
100 microphones constantly howl to
the passersby on the streets and the
multitudes IN the great convention
hall that the salvation of the country
rests with the Endorsement and con-
tinuation of the New Deal and its
present exponents. Not at all.
The rock-ribbed Republicans of the
city gathered in their citadel of Re-
publicanism, the Union League,
chuckling a little. perhaps. because
the rain forced Farley's platoon Of
motor cycle cops to put slickers over
their nifty khaki shirts, and escort
him about at somewhat less than
81 miles an hour, are tolerant and
interested
Bigger Show to Come.
The city Is vastly entertained. 1t
Is a great show, moving with blare,
and ballyhoo and brilliancy to its
apotheosis on Saturday night, when
the great. gorgeous and golden blow
off will occur: when, in full view OF
100000 cheering people, and in full
hearing of 50,000,00o radio tuners-in,
the President will accept his nomina-
ton and the battle will be joined.
The great news of this convention
isn't Democratic news. There Is no
Democratic news. There has been
none, relating to this convention, for
weeks and weeks. Real news, I mean.
There has been plenty of carpenter
and joiner work, but that has been job
stuff, not new structure stuff, the fix
ing of jutting corners, the oiling Of
squeaky doors. the repair of sticky
windows so the view of the New Deal
shall be unobstructed and glorious.
Fight Instead of Frolic.
The real news for this convention is
that, instead of the moribund and su-
pine opposition which they expected,
the Rooseveltians have agitatedly and
surprisedly realized that instead Of
Farley frolic they are up against a
real fight, and that, before starting a
proud parade back to Washington on
November 8, next, they must first take
a lot of trenches, carry a lot of hostile
1IOIltS, ucIlOIlSu d 1dl &c AulllUcI VI
heavily-gunned forts, and do consid-
cradle amount of fighting behind the
barriers.
This campaign is not going to be
the picnic Farley has so unctuously
predicted. 1t is not going to be what,
in his prizefight Technology, he might
term push over" Between now and
next November, this country will see
political battle that will make lot of
history and destroy a lot of illusions
as we'll as eradicate a vast number Of
theories.
The Republican man has bitten the
dominant Democratic dog. That is the
news Of the convention, that and moth
ing more or less.
tCopyrisht, 1888. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance Inc.)