Evening star., 1936-06-05
A Polite Gesture.

In the coming national political elec-
ton, of transcendent Importance to the
American people, the Republican party
constitutes the only tangible force
capable of defeating President Franklin
D. Roosevelt and his New Deal. Within
a week the representatives of that party
meet in Cleveland to nominate candi-
dates for President and Vice President
and TO write a party platform. Real
izing the deep feeling on the part of
many Democrats against Roosevelt and
the New Deal, some of the Republicans
are agitating for the selection of an
anti-New Deal Democrat for Vice Presi-
dent. This, they feel, would be good
political strategy. 1t would help to bring
into line the opposition to Roosevelt.
Coalition tickets and governments have
been tried in Europe. In the United
States, however, the people have, with
very few exceptions, stuck to the two
party system of government. When the
Democrats nominated Franklin D. Roose-
velt in 1892 to run for President, despite
the fact that there were many dis
gruntled Republicans, no suggestion was
seriously advanced that the party turn
to an anti-HooVer Republican for Vice
President. During that campaign sew
eral prominent anti-Hoover Republican
leaders not only announced their support
of Roosevelt, but campaigned Tor the
Democratic national ticket, Roosevelt
and Garner. Among them were Sen
ators Norris of Nebraska, johnson OF
California, La Toilette of Wisconsin and
the late Senator Cutting of New Mexico.
When the Republicans have noni-
mated their national ticket, Democrats
who feel strongly that Roosevelt must be
defeated will support it. Already some
of the leading Democrats in number OF
States have made it clear that they will
not only vote for the Republican ticket,
but will campaign for it. And so the
picture is reversed. There are reasons
to believe that there will be fewer, many
fewer, Republican leaders who will con-
tinue to give their support to the New
Deal. It is doubtful that the nomina-
ton of an anti-New Deal Democrat for
Vice President would of itself bring addi-
tional Democratic votes to the Repub-
ucan national ticket.
Two principles of government are op-
posed in the coming fight against the
New Deal. On the anti-New Deal side
will be found those who favor the Amer
acan form of Government, with home
rule and large freedom OF the people.
On the New Deal side will be those who
believe in Capitalization Of Government
in Washington, with Government eXer-
cising more and more control over the
activities of the people. Party labels
are not likely to be controlling, when the
voters come to decide these vital queS-
tions, except in the case Of those Demo-
Gratis who feel that they must go along
with the New Deal in order to retain
their present jobs. No nomination by
the Republicans of Democrat for wee
President would ever wean these JOB
holding Democrats away from the sup
port of Roosevelt. There are still, how
ever, some millions of Democrats who
are not on the Government pay roll.
The nomination of a coalition ticket
would be a polite gesture scarcely more.
1t has been argued that Democrat,
elected on the Republican ticket and
presiding as Vice President over a
Democratic Senate, would make the path
of the Republican President easier. That
is doubtful. Democratic Senators prob
sblv would resent the presence of one of
their own party who had helped to turn
a Democratic President out of the White
House, even more than the presence Of
a. Republican Vice President and pre-
siding officer. 4