Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-11-01

many minor Democratic leaders.
Several Of the most important
sources Of Democratic thought, in
GLIDING the st. Louis Post-Dispatch
and the Omaha World Herald, think
that refusal to support Mr.. Roosevelt
is best Especially expressive Of the
despair which besets many Of the most
thoughtful Democrats is the Balti-
more Sun, which announces it cannot
support Mr.. Roosevelt-but apparently
feels it cannot support Gov. Landon,
either.
OF all the thoughtful Democrats in
the country, fully four fifths feel about
the New Deal much as Senator Glass
has expressed himself, and feel about
Mr.. Roosevelt much as Mr.. Warburg
has expressed himself am speaking
of men of the more intellectual type
Democrats who understand political
principles and the organization of
society. Among men of that type the
estimate Of the proportion of silent
dissenters, four-fif Is not excessive.
I think the same proportion, though
perhaps less, applies to Democrats in
high party position. Democrats in
the Senate and House. Democratic
Governors. Very few of them speak
out against the New Deal, but many
feel as Senator Glass does. This state
ment applies, many suspect. to some
of the Democratic leaders who in this
campaign are active for the re-
election Of Mr.. Roosevelt.
How account for the course these
Democrats are taking? I will not at
tempt to assign particular views to
particular men. But, speaking Of
them as group, they think something
like this: They think America Is in
desperate danger of being carried into |
a changed form of society and gov
eminent. They want to save America
from that fate. To help in accom- |
plishing that they think it best to |
retain their positions Of leadership
And it is quite true, as to many of |
them, that If they should 60 out of |
their party they would go out Of public |
life and therefore out Of influence.
Problem Now Faced
Some of them think-and practi- |
cally all thoughtful persons agree |
with this-that much of what the |
New Deal has done was necessary and |
is good. They think the problem now
is to separate what Is good in the
New Deal from that part of it which
leads toward one Of the new European
conceptions Of government. They
think they can best help to bring this
about if they remain within the Dem
ocratic party. --
Some Of them think America has
been carried so far that only the DEM
ocratic party can retrace the steps.
BY that they mean this: That in the
near future conservative action taken
by Democrats would be better re-
ceived by the country than conserva-
tive action taken by Republicans.
They think that If all the conservative
Democratic leaders should in this cam.
paign join the Republicans there
would be left in the Democratic party
only radicals. And thereafter. If Mr..
Roosevelt should be reelected, his
direction would be certain to be radi-
cal. Some Of these dissenting Demo-
Gratis think that by remaining Demo-
Gratis they can influence Mr.. Roose-
welt in the conservative direction.
Some of this type Of Democratic
leader have an unconquerable distrust
OF the Republican party, especially of
its traditional policy on the tariff.
Most Of the intellectual type of
Democrats who see the defects in Mr..
Roosevelt's course but still support
him do so quote some words Of
one Of them, Mr.. Dean Acheson, for
merly Mr.. Roosevelt's Undersecretary
OF the Treasry-"more in hope than
in faith"
Here, then, Is the situation. A very
large number of the Democratic
leaders feel about the New Deal as
Senator Glass and Mr. warburg have
spoken about 1t. The things Mr.. War.
burg and Senator Glass have said are
harsher than anything ex-Gov. Smith
has said or Mr.. John w. Davis. Yet
here is the clearage: Some, like
Senator Glass and Mr.. Warburg,
think they can best serve the coun-
try by remaining regular; others, like
ex-Gov Smith and Mr. Davis, think
the path Of best usefulness to the
country goes along with the path of
conscience
The attitude of Democrats like Mr..
Warburg and Senator Glass can be
expressed in terms used In courts
which deal with marital infldelity.
They think the Democratic party, as
influenced by the New Deal, has been
unfaithful; she has been seen in q
compromising situation with =
bearded gentleman, believed to hail
from Moscow. The Democrats wish
to break up this mesalliance and get
the lady back into her lawful home.
But they can only do this If they
come into court with clean hands.
They must not themselves be subject
to any charge Of faithlessness- as
they would be If they supported Gov.
Landon in this campaign.