Evening star., 1936-08-03


Qeubec, official or otherwise, and he
has been up in that vicinity since he
was elected President of the United
States.
What possible relationship, it will
be asked, is Mr.. RooSevelt'S visit to
Canada and politics of the 1886 cam
paign?
Well, there are in the New England
States many French Canadians. Po-
litical observers in the past have said
that the French-Canadian vote has
often held the balance Of power in
swinging the elections. To visit Quebec
and make speech in French which
would be broadcast to the United
States and certainly would be listened
to by French Canadians who now have
become American citizens is not a
waste of time by any means, looking
at matters from political standpoint.
Links Past and Present.
Mr.. Roosevelt likes to make 'his-
torical speeches" anyway. He man.
ages always to intertWine some refer
ence to present-day affairs. In the
case of his visit to Canada he needed
to do no more than he did, namely.
to emphasize the French background
of Quebec's history. To show his
speaking ability in French was, indeed
a compliment to the French-C
dians.
The President may not have thought
of any politics in connection with his
visit, and doubtless such primary
purpose would be denied officially
Even so, Mr.. Roosevelt can hardly be
blamed for doing in a campaign year
the incidental things that focus pub
Icity upon him.
AS matter of fact, there are Re
publicans hereabouts who confess it
was shrewd politics on the Presidents
part to make the trip to Quebec at
this time and to get the benefit of two
national radio hook-ups from a Ca
madam city. But the Republicans, at
the same time insist the gesture will
not be of as much aid as might be
assumed. For. they say, the French
Canadian vote has been drifting away
from the New Deal because of the un-
happy conditions in the textile in
dustry, for example, where many Of
them are employed.
Drift Back to G. o. p. Seen.
1t would appear that there are
about 1,372000 New Englanders of
French Canadian or Canadian par
entage. There Is no way to tell how
many have a vote, nor is there any
way of knowing how many first-gen-
Grafton French-C Canadians now are
living in the United States.
But the importance of the French
Canadian vote is emphasized again
and again in New England politics.
Until the advent of the New Deal the
French Canadian vote was considered
to be Republican. In the 1885 elec-
ton for Congress in Rhode Island,
the French-Canadians are under
stood to have drifted back to Repub-
licanism. Gov. Curley, Democrat, in
Massachusetts is said to have won the
French-Canadian vote from time to
time.
Mr.. RooSevelt's decision to stop off
at various places in New England on
his way back from Canada, and par
ticularly his desire to look over food
control projects, is an indication Of
what may happen throughout the
campaign. 1t is believed that Mr..
Roosevelt will move around a good
deal, not necessarily making stump
speeches, but developing local pub
llclty and giving stimulus to local
leaders.
For an election that is supposed to
be in the bag" the New Deal high
command is buster trying to keep in
line various group and sectional inter-
ests than might be expected to be
the case in Midsummer of a campaign
year.
Copyright, 1860