Evening star., 1936-03-29
ROOSEVELTS CHANCES
OF VICTORY IMPROVED
But Seven Months Until Election Nav
Bring Reversal of Attitude on
Part of Voters.
RY MARK SULLIVAN.

two weeks or so the general judg-
ment has been that the chances
Il of Mr. Roosevelt being reelected
has improved. The judgment is COM
mon among impartial observers, is
admitted by some Republicans, and
is. of course. shared jubilantly by the
New Dealers. The well informed Mr..
Frank Kent reports that "Mr. Roose-
welt himself. who a few weeks ago
had many moody moments, is reported
again gay and carefree" Certainly,
gayety and confidence is the present
characteristic of the New Dealers
generally.
While Republicans admit that the
chances Of reelection for Mr.. Roose-
welt have improved, some of them,
especially the more experienced, bear
IN mind that the present wave of
judgment to this effect may be, as
often happens, one of several alter
ations Of up and down feelings. They
say the present period of belief that
Mr.. Roosevelt will be reelected may
be as temporary as the preceding pc
riod of belief that he would not be.
and that probably the seven months
between now and election time will
see several rises and falls of both
judgments.
For the present confidence among
the New Dealers and discouragement
among their opponents, there are sew
eral causes. The most immediate is
the f1attening out of opposition to Mr..
Roosevelt within his own party. Some
three months ago it seemed certain
that the Democratic National Conven-
tlon in June would see a strong DEM
onstratlon against the New Deal and
against Mr.. Roosevelt. Nobody thought
the demonstration would be enough
TO prevent Mr.. RooseveltS renomina-
ton, but many felt it would be enough
to make conspicuous the existence of
much Democratic feeling against the
New Deal and would provide a spring.
board from which, perhaps, a third
party Of independent Democrats might
emerge. The third party may come
in some other way, but all notion of
any strong demonstration against
convention is past.
Roosevelt Luck" in Picture.
II it is not violation of taste to
say 1t in this connection Roosevelt
luck has served him we'll in some
Visitations of fate. Had Senator Huey
Long OF Louisiana lived he would
have been the head of the delegation
from his State in the Democratic con-
vention; he would have had some
delegates besides, and with his re-
sourcefulness and his fair for the
spectacular he would have subjected
Mr.. Roosevelt and Postmaster Gen
eral Farley and the managers of the
convention to some unpleasant hours.
In a very different way ex-Gov. AL
bert c. Ritchie of Maryland, had he
lived, would have taken to the con-
Vention a delegation which would
have pointedly been uninstructed for
Mr.. Roosevelt. Ritchie, at the oppo-
site end Of the Democratic spectrum
from Huey Long, would have expressed
and symbolized conservative Demo-
cratic opposition to the New Deal
and to the President.
BY the deaths Of these two and by
other events, Mr.. Roosevelt's renomi-
nation will go through with few dis
sentlng votes. If any. If former Gov.
Smith Of New York is in the conven-
ton, and II he renews his suggestion
that he and Democrats like him take
a walk" he will have few supporters
within the convention. At one time
former Gov. Ely of Massachusetts ex-
pected to try to take to the conven-
ton an uninstructed delegation. but
he has abandoned that idea. He has
even refused tender from the Roose-
Velt Democrats in Massa chusetts to
make him delegate. With an air of
resignation, he says that the anti
Roosevelt Democrats can't beat the
$4,000, 100000 Of relief money which
Is at the command Of the administra-
ton.
But Foes Can Vote.
However, If many of the dissenting
Democrats are silenced as respects the
convention. they are still free to be
vocal in the ensuing campaign, and
to vote-perhapS vote conspicuously-
In the election. And whatever NAV
be the case with Democratic leaders,
the Democrats in private life who are
opposed to Mr.. Roosevelt by convic-
tion have not been reduced in num-
bers; their chance OF expression comes
in November.
Disappearance Of any likelihood OF
demonstration against Mr.. Roose-
Welt In the Democratic National Con-
vention is disappearance of the first
hurdle in the race for reelection, and
that would be enough to explain the
present mood of confidence among the
New Dealers.
There Is, however, an even deeper
cause for their confidence. AS they
received one gift from fate in the
deaths Of two of the most formidable
Democrats opposed to them, so have
they received another gift from a
source which they did not like. II
President Roosevelt and Mr.. Farley
had proper sense Of obligation they
would raise their hats in reverence
dllu SIdtiIuQe every Clnle Cney pass
the building that houses the Supreme
Court. The decisions OF the court
have saved MIR. Roosevelt from much
grief.
The New Deals two great expert
ments in collectivism and planned
economy"-I quote Mr.. Walter Lipp-
mann-Were N. r. A. and triple A.
Were those two mechansms still in
existence they would by this time be
carrying America toward a collectivist
form of society so plainly that all
could see. And because of that and
other objections to them they would
be objects of deep and increasing hos
tility from the people. If N. r. A.
and triple A were still with us the
coming campaign would take the form
Of a clear issue between, on the one
hand, democracy and individualism,
and, on the other hand, a collectivist
form Of society which would neces-
sarily bring in its train a changed
form of Government.