Imperial Valley press., 1937-04-11
News Behind the News
RooseUeIt's Third Term Too Early
to KnOU Yet But Not Too
Earlu to Speculate =.

WASHINGTON-You are quite right If you
think the present time is much TOO carry 10
come to conclusions to the question OF MI
Roosevelt in relation to the 1910 presidentlai
campaign But there is no law against specula-
ton or discussion, and anyone may salely resign
himself to hearing more and more about IL from
now on, unless Roosevelt emphatically rules
himself out Of the pictuse.
There will be polls designed to measure pub
lie sentiment for Roosevelt and Tor the otner
presidential possibilities. These polls VIII De
watched with intense interest.
A peculiar situation will result if it turns out
that the President is far more OF popular
favorte to succeed himself than any other pup
lie man. II the polls do begin to pan out that
way there will be great how Tor declaralloh
from Roosevelt himself.
The polls in fact already have begun. For
tune Magazine has taken a poll on the question
of whether public opinion favored a third term
for FDR 1t found that only 1876 per cent
opposed third Roosevelt term, that 484 per
cent favored it-nearly half on the provlSo tnat
his second term is successful-and per cent
didn't know. z'
Only 26 per cent declared against the idea
solely on the ground that no one should serve
more than two terms 1t is easy to believe this
section included many who would naturally op-
pose Roosevelt.
Only IA per cent registered opposed be-
cause of disapproval of F.DR. and only 1912 be-
cause of disapprova of both Roosevelt and
third terms.
The Queens Work, a national Catholic month
ly, has been polling Washington correspondents
on their predictions to the 1910 Democratic
nominee Early returns were showing that two
thirds of the correspondents picked Roosevelt
as the hkelieSt nominee, with Secretary OF Agrl-
culture Henry A Wallace running second, but
obviously not very strong
While debate RACES over the Roosevelt Su-
preme Court plan, civil service is taking lick
ing The Presidents proposal to extend the
merit system upward, outward and downward
is being made pawn in the game
Because the President isn't taking on any
new fights, the crop insurance bill, passed by
the Senate with a provision exempting from
civil service all officials and employees hired un-
Ger the act, is likely to stand that way in the
House.
The new Guffey coal bill passed by the House
eXemptS a large number of clerks, attorneys,
special agents, technical experts and examiners.
It's an ironic fact that Roosevelt, now being
bitterly attacked for an attempt to grab power
through his court proposal offered IN the civil
service section of his reorganization program TO
surrender more power than any president had
proposed to give up in many decades. Opportu-
nifty TO appoint six justices Temporarily
means a tremendous extension OF executive
power. But Roosevelt afterward would have no
control over the six. Putting the enure gov
ernmen personnel under civil service, as RooSe-
Vet proposed, would mean an abandonment Oh
executive patronage power immeasurably Valu-
able But it's doubtful now whether Congress
will ever permit this abnegation.