Evening star., 1937-08-08
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

~ NE Of Mr.. Roosevelt's favorite
figures of speech is about the
forest and the trees Often,
~ In answer to questions asked
at his press conferences, questions
which he thinks go too much into de-
tail, he replies in effect. Now you're
seeing the trees, you must look at the
forest" And when he goes on vaca-
tions he says that he wants to be able
10 look at the forest from a distance;
that while in Washington he is too
close to the situation and tends to
lock too much at the separate trees.
Mr.. Roosevelt rather overdoes this
figure Of speech. Every man, when he
Is tired, tends to harp on his own
familiar phrases and mannerisms.
The forest and the trees are becoming,
with Mr.. Roosevelt, a tired mans
refuge, defense he uses to save him
self from pressure to think things out.
Mr.. Roosevelt is overusing another
Of his phrases, too-the one about "a
nation one-third ill-housed, ill-fed,
ill-clad." That phrase, as Mr.. Roose-
welt uses it, is partly bunk. 1t is
good phrase with which to paint an
oratorical picture. to evoke a senti-
mental atmosphere But it doesn't
stand analysis. Does any one believe
that one person out of every three
in the United States is 'jll-dressed"?
addressed in the sense of dressed in
bad taste, true enough. But not in the
sense Mr.. Roosevelt means. When has
any reader of this article seen one per-
son who was addressed in the sense
of not having enough clothes? About
the only place where you can see a
person without enough clothes on is in
burlesque theater-and so rare is
the sight that you have to pay an ad-
fee to see strip-tease artistic.
Perhaps One-Twentieth.
There are needy persons in the
country, too many of them. But they
are not third of the population. as
Mr.. Roosevelt says They are not a
fifth nor a tenth 1t is doubtful if
they are a twentieth.
AS for "ill-fed." in the sense that
food Is badly chosen. one would say
that not only one-third but nine
tenths are ill-fed. A man who takes
punctilious care about the precise
mixture of gas he feeds to the car
buretor of his automobile will dump
into his stomach mixtures that would
stall the strongest engine ever made
But as for ill-fed in the sense of actu-
ally not being able to get enough tc
eat, how lately have you seen a starv-
ing person?
our people whose access to a sufficient
regular and assured supply of food il
too precarious. To large part of the
population, regularity of food supply
is dependent on regularity of employ.
ment. That much employment is sub
ject to interruption, that perhaps a
twentieth Of the working population
does not now have access to private
employment is fact. But Mr.. Roose-
velt's implication that one-third are
permanently ill-fed is a rabble- -rouser's
exaggeration; it does not help toward
remedy.
What Happens Now?
Adopting Mr.. Rooeevelt's overworkec
figure Of speech. let us, ignoring thu
trees, look at the forest. Let us see a!
whole just what has happened, wha
are the consequences of the fiasco II
which Mr.. Roosevelt's court measure
ended. Here We have the Democratic
party in the Senate divided almos
exactly in two. What is the conse
quence? What happens now?
To that question, large elemen
in the answer is, how does Mr.. Roose
velt feel about the humiliation ad
ministered to him? Will he swallow j
with smile? Or will he resent 1t an,
try to get revenge? II revenge is hi
course. what form will his attempte,
revenge take? If he has grandiose am
bition in his head, what will he do i
achieve it, after suffering this check?
Before the court measure was de
feated. up to the last minute, MI
Roosevelt's attitude was one Of sub
lime confidence that his court meas
ure would pass. If any one wants t
think that Mr.. Roosevelt regards him
self as a superman he would find som
justification in Mr.. RooseVelt's atti
tude at that time. That the cour
measure should be actually defeate
was incredible to him. He was annoye
at the delay and the setbacks-but h
| did not think of 1t as more than della,
Purge" Thoughts Arise.
At that time, the latter part of jun
publicists and propagandists who re
| feet the White House-and partly in
| spire the White House-were sayin
that the old leaders of the Democrat
party in Congress must be thrown ou
| There must be. in the European ter
minology which some New Dealer
| practice, purge" Senator Robinson
then still living and Democratic leade
Of the Senate, should be replaced. Ge,
Hugh johnson. who knows well whs
goes on among the New Dealers. hear
and flew into hot indignation be
cause of what he heard-that Senate
Robinson's prestige was to be reduce,
preparatory to getting rid Of him 9
Senate leader and replacing him wit
a New Dealer: On June 81 an accurat
reporter of the New York Times, NJ
Turner Catledge, reported that, "ther