Evening star., 1937-09-05
ROOSEVELT IS INTENT
ON PURGE OF PARTY
If Successful, Observer Believes He Will
Nominate Himself for Presi-
dencv in 1910.

otherwise to talk in terms designed
to stir up feeling against the Demo-
Gratis who opposed him. The actual
purging, the defeat of the offending
Senators, is to be left to Mr. Roose-
velt's lieutenants, the political chief
talns who are loyal to him, such as
Senator Guffey in Pennsylvania and
other organization heads and work.
ers in the States where the offending
Senators come up for denomination.
have said that for the present Mr..
Roosevelt's strategy is not to act
openly himself. That strategy, like
Mr.. Roosevelts other strategies and
policies, is, to use one of his own
phrases, on 24-hour basis" II Mr..
Roosevelt's purge goes well, if he feels
ne has public support against the
Democrats who opposed him, he will
lash out openly. It will be his dis
position to do so. and the disposition
will grow on him. About many
things he fumes inWardly for a while,
keeping the fuming hidden below smil-
ing lips, but usually, sooner or later,
he erupts. This disposition to follow
the law of his nature grows On him.
The Time Of the Purge.
Mr.. Roosevelt intends that the
Democratic primaries next Spring
shall be a purge of the Democratic
Senators and Representatives opposing
MN. Obviously there can be two out
comes; the purge may come off or it
may not; the Democratic Senators
opposing him may be defeated or
they may be renominated.
II the purge succeeds Mr. Roosevelt
Will then possess the Democratic party.
utterly. He will make it complete Il
a New Deal party. Not merely the
New Deal as it now is. But a con-
stantly more advanced New Deal. With
complete control c,-the party. without
opposition in the party. Mr.. Roosevelt
can do with i what he likes. And
what Mr. Roosevelt likes is to be star
tllng, to be. Sensational in the way his
proposal Nst February to change the
court was startling. And a person
who eets pleasure out of being STAR
ting is obliged constantly to make
newe< and bigger sensations. And one
OF hls sensatlons-if he controls the
l>9mocratic party completely, if the
attempted purge next Spring sue
ueeds-may be to renominate himself
for the presidency.
Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Lewis.
Suppose the attempted purge next
spring does not succeed. Suppose the
Senators and Representatives who
opposed Mr. Roosevelt are renom
mated In that event Mr.. Roosevelt
will have lost control of the party
utterly In that condition what will
Mr.. Roosevelt do?
mat VIII be interesting to see
assuming the condition arises. If Mr..
Roosevelt loses control of the Demo-
cratic party he will be at loose ends.
And another besides him will be at
loose ends also A Democratic party
winch would reject Mr.. Roosevelt
would likewise reject Mr.. John L.
Lewis.
Mr.. Lewis and Mr.. Roosevelt would
0c pa itISta al iOOSe enOS. But both
these men have followings, and their
folloWln2s combined, would be formjd-
able. Both men would be without
organization in the sense of political
party organizations. Yet Mr.. Lewis
mas an organization, c. l. O., which.
While not political, could be made 50,
Mr.. Roosevelt with his following
and Mr.. Lewis with his following plus
MS organization, would have everv
reason to combine. II such a COM
blnatlon took place. which of the two
men, Mr.. Roosevelt or Mr.. Lewis.
would be the head of it?
mat very question, the difficulty of
the two agreeing upon which should
be head, might prevent the combina-
tlon Each is an egotist in his own
right; they are not the sort of men
10 toss a penny to see who gets the
head, who the tail.
But all this is for a year from now
FOR the present the thing to watch is
Mr. Roosevelt's attempted purge of
the Democratic party, his attempt to
prevent denomination of the Senators
VINO opposed his court proposal.
(Copyrient 1927