Evening star., 1937-11-04
By WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE.


EMPORIA, Kans., Nov. 4 (N.ANA).
What are the Republicans of
this Nation going to do about Fiorello
La Guardia? They cannot ignore him
as a man, and as political phe-
nomenon he is SO significant that, if
the Republicans shut their eyes to
him, the undertaken may just as well
put pennies on them and go ahead
with the embalming process.
Which does not mean that they will
have to take La Guardia or pass out.
It means that the Republican party
must give up hope of nominating a
plug hat or any one from the plug-hat
section.
This country today is definitely out
of the control of the business man in
politics. Ten years ago, with the stock
market booming, industry humming,
high wages and low unemployment,
this country glorified Coolidge when
he declared, "The business of America
is business" Those days are gone
forever. The business of America
today is justice-an honest, equitable
readjustment of the national income
as between those who toll with their
hands and those who direct industry
with organizing brains.
Sees Strong Reaction.
If the Republican party tries to go
INTO another fight with its arm around
AL Smith and the Liberty League,
with its feet in the windows of the
various Union League Clubs, with a
high tariff complex and with weasel
words running around its labor policy
to bamboozle both capital and labor
heaven help this country. For some
rabble-rouser will carry the electorate
far to the left out of protest against
the worship of the hollow, heartleSs,
gutless little tin god in frock coat,
the emblematic idol of the Republican
old guard.
Fiorello La Guardia, either in per-
son or, even better. as a type, repre-
sentS the hope of victory in this coun-
try over the Democratic party. The
Republican party can realize that hope
or reject it. Americans obviously are
beginning to be unhappy under Demo-
cratic rule. They have not rejected
President Roosevelt but, as the head
of the Democratic party in 1910. they
may still reject him and his party
But the issue today is surely not a re-
turn to %. The issue is clearly de-
fined in efficient government, in
honest government, and in fortnight,
forward leadership.
Fed Up With Partisanship.
The butterf1ngered revolution, fos-
tered in the White House, which has
begun to tumble the ball of progress,
seems to be on its way out. If it
is finished, it is because it is danger
ously and unpatriotically partisan.
The people are getting tired of its
vast Incompetence. The eyes of the
Democratic party are on the stars,
but its feet are stuck in the mud of a
dirty, clogging and often crooked party
organization, ravenous for jobs and
utterly careless of social consequences.
The American people are weary of
squandering billions for the paipable
purpose of holding party advantage.
The voters are tired beyond words of
leadership which is not fortnight,
which is clever without integrity.
The people want some one who will
scold them, who will tell even
majority it is wrong The country
yearns for leader who is not afraid
of offending a minority, or who will
not shrink from denouncing a pres
sure group which has votes for sale.
La Guardia. first of all, is a COM
petent administrator He is a budg-
ct balancer. He knows how to get re-
suits politically without sacrificing his
self-respect AS an administrator,
he should command Republican re-
spect for this competence. For, if
the Republicans have any justifable
brag, it is in their competence. La
Guardia is marching down their alley
with banners.
Independent and Honest.
Also, La Guardia is honest. That's
also Republican boast. In two cam
paigns, not one attempt to smirch the
mans personal or political honor has
stuck. He has been smeared with a
cunning malignity like that which
covered Herbert Hoover. Yet Mayor
La Guardia has proved conclusively
to the voters that every dollar of
taxes passing through his hands has
been spent so that the taxpayer got 100
cents out of it. He tolerates no
waste. He plays no favorites. He
scorns to buy votes with the peoples
money, and the Republicans should
burn that on their hearts.
More than all that, he is absolutely
independent. He promised a nom
partisan administration in New York.
He has kept his promise. He has
asked of his public servants only that
they make good. He has ignored party,
even the Republican party, and the
man who beats the present Democratic
administration will have to stress the
fact that he will rise above party.
and strengthen his party by serving
his country, and will not use his coun-
try to serve his party.
La Guardia has given the greatest
city on the continent an absolutely
clean, efficient, high-minded, non
partisan administration. And that
Is q necessary qualification for the